The sale opened at 10 a.m. Central on Oct. 23 via AXS. Shortly after, it stopped — not because tickets sold out, but because organizers attributed the disruption to excessive automated activity. Garth Brooks and his promoters halted the public onsale for his newly added Kansas City matinee, citing “excessive bot activity.” Fans who set alarms, opened browsers, and waited in the queue found themselves shut out within minutes, while others reportedly completed purchases before the disruption hit. The situation remains unresolved.
The affected show is a Nov. 7 matinee at T-Mobile Center — a third Kansas City date added after strong demand was reported for the Nov. 6 show and Nov. 7 evening performance. Brooks described the bot situation as “out of hand” and said, “It’s been progressively getting worse on this tour,” according to reporting from KMBC. He apologized to fans who attempted legitimate purchases and stated, “I will personally look into what can be done.”
What Happened — and What’s Still Unknown
The confirmed facts are clear; what comes next for the matinee is anything but.
Here’s what the reporting establishes:
- Ticket pricing was $155 before applicable taxes — $140 base, $5 facility fee, $10 service charge — listed at a uniform price across every seat in the building
- Brooks has sold out T-Mobile Center 16 times previously
- The Nov. 6 show and Nov. 7 evening performance were not identified in available reports as affected
- No announcement has been made on whether the halted sale will reopen or whether the matinee will proceed
- Whether tickets purchased before the shutdown will be honored remains officially unconfirmed
For the announced primary onsale, every seat carried one price — no premium tiers, no dynamic surge pricing, just flat access. Bots targeting that kind of onsale is like a wave of scalpers crowding a library entrance before it opens: the resource was designed to be equally available, and the disruption undercut that the moment the doors unlocked. It is a direct hit to the fan-first pricing approach Brooks built into this run.
“Due to excessive bot activity, ticket sales for Garth’s third show in Kansas City have been shut down. Garth and the promoters are evaluating next steps and the future of the show.” — Team Garth statement, as reported by KMBC
This incident adds to a pattern of ticketing friction throughout the Blame It All on My Roots Arena Tour, intensifying pressure on AXS and promoters to explain what bot-detection and queue-protection measures are actually in place for high-demand onsales — part of a broader conversation about the industry’s scalping empire that regulators are increasingly scrutinizing.
What Fans Should Know Right Now
Until an official update arrives, the matinee’s fate — and some fans’ ticket status — stays genuinely open.
Brooks’ team said they were evaluating “next steps and the future of the show” — language that leaves the show’s status unresolved. If a purchase was completed before the shutdown, ticket validity has not been officially confirmed either way as of the reporting date. The Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 evening dates are listed by the venue and have not been identified as affected — a dynamic familiar to fans navigating arena dates added under similarly high demand. Hold off on booking travel until Brooks’ team, AXS, or T-Mobile Center issues a definitive statement.
Sixteen Kansas City sellouts. A fan base ready to spend $155 the moment the queue opened. And a bot disruption that upended the onsale before most fans had a chance. What happens next depends on decisions that, as of publication, have not been made.
