HOUSTON - The long lines at last night’s sold-out Garth Brooks concert were an embarrassment to Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show President and CEO, Joel Cowley.
Cowley told KHOU that, “It was clearly our fault. We are embarrassed by it and we will resolve it. We sincerely apologize to all of our fans who waited to get into the stadium.”
Cowley says rodeo staff mistakenly emailed ticket-buyers that the gates at NRG Stadium would be open at 5:15 p.m., instead of the correct time of 6 p.m. He stated that crowds showed up earlier than expected instead of the usual trickle in and that they were not prepared.
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Digital scanners used to scan tickets for the mobile app 'Flash Seats' were not working fast enough, adds Cowley. The company has since “doubled its capacity,” and upgraded the scanners to work faster.
Cowley says most of the congestion was on the east side of the stadium, which they will be monitoring closely.
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“Primarily, it was on the east side of the stadium because people come on the grounds early and were entering from the east. Those who entered on the west probably had no trouble at all.”
It is likely that the rodeo will allow gates to open early for the Garth Brook concert closer on March 18.