> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hypebot.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Bots Are Winning. Now Concerts Are Getting Canceled. - URL: https://www.hypebot.com/the-bots-are-winning-now-concerts-are-getting-canceled/ - Published: 2026-11-02T11:35:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-02T11:35:14.000Z - Description: Ticket bots aren't just making concerts harder to attend. They're disrupting ticket sales, delaying presales and now contributing to cancellations. - Author: Hypebot Editorial Desk - Tags: Live & Ticketing, Garth Brooks, concert tickets, tickets, Fake Tickets, bots, live music, ticketing, #trending, country, country music, Features [**Garth Brooks**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/50198-garth-brooks?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900) wanted to give more fans a chance to see him in **Kansas City.** Instead, his attempt to add another concert ended with the show being canceled after bots reportedly overwhelmed the ticketing system. The country superstar had added a November 7 matinee at Kansas City's T-Mobile Center after demand for two previously announced performances left fans without tickets. But when the new show went on sale through AXS on October 23, **more than 90,000 users** entered the queue. According to Brooks' team, most weren't actual fans. They were **spam bots.** The automated traffic reportedly held tickets across the floor and lower bowl, preventing legitimate buyers from accessing seats. AXS and the venue shut down the sale, and Brooks subsequently canceled the matinee altogether. Fans who successfully purchased tickets will receive refunds, while his two previously scheduled evening shows will proceed. [*Music Business Worldwide*](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/garth-brooks-cancels-kansas-city-show-saying-bots-made-up-most-of-a-90000-plus-ticket-queue/?ref=hypebot.com) reported that the Kansas City incident is part of a growing series of bot-related disruptions affecting major artists. ## **It's Not Just Garth Brooks** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3a/95/3a957c06-c825-4057-9939-0a274cc16d23/content/images/2026/11/Sam_Fender_Leeds_2019.jpg) On October 28, [**Sam Fender**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/6592776-sam-fender?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900) postponed the presale for two hometown stadium shows at Newcastle's St James' Park after what his team described as a sophisticated bot attack against ticketing platform Gigantic. The company confirmed detecting unusually high volumes of suspicious activity, which caused technical errors and forced it to halt the presale. The sale was rescheduled for the following morning. Meanwhile, [**RAYE**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/13886765-raye?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900) recently reported that scalpers using [AI](https://www.hypebot.com/tag/AI) bots had flooded registrations for her Royal Albert Hall concert in London. The presale attracted a staggering 1.8 million registrations for a venue holding approximately 5,000 people. The incidents involve different artists, ticketing companies, and circumstances, but they're evidence of a troubling development: automated ticket-buying activity is no longer simply a problem for fans trying to beat the resale market. It's beginning to interfer with the industry's ability to sell tickets in the first place. ## **When Ticketing Problems Become Concert Problems** We're used to episodes of scalpers buying up inventory, inflated resale prices, and legitimate fans being locked out of popular shows, but now the consequences are extending beyond the ticketing transaction itself. When real world shows have to be shut down, it's entering the flow of culture and commerce in a new, troubling capacity. Brooks' Kansas City cancellation illustrates what happens when a compromised on-sale affects the delivery of a [live event](https://www.hypebot.com/tag/live-music/). Fans who secured tickets lose their show. The artist loses a performance. The venue, promoters, and surrounding businesses potentially lose economic activity. There are already laws intended to address the problem. The United States' 2016 BOTS Act prohibits circumventing online ticket-buying security measures, yet enforcement and technological defenses continue to face challenges. For independent artists and venues, the stakes are especially high. Because while Brooks has the resources and drawing power to absorb a canceled performance, smaller artists and independent promoters rarely have that luxury. A failed on-sale can mean lost momentum, wasted [marketing spend](https://www.hypebot.com/tag/marketing-strategy/), confused fans and a damaged relationship with the very audience an artist is trying to reach. --- ## [**Garth Brooks Tour Dates**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/50198-garth-brooks?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900)