Last-minute ticket changes cause some to miss Chris Brown shows in Atlanta
R&B singer Chris Brown’s two-day stint in Atlanta during Labor Day weekend became a nuisance for some fans, who said their tickets were invalid by the time they arrived at the concerts.
The Grammy winner performed shows Saturday and Sunday at Truist Park in Cobb County as part of his Breezy Bowl Tour, with fellow R&B singers Bryson Tiller and Summer Walker as openers. But some fans with floor seats missed the entire experience, as they weren’t immediately allowed inside.
“It was completely out of order,” 28-year-old Fairburn resident Brianna Upshaw told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In April, Upshaw purchased her $700 floor seat (with insurance) via Ticketmaster for Saturday night’s show. She arrived when doors opened, around 5:30 p.m. Upshaw said when her ticket was scanned, she was told to get in another line to receive a new ticket because her original one was now invalid.
Upshaw said the line to receive a new ticket was so long that she never received a new one and, as of Tuesday afternoon, has yet to receive a refund.
“I never made it to the front of the line. … I was in that line from 6-8:30 p.m.,” she said. “I missed the openers, but when I heard (Brown) come out, I was like, ‘All right, I’m just gonna go (home)’.”
The cause? Upshaw and other fans said Truist Park employees told them that last-minute staging and production changes to Brown’s show altered previously purchased floor seating.
A Truist Park employee familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter gave a similar explanation, noting Brown’s reconfiguration changes were made well after all the tickets were sold.
Representatives for Brown, Live Nation, Truist Park or Ticketmaster didn’t provide an official comment regarding the situation.
‘Just make it right’
Hampton resident Tanisha Renee is another fan who didn’t make it inside for Saturday‘s show, although she purchased her $500 floor seat via Ticketmaster in April. Like Upshaw, Renee arrived when gates opened and was informed that her ticket no longer existed.
She said she was told to wait in another line to get a new ticket.
“My thing was, why am I going and standing in the ticket line when I have a ticket?,” the 42-year-old told the AJC.
Renee said she waited in the new line for nearly three hours before she decided to go home. She also said gates were starting to close and was told that she wouldn’t be allowed to enter even if she received a new ticket.
“That’s when I finally gave up,” she said. “And (Brown) was about three or four songs in at that point.”
@atlgoddess #breezybowl #breezybowlatlanta #ticketmaster @chrisbrownofficial ♬ original sound - Tanisha Renee
As she was leaving, she posted a TikTok video of her crying while sharing her disappointment. She told the AJC that Saturday would’ve been her first time seeing Brown perform live.
“Everybody talks about how amazing (his 2024 11:11 Tour) was. I’ve been raising my kids by myself for all these years, so I was thinking, I’m gonna do something for me in 2025. I’m gonna make it the year of the concerts that I want to go to. He was definitely on that list. This was a bucket list item. That’s what I think had me crying.”
Renee said she’s filing a dispute with her bank to get a refund after not receiving any help from Ticketmaster. Renee and Upshaw said they didn’t receive notice about the ticket issues before arriving at Truist Park.
“Just give me my money back,” Renee said. “Just make it right.”
Krinesha Curry, 28, traveled from her home in Madison, Mississippi, to attend Sunday night’s show. At 12:13 a.m. EDT that day, she received an email from Truist Park stating that her floor seat was moved because of “changes in staging and production.” The email, which was verified by the AJC, instructed her to retrieve a new ticket at will call.
Curry said she was able to receive a new ticket that was a better seat than the one she previously purchased. While she enjoyed the show, she said she was informed at the last minute that Brown was not doing meet-and-greets, an experience Curry paid for.
“I didn’t pay to be inconvenienced,” she said.
All of those circumstances made Curry decide she’s not interested in attending another Chris Brown concert. She wants the R&B star to acknowledge the ticketing issues at his Atlanta shows.
“At least address it,” said Curry, who has attended Chris Brown shows since 2008. “It’s no way it’s been two to three days since all of this has happened and nothing has been posted on Instagram. I want an official statement. I don’t want an Instagram story typed out. I feel like fans at least deserve that”
@theeneshacurry My section is COMPLETELY gone. I was on the FLOOR section B5. Im here at Truist Park EARLY to get relocated for new seats. I’m really tryijng to stay POSITIVE but this is really an inconvenience for what I purchased and waited MONTHS for. #breezybowl #atlanta #truistpark #chrisbrown #CapCut ♬ It Depends (feat. Bryson Tiller) - Chris Brown
Atlanta is the only city Chris Brown will visit three times during this year’s Breezy Bowl. The stadium world tour began in June and is slated to end in Memphis, Tennessee, in October. He’ll return to Atlanta on Oct. 3 at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.
About the Author
DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia's work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.
