More big names, more sellout risks at Walmart AMP
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Seeing a concert in Northwest Arkansas is starting to require preparation and a bit of luck.
State of play: The region's largest concert venue, the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers, is bringing in popular artists like Lana Del Rey, Foo Fighters and Post Malone.
Why it matters: While that means more notoriety for the region's live-music scene, it's also becoming noticeably harder to get tickets before they sell out.
Driving the news: The Chappell Roan show set for Oct. 2 sold out this month before going on sale to the public, meaning only those with presale codes were able to get tickets. Fans are frustrated, including one who told KNWA that trying to get tickets was "a living nightmare."
- Selling out during the presale was a first for the AMP, Axios confirmed with Carlos Vicente, vice president of marketing and sales.
What they're saying: Each tour determines how its ticket inventory is managed and released, so it varies from show to show whether a certain number of tickets are reserved for public sale, Vicente said in an email.
- He recommends being aware of tour dates, joining their fan clubs, signing up for their emails and following them on social media for presale codes. Fans might also consider credit cards that offer first access to shows.
Flashback: The AMP expanded in 2020, adding amenities for artists and concertgoers, and upping its capacity by 1,000 seats to 11,000.
Zoom out: To prevent ticket scalping, AMP officials look for purchases over the ticket quantity limit of six — or from duplicate or questionable accounts — and cancel those sales. The venue also started defaulting to digital tickets and rotating QR codes last year.