Stadium Opener Dampened By Sound Issues

Sound issues affected fans’ experiences during Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s opening concert by Garth Brooks in Atlanta Oct. 12, but organizers said blanket refunds would not be issued.
Garth Brooks
Jason Squires / JasonSquires.com – Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks plays the first of five shows at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., May 5.
Numerous fans, many of which were reportedly in the upper decks, complained of poor audio quality during the performance, and some took to Twitter to vent.
One user wrote: “@edsheeran hey. Better check the sound system at the new #mercedesbenzstadium @garthbrooks concert was a mess. My first and last #Garth”.
“My friend and I attended the Garth Brooks concert on Oct. 12, sat in section 136 and [were] very disappointed in the quality of the sound,” one fan said in a 1-star review on the venue’s Facebook page. “My friend has attended 3 Garth Brooks concerts and has never had the type of experience he had at this one. Mr Brooks and his band put on a wonderful show with high energy but due to the poor sound quality it was difficult to enjoy. Neither of us will attend a concert at MBS”
At press time there were 299 1-star reviews on the page, with many more expressing frustration with the sound system.
Steve Cannon, CEO of AMB Group, LLC, which runs operations of the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, and the Falcons Stadium Company, told reporters, “Our guest relations teams are fielding calls and working with fans on an individual basis, but we are not offering any blanket refunds,” according to WXIA-TV. “We had thousands and thousands of fans that had an absolutely incredible night last night.”
“Sound optimization issues are something every new stadium experiences,” Cannon told WXIA-TV, “We’re in the process of working with our sound suppliers to make sure of that, by the time the next concert rolls into town, we will have addressed those issues.” 
The venue acknowledged problems during the show, tweeting “Audio engineers are working through the sound issues with the artists. Garth Brooks will take the stage soon.” 
Some chatter about the show was positive, and several users expressed that the sound did improve throughout the night.
The next concert on the books for the 71,000-capacity venue is Ed Sheeran in November 2018.
Pollstar reached out to Mercedes-Benz stadium for comment, but hadn’t received a response at press time. The $1.5 billion stadium opened in August and is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. 
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