Workers at RodeoHouston say Flash Seats are not to blame for long lines going into the Garth Brooks concert.
Less than an hour before Garth was scheduled to take the stage, hundreds of people found themselves stuck outside NRG Stadium.
While ticket holders said there were issues with electronic readers, thought to be related to the rollout of Flash Seats at the rodeo, ticket takers said an influx of people coming from NRG Park slowed down the process.
Rodeo officials said Tuesday night that people started lining up at the gates earlier than normal. This caused major delays as people tried to get into the stadium.
Ticket takers said lines swelled at the BHP Billiton entrance as many tried to enter from the carnival grounds and livestock show.
On Twitter, attendees described waiting in line for 40 minutes, even an hour to get inside the venue.
On the Kirby side of the stadium, meanwhile, rodeo workers said it was like a ghost town. In fact, ticket takers were sent with their electronic readers from the Kirby side to help clear the lines.
Eventually, the workers were told to stop scanning and to visually inspect tickets and smartphones before allowing people through the turnstiles.
RodeoHouston issued this statement Tuesday night as Garth Brooks was about to take the stage:
Due to the excitement of opening day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Garth Brooks in concert, we experienced visitors lining up at the gates earlier than normal, which caused congestion at some gates. To ensure guests could enter the gates and enjoy the rodeo and concert, we visually scanned their ticket or mobile app, instead of digitally scanning, in order to alleviate the congestion. We have now resumed normal scanning procedures.
