Country music fans are ‘so confused’ after Garth Brooks show is canceled

Labor Day was shaping up to be epic for country music fans, who were going to be treated to a brand new music festival in Panama City Beach, Florida. Kickoff Jam was scheduled for August 31 – September 1 and the artist line-up was not to be missed. Unfortunately, the event organizers pulled the plug on the event just two months before the festival.

The Kickoff Jam lineup included Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Alabama, Randy Travis, Lauren Alaina, Randy Houser and more. Some fans online complained about the high ticket prices (which ranged from $300 to $2,200 for the weekend event), but, by May 4, general admission tickets were sold out.

On June 8, the festival’s official Instagram account announced the news: “Kickoff Jam, the multi-artist country music festival originally scheduled for August 30 – September 1, 2024 at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach, Florida, has been canceled. After the success of the Gulf Coast Jam last weekend in Panama City Beach, we realized that the weekend after Memorial Day was a much better time to host a festival. We will therefore cancel the Kickoff Jam and issue refunds.

The event organizers have not given any further details and comments have been disabled on their Instagram and Facebook accounts, but a post on Facebook states: “Refunds have started to be processed and have already started to be received according to the original payment method All buyers should have their refund within 7-10 business days of posting. Expect your refund by 06/21/24.

The vague explanation left fans perplexed. They took to social media to leave their thoughts:

• “I don’t understand how finding a better time for GCJ affects kickoff, or why they didn’t just reschedule it for a non-holiday weekend”
• “But what is the REAL reason?”
• “But I wanted Garth Brooks 😭😭😭”
• “I knew Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood were too good to be true!”
• “This story makes no sense.”
• “I’m so confused”
• “It’s very suspicious.”

If you’ve got your heart set on seeing live music this summer, check out Garth Brooks’ Las Vegas residency or Carrie’s summer tour schedule!

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Katie Bowlby is the digital director at Country Living, where she covers gift guides, product reviews, crafts, and TV shows like Yellowstone. She is sewing a cross-stitch pattern for the next issue of the magazine.