AUSTIN, TEXAS — Ticketmaster and the Moody Center canceled and refunded all tickets purchased during an inadvertent early release for Ariana Grande’s June 24, June 26 and June 27 shows at the Moody Center.
The early release occurred Feb. 9, 2026, ahead of a planned Ticketmaster Request period, and the venue said in a Feb. 10 post that the sales resulted from a technical error. Fans who bought during that window were told their orders would be canceled and fully refunded, and that access to the remaining inventory would run through Ticketmaster’s request-only process. The replacement request window ran through Thursday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m., and Ticketmaster said submitting a request did not guarantee a ticket.
The reset followed an earlier complication tied to resale enforcement, with Ticketmaster telling fans it had voided some resale purchases that violated platform terms and would prioritize certain affected buyers during the request process. “We thought demand overloaded the system,” said Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation. “It turned out not to be true.”
For Mueller and other Austin concertgoers, the cancellation-and-reissue process created a narrow timeline to act: fans had to monitor for refunds on the original purchases and submit a new Ticketmaster Request before the Feb. 12 deadline, then wait for confirmation on whether any request was fulfilled. The request-only approach also meant consumers could not assume the first confirmation email or credit card charge would translate into seats, raising familiar concerns about clarity in ticketing rules and the risk of confusion that can drive people toward unauthorized resellers.
The episode unfolded as Ticketmaster and Live Nation faced continuing scrutiny over ticket access and secondary-market pricing. A U.S. trade body has accused the companies of using practices that can inflate secondary-market prices, including misleading ticket limits and pricing tactics, according to MusicRadar. Separately, internal Ticketmaster communications disclosed in court proceedings have drawn attention for their tone about ticket buyers and fee revenue, according to AS.com. “These people are so stupid,” said Ben Baker, Ticketmaster regional director.
The Austin situation also matched a broader pattern of artists addressing resale backlash while ticketing systems adjust rules mid-sale. Ariana Grande previously told fans she had been working to get more tickets into the hands of fans rather than resellers, according to TicketNews. “i've been on the phone every second of my free time fighting for a solution. i hear you and hopefully, we will be able to get more of these tickets into your hands instead of theirs,” said Ariana Grande, singer. The Moody Center dates were scheduled for June 24, June 26 and June 27, with the third show added after demand for the first two Austin nights.
