Gainbridge concertgoers say they were denied access to rescheduled Elton John show; told tickets invalid

INDIANAPOLIS — Many who purchased tickets to see Elton John's thrice-rescheduled "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse told WRTV they have not been allowed in because they were told their tickets are invalid due to an apparent error.

Video shared with WRTV showed what appeared to be several dozens of people packed inside the waiting area, reportedly after the concert had already started.

"We got here before the concert started and were told our tickets from 2018 which had been renewed multiple times now were not valid. We waited for an hour and a half talking to multiple people who couldn’t help us," concertgoer Emily Carlisle told WRTV. "We were just given four tickets that are no where near the quality of the original ones purchased to compensate. We got no warning this would happen, no email, no nothing."

Carlisle later said she got into the venue but was behind the stage and could "barely see."

Another attendee, Holly Brunswick, said she and her siblings bought the tickets for their parents and were devastated. Her mother had waited four years to see the concert, she said.

"So excited for one of the best nights of her life. And this is what she gets.. Sitting in the lobby while the show goes on. Unacceptable and sad for us who bought these," Brunswick tweeted.

Heather Lawalin, who drove to the concert from Lebanon, said she bought tickets directly from Gainbridge's website as a surprise gift to her husband.

"They were telling everyone to go line up at the box office and they had two people working the box office. And there were probably over a thousand people in line," Lawalin said. "We made the decision to leave because the line wasn't moving and there were a lot of angry people there. At that point it was a security issue for us."

An email notification that attendees shared with WRTV shows that some peoples' seats were relocated due to venue renovations.

Some said they had been told their seats did not exist.

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"Due to Fieldhouse of the Future renovations, the lower bowl and mezzanine levels have been reconfigured. We have regularly communicated with ticket holders, with a focus on those who were impacted by seat reconfiguration, and we have brought additional staffing to the box office and in our Guest Services in anticipation of a high volume of issues. While we did all we could to anticipate and address the issues that arose on show night, we apologize to the fans who were delayed entering the show," said Daniel Lopez, vice president for external affairs and corporate communications at Pacers Sports & Entertainment in a statement.

Friday night's show had originally been scheduled for 2019 but was rescheduled three times since tickets first went on sale in 2018,

Gainbridge Fieldhouse in an official statement said those affected should reach out to wherever they originally bought the tickets or email the box office at boxoffice@pacers.com.

Officials haven't yet said how widespread the issue was.

WRTV has attempted to reach out to Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster and promoter AEG Worldwide but has not yet heard back.

This is a developing story.