Heather LaGarde, center, owns Haw River Ballroom, a venue with a capacity of 750, in Saxapahaw, N.C. She spoke at a news conference in Raleigh on May 13, 2026. (Photo: Laura Leslie/NC Newsline)
Heather LaGarde owns Haw River Ballroom, a venue with a capacity of 750 in Saxapahaw.
Fifteen years ago, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings were the first band to ever perform at Haw River Ballroom. The group came back recently on tour.
“They were doing it in 6,000-person theaters across the nation, but they chose North Carolina. They chose little Saxapahaw to do a special two-night run, which is incredible,” LaGarde told reporters Wednesday. “It’s life-saving for little venues like ours, and we love them dearly, and everyone wants to get into that show.”
Both nights of the show sold out in four minutes, leaving upset would-be concertgoers calling the ballroom. LaGarde estimates reseller bots snatched up least 100 tickets from each night.
During the show, people lined up outside but couldn’t get in without a valid ticket. But there were still empty spots inside that she thinks were purchased by bots.
“We had really reduced bar sales, which hits your venues very hard because you don’t have your full capacity,” LaGarde said. “The bands had really reduced merch sales, which they rely on so much for their bottom line.”
LaGarde is one of the lawmakers, musicians and venue owners supporting legislation that would impose tougher penalties for fraudulent concert ticket sales in North Carolina and limit the number that can be bought by reseller bots.
Senate Bill 849, “Real Tickets, Real Fans Act,” would implement more regulations for second- and third-party sellers, targeting price gouging and fraudulent sales of concert tickets.
Under the legislation, resellers would need to clearly identify themselves as resellers, not the box office, official artists or venue partner. The bill would also ban impersonators fooling fans into thinking they’re buying directly from the source.
Resellers would need to provide an active link directly to the primary seller, giving fans a choice to view the original listing. Additionally, the measure would ban the sale of speculative tickets, which aren’t in the possession of a reseller at the time of listing, sale or advertisement.
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The bill would also ban software scalpers from using bots to purchase tickets before real fans can even load the page, according to primary sponsor Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake).
Artists and musicians play a key role in driving tourism in North Carolina, Chaudhuri said. The measure would help preserve that industry.
“Those economic contributions deserve the same marketplace protections we extend to every other industry so our constituents and our fans don’t need a fraud-detection course to buy a concert ticket,” Chaudhuri added.
When Jason Isbell came, LaGarde said, he and the venue agreed to sell the tickets for $25, but resellers listed them on fake sites for $700, according to LaGarde.
A woman surprised her husband with a ticket as an anniversary gift to see his favorite artist, LaGarde said. Upon arriving, she learned the ticket was fake.
“She’s sobbing outside the door, she’s hysterical,” LaGarde said. “This is her gift of the year to her husband, and it’s a fake ticket.”
In cases like those, venue owners can relay the story to the artist, and in some instances, the artist still allows them in, but neither the venue nor the artist ever sees any of the money paid for the ticket.
“We cannot sustain that when it’s 100 fake tickets. The artists can’t sustain it. We can’t work as businesses and artists that way,” LaGarde said.
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SUBSCRIBELaGarde said fans who buy these overpriced or fake tickets often blame the venue or the artist. But she said fraudulent sellers set up sites that look like they belong to the venue.
“We’ve had websites say they’re Haw River Ballroom that are using pictures from the Sydney Opera House, and people buy tickets there. You know, they’re using seating charts. We don’t have seats,” LaGarde explained.
“Every time, they’re very angry with us,” LaGarde said. “‘Why was it $700 when it’s still on sale for $25, and why is this fake? And where is my front row seat? Where is my VIP treatment?’”
The bill has bipartisan support in the state Senate with both Democratic and Republican sponsors, including Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell). But Sawyer said Wednesday the proposal also has plenty of powerful detractors.
“I thought, ‘Well, this is going to be a simple bill. It’s a no-brainer. Protect people, right?” Sawyer said. “Well, it’s not. What we’ve learned is that it is fraught with special interests and folks who want this bill to fail.”
Asked for more detail, Chaudhuri said they’ve had pushback from secondary reseller sites who argue that it restricts a fan’s ability to resell their ticket.
”Nothing in this bill actually restricts that from happening. But what we’re trying to do is crack down on very predatory practices that are taking place,” Chaudhuri said.
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