Horrible Traffic Mess Getting Into the Garth Show at Arrowhead

Did you get into the horrible traffic mess trying to get to the Garth Brooks show at Arrowhead Stadium? My buddy Mike and I did and were two of the many frustrated in their cars.

It normally takes me just under an hour to get from my home in Warrensburg to the Truman Sports Complex. That's taking Highway 50 to Blue Ridge Cutoff and approaching the complex that way. Last night, everything was great until we got about a mile from Arrowhead.

We didn't expect it to be easy-peasy like going to a weeknight Royals game in July. And we left Warrensburg at 5:00 PM, a little later than we might for a ball game. So we expected a bit of a jam getting into the Arrowhead parking lots. But not two hours. That was just poor planning by the stadium, public safety, whoever the heck decides the traffic patterns to get people in and out of that place.

And peoples' Facebook comments indicated it wasn't just us coming in on Blue Ridge Cuttoff that were having problems. It was everyone going to the show.  A look at the Arrowhead Stadium Facebook page was peppered with interesting comments about the traffic.

"We can't get there. #stuckintraffic." -Melissa Stanley

"Please hold off. So many of us are stuck in traffic trying to get there!!"  -Miles Kelsch

"Sure hope we even get to see you. Been dead stopped stuck in traffic right outside the stadium for over an hour." -Katrina Turney

"Kansas City! This is embarrassing. Been in traffic just a couple miles from the stadium for almost 3 hours! I hope Garth knows what’s happening and holds."

"The parking people are nice, but the logistics are the worst I have ever seen. What a sh!tshow." -Paul Hess

I could go on and on with the comments. When it was all said and done, police routed all of us off of Blue Ridge Cuttoff and around the perimeter of the complex. Another 10 -15 minutes in a traffic jam and we finally were able to turn into the driveway into the lots.

After that, it was a long ride through the parking areas to parking lot "O". Don't look for parking lot "O" on Google Maps. It's not there. It's behind parking lot "N". And seems like it's overflow parking.

I get that a concert isn't like a Chiefs game. First, there are more people trying to go to a show. And in many cases, most are arriving at the same time. Garth sold out the stadium, so getting 74,5000 into the stadium parking lots -- and out -- is going to be a challenge.

Yet, a two-hour challenge? I don't think so. The Truman Sports Complex is designed to get people in and out. And even for the traffic mayhem, a  show from a mega-artist like Garth Brooks generates. It shouldn't be that bad. 30 minutes maybe. 45 minutes, Ok. Yet two hours? Someone involved in traffic planning for events at Arrowhead messed up big time.

The show, however, was well worth the traffic. Garth delivered big time!