Sound Woes Mar First Big Concert At Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Fans at the first big concert at Atlanta’s gleaming new sports arena say a screeching sound made it impossible to hear country music star Garth Brooks’ lyrics — even though they knew all the words to his songs.

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Some fans left Thursday night’s show early, WSB-TV reported. Others are asking for refunds.

Stadium officials are looking into sound quality in sections of the upper concourse, Mercedes-Benz Stadium said in a statement late Thursday. A breaker that powered speakers was tripped for “a small amount of time,” it said.

Fans cheered when former President Jimmy Carter took to the stage shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday with Georgia native Trisha Yearwood, who also performed at the concert. Carter thanked Yearwood for her support of the state and Habitat for Humanity, video at WSB-TV’s website showed.

Yearwood, a Georgia native, then began singing “Georgia on My Mind.”

The $1.5 billion stadium opened this year and is home to the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United.

There have been issues with its retractable roof, which was open for the Falcons’ regular-season home opener but closed for several other events.