Jack Johnson is returning to Santa Barbara for a special performance at the Arlington Theatre on November 6. For the first time in 25 years, his classic surf films — Thicker Than Water (1999) and The September Sessions (2002) ― will be showcased, freshly remastered, in 4K. But due to the limited capacity at the Arlington and the high demand for an artist of Johnson’s stature, purchasing tickets worked a little differently this time around.
“Tickets will only be available through a request system powered by Seated,” the event page stated. “This system is designed to block scalpers and bots, ensuring tickets end up in the hands of real fans.”
Sound familiar? It should.
Earlier this month, Paul McCartney’s sold-out show at the Santa Barbara Bowl marked the first time in town that a “lottery-style” registration system was used. Managed entirely through the ticketing company AXS, the system was designed to prevent scalping and accommodate the Bowl’s 4,500-seat capacity.
“More than 121,000 fans registered for tickets,” said Moss Jacobs of Goldenvoice, the concert promoter that brought McCartney to the Bowl.
According to Rick Boller, the Bowl’s executive director, the effort paid off: Only one person showed up with a secondhand ticket. Their strict resale policy and heavy promotion of verified ticketing worked.
Still, it wasn’t without its hiccups. McCartney fan Lucas Nadolskis, who is blind, struggled to buy tickets after discovering that the AXS website wasn’t compatible with his screen reader. He shared his frustration in a letter to The Independent, describing how the “fair fan experience” promised on the site didn’t apply to people with disabilities.
After Nadolskis shared his story, McCartney’s tour representative Steve Martin contacted him and ensured he received two digital tickets — front-row seats, no less. “It ended up being one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen,” Nadolskis said.
This quickly became an example of how accessibility and fairness can coexist with a lottery-style ticket registration, and while both McCartney and Johnson’s events were independently in motion, they both aimed for the same success: Make ticketing fairer for real fans.
McCartney’s registration, communication, and purchasing all happened through Fair AXS, while Johnson’s team chose Seated, which sent out text and email invitations with unique presale codes for select fans.
A number of fans were automatically assigned tickets, while others received the unique code, which allowed them to purchase tickets through Arlington’s ticketing platform the next morning. Remaining fans were placed on a waitlist and notified if additional tickets became available.
For high-demand artists performing in smaller, more intimate venues, the priority is ensuring real fans — not scalpers — get to enjoy the music.
It’s unclear whether McCartney’s success directly influenced Johnson’s team, who did not respond to a request for comment. Registration for Jack Johnson’s show has ended, but if this new “lottery-style” approach keeps proving effective, concertgoers can expect to see a lot more of it.
