Amy Klobuchar Slams Live Nation Settlement: ‘Every Sign Points to a Backroom Deal’
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The Senator tells Rolling Stone that the settlement will do "little to lower costs, preserve venues, or protect fans"
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'Disrespect' Amy Klobuchar Slams Live Nation Settlement: ‘Every Sign Points to a Backroom Deal’ The Senator tells Rolling Stone that the settlement will do "little to lower costs, preserve venues, or protect fans" By Jon Blistein Jon Blistein Contact Jon Blistein by Email View all posts by Jon Blistein March 9, 2026 Amy Klobuchar called out the Department of Justice’s settlement with Live Nation , saying it will do “little to lower costs, preserve venues, or protect fans” in a new interview with Rolling Stone . Speaking hours after the surprise deal was announced, the Minnesota senator expressed her frustration with both the terms of the deal and how it was reached. Specifically, she cited the unexpected ouster of the DOJ’s antitrust head, Gail Slater — who appeared eager to pursue the Live Nation case — one month before the trial began . “Every single sign points to a backroom deal,” Klobuchar says, “made without the knowledge of antitrust lawyers, and made against the wishes of people that were trying to do the right thing and then were forced to leave. And certainly made against the wishes of fans.” Live Nation has spent much of the last year heavily lobbying the Trump administration over the suit. Most prominently, the company appointed Ric Grenell — the longtime Trump crony and current Kennedy Center president — to its board of directors last May. A recent report in The American Prospect also indicated that Live Nation’s lobbying team included former Trump aide and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and MAGA influencer/laywer Mike Davis (who also reportedly helped lobby the DOJ to drop its challenge to the $14 billion merger involving Hewlett Packard and Juniper Networks). “This case was one of the biggest monopolies the world has ever known,” Klobuchar says, “that has 80 percent of the primary ticketing market for major concert venues, 40 to 50 top amphitheaters, 60 percent of promotion revenue at major concert venues, and a hugely high percentage of major spor...
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