Good News Friday: Jeff Jackson’s Live Nation win could mean cheaper tickets

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announces a big win over Live Nation, and it could save all of us on ticket prices. Plus, Navy aircraft center preps for Kinston and details emerge about Disney’s plans for Pittsboro.

As a journalist who has worked in the Charlotte area since 2012, I’m familiar with Jeff Jackson and his social media prowess.

Called ‘Congress’ biggest TikTok star’ during his time serving as a US House Representative from 2021-23, Jackson’s savvy use of social media to connect with constituents began during his tenure in the NC General Assembly from 2014-2023. 

In 2015, he went viral for live-tweeting an NCGA session that only he attended due to snow in Raleigh and throughout the state. He facetiously declared that he could pass any bill he wanted while honestly raising awareness for the type of legislation he would push through if he could. 

That’s why the Department of Justice should have known better than to try to piggy-back on one of Jackson’s wins this week. He proved rather quickly that he’s still got it, setting the record straight rather than allow the federal government to claim victory in a fight he and his fellow state attorneys general won. 

We just won.

Ticketmaster / Live Nation was the biggest antitrust case in years. A jury just ruled for us on all claims.

We brought this case with a big group of AGs and USDOJ – until last month, when USDOJ cut a backroom deal with Live Nation in the middle of the trial and…

— Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) April 15, 2026

I’ve got the details of this case, which will hopefully provide some relief to all of us concertgoers regardless of whether you agree with Jackson’s politics or not, in my Good News Friday column below. 

Live Nation deal could mean relief for concertgoers

NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson in 2024 at a Kamala Harris rally in Charlotte. This week, Jackson announced a jury verdict that could mean relief for concert-goers. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

A seven-week trial ended on Wednesday with a jury holding Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable on all counts for illegally monopolizing the ticketing and large amphitheater markets for live entertainment events in a suit brought by NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson and a bipartisan group of 33 other attorneys general. 

“The verdict’s in. We just won our case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster on all claims, and we’re closer to breaking down their illegal monopoly over the live entertainment industry,” Jackson said in a release on Wednesday. “Every fan who’s watched prices pile up on a concert ticket just got proof they were right to feel mistreated by a monopoly. That’s exactly what was happening.” 

The DOJ had originally joined the attorneys general in pursuing the case but in March agreed to a settlement deal with Live Nation. Jackson and his fellow AGs stayed on the case. 

When the DOJ’s Antitrust Division posted to X on Wednesday calling the ruling a “historic liability finding,” Jackson was quick to set the record straight. 

Huh?

You bailed in the middle of trial after cutting a sweetheart deal with Live Nation, tried to pressure the rest of us to accept it, but we pressed on and won the trial without you.

Congrats to consumers, not to you. https://t.co/aUmBx1NKYJ

— Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) April 16, 2026

“Huh? You bailed in the middle of trial after cutting a sweetheart deal with Live Nation, tried to pressure the rest of us to accept it, but we pressed on and won the trial without you … Congrats to consumers, not to you,” he wrote in response. 

In his Wednesday release, Jackson explained the next steps: “The case will now head to a second phase where the judge will decide the appropriate remedies to break Live Nation’s hold on the live entertainment industry and restore competition, and our office will stay on the side of bringing prices down for consumers.” 

Large-scale Navy aircraft facility to bring 400 jobs to eastern North Carolina

The United States Navy this week signed a 10-year lease at the NC Global TransPark, a 2,500-acre multimodal industrial park in Kinston, finalizing a deal to bring the Navy’s new Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) to the property—one that’s been years in the making. 

Providing fleet support to all branches of the US military, the FRCE is expected to bring more than 400 jobs to eastern North Carolina. The NC Global TransPark will support maintenance and aircraft overhaul for the center, which will occupy about 65 acres there. 

“North Carolina’s strong defense and aviation tradition and world-class workforce make this announcement a perfect partnership,” stated Gov. Josh Stein in a release. “The long-term agreement will bring economic prosperity to eastern North Carolina and support our nation’s military readiness.”

The military hopes to start using the facilities in July, with the first aircraft arriving in the fall, though construction on the 17 acres of aircraft hangars will not be fully completed until summer 2027. 

Disney has plans for Pittsboro

An artist rendering of Asteria, Disney’s residential and entertainment community it’s planning in Pittsboro, North Carolina. (Rendering via Disney Storyliving)

Disney on Wednesday released more details about its plans for Asteria, a residential and entertainment community it plans to build in Pittsboro — only the second such community the company has built in the United States. 

Spanning roughly 1,500 acres within Pittsboro’s Chatham Park area, the community will be anchored by the Second Star Club, a central gathering space that “will bring the community’s vision of lifelong learning and exploration to life through locally inspired spaces and Disney-designed experiences,” according to the website. 

The Second Star Club will include Marquet Hall, the club’s two-story signature restaurant; The Studios, a space for residents to get hands on with creative projects ranging from high-tech undertakings to woodworking; Lost Key Cottage, a whimsical home based on Peter Pan that can be used as an event space or overnight rental; and more.