KUALA LUMPUR – Lax crowd control at Taylor Swift’s concerts in Singapore which began over the weekend has drawn the ire of fans who complained of obstructed views and poor security.
Swifties complained on X that ticket holders from other categories had snuck into their area with little to no security present to rectify the situation. This resulted in people getting up from their seats and surging forward, blocking the views of others who were seated.
“Swifties from all around the world paid so much money to come see Taylor on tour. Being the only country she’s performing in Southeast Asia, we need to be better,” said The Eras Tour Singapore or @TSTheErasTourSG, an X account managed by the superstar’s fans.
“The money that people spent on VIP, security needs to be stricter. Cat 1/2 people should not be allowed at the VIP section. Isn’t there a reason why we paid $900 more?” added the tweet which also tagged concert organiser AEG Presents Asia.
Others said they paid top dollar only to obtain poor seating and views of the stage blocked by equipment.
“There were people who got into the stadium without tickets because they tailgated people into the gantry. I witnessed it right in front of me and I called them out and informed the ushers because there was no security to be found at the gantry,” said @_catastrophe_13. x.com/_catastrophe_13/status/1764162509345566952?s=20
Others said they expected better from Singapore organisers after the republic forked out hefty subsidies to ensure the exclusivity of The Eras Tour performances to the city-state only and nowhere else in Southeast Asia.
“Maybe don’t be too greedy by being the only place in Southeast Asia that held the Eras Tour. Now you learn money can’t buy everything,” said one X user Fransisca Y.
“With the way SG (Singapore) pays Taylor a sh*t ton of money to perform in SG only, I would never expect something like this to happen lol,” said a @lumines92.
“The seating arrangement was actually chaotic…VIP seats where TS (Taylor Swift) could be barely seen?!!! I mean, was it all purely Marketing? There was nothing VIP at all about section 407, VIP Cat 5 supposedly,” said a @sKateRT888
Another concertgoer who is also a Blackpink fan, said organisers had not learnt from previous concerts on improving arrangements.
“It was the same during the Blackpink shows last year. Many of us complained but I see now they never bothered taking notes to improve their services for concertgoers,” said @IAmBl1nk.
Swift’s first two shows were held on Saturday and Sunday nights, and she has four more to go including tonight, March 7, 8, and 9.
Singapore recently confirmed it paid Swift subsidies in the form of a grant to ensure her exclusive performance in the city-state. – March 4, 2024