News
Taylor Swift Tickets for Singapore Sell Out in 8 Hours
Tickets for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour’s Singapore stop were sold out by 8.20 p.m. on Friday (July 7), just over eight hours after they went on sale, but not before fans were irritated by issues in the ticketing system.
Many people who spoke to TODAY advocated for better ticket control and handling for very popular events like Swift’s performances.
Within minutes of the sale beginning at midday, there were complaints that several Singapore Post (SingPost) stores were experiencing “technical issues” accessing the Ticketmaster system where tickets were sold.
Even those who were first or second in file at the post offices, after waiting up to 40 hours in queue, had to wait up to two hours to even reach the counter to acquire their concert tickets.
Those who were among the first 30 persons to join the physical wait were likewise not promised tickets. SingPost stated that the first 30 people will have a better chance of securing tickets.
The first customer in queue at SingPost’s Bedok Central office had to wait nearly an hour to collect hers.
Ms Roxanne Chua, an 18-year-old shop worker, had been in queue since 5 a.m. on Thursday and had been there for 31 hours. She’d taken three days off from work.
“I’ve been scared since 5.30am this morning, my heart has been racing,” Ms Chua said after obtaining four Category 3 and two VIP Taylor Swift tickets.
“This is the first time I’m so happy to spend S$3,000.”
She’d only gotten an hour and a half of sleep since getting in line.
Swift’s The Eras Tour will take place at the National Stadium from March 2 to 4 and 7 to 9, 2024.
Tickets for United Overseas Bank cardholders went on sale three hours after they were released on the Ticketcharge website on Wednesday, and the general sale began at noon on Friday.
Wednesday’s pre-sale was not available at SingPost, and many who attempted to purchase tickets reported numerous difficulties on the Ticketetmaster website, such as being thrown out of the online queue and having to rejoin to secure a position.
Fans told TODAY on Friday that the Ticketmaster website was collapsing, which they described as “unacceptable” given that the concert promoters should have anticipated the volume of fans who would try to obtain tickets online.
Ms Chua stated that each SingPost outlet may have been given a specific number of tickets.
“I can tell they’re trying their hardest, it’s the website’s fault,” she stated as she waited for her tickets to be processed.
Many individuals in the queue were perplexed to learn that SingPost stores competed for Taylor Swift tickets from the same website that customers online were using. In reality, some online purchasers received their tickets ahead of others who waited in queue at post offices.
Ms Nila S, a 20-year-old Bangalore University student, said she had incorrectly imagined that queuing at SingPost would increase her chances of getting tickets.
“Now we’re competing with millions of people online, so it’s not much better.” “They should have a system in place where tickets are assigned to the post office,” she suggested.
Ms Chua also stated that Ticketmaster should modernise its website and figure out how to handle the large number of individuals that visit it online.
“It’s unfair and ridiculous that I was in the waiting room and timed out twice because the server couldn’t hold that many people,” she said.
Other fans who physically queued overnight argued SingPost might have assigned queue numbers to discourage individuals from cutting lines.
Ms Rachel Lim, a 21-year-old Singapore Institute of Management student, waited in waiting for five hours before reaching the desk, only to discover that there were only single seat and VIP Taylor Swift tickets available. She made the decision not to purchase any tickets.
“I should have stayed at home.” I’m sure scalpers are involved… “I’m so angry, I’ll never queue again,” she declared.
Klook said their “experience packages,” which included two tickets and a night’s stay at a specific hotel, were snatched up in six hours. It did not disclose the overall number of packages sold.
Taylor Swift Package prices varied from S$542.00 for four-star hotels to S$4,977 for five-star hotels.
“We expected immense demand, but it’s safe to say that was an understatement, with more than 600,000 fans from across the region eagerly waiting in queue,” a Klook representative said.
According to experts, the drama surrounding these tickets illustrates fans’ dedication to Swift, which stems from the singer’s success, standing as a feminist icon, and relatability to young people.
“The craze for Swift’s concert is mainly drawn from her popularity in this region,” said Associate Professor Lau Kong Cheen, a marketing lecturer at Singapore University of Social Sciences.
“Of course, the post-pandemic scenario plays a part as well.”
Dr. Soh Kai Ruo, a lecturer at the Department of Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore, added, “Taylor Swift is a brand, she has creative control over her tours.”
Dr. Soh cited how the singer began re-recording her first six albums in 2021 after losing her masters to her old label in a disagreement as creating a “new buzz about her music again.”
She also stated that Swift appeals to specific groups of women who have shared similar experiences with her, demonstrating that it is possible to “take back power” within a specific context, which is why some fans regard her as a feminist icon.
Experts characterise the celebrity as “personable” as she sings about her life, as well as a “role model for championing women’s rights.”
Mr Yeow Kai Chai, an editor-writer and former music critic, stated that Swifties “find their voices through her songs” or “feel their concerns reflected through them.”
Taylor Swift became a “icon for self-empowerment for people who feel they are ill-treated by the mechanism of power” when she re-recorded her songs to retake ownership of her copyright, he noted.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat made the appeal on Twitter on Thursday in response to Swift’s tweet about extra dates being added to her Eras Tour in Europe in 2024.
He stated: “Hello, Taylor!” I’m a big fan of yours. Thailand, by the way, is back on track to being totally democratic after you had to cancel the last time due to the coup. The Thai people have spoken through the election, and we all look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful country!
Come on out, and I’ll sing Lavender Haze with you!
Taylor Swift was set to perform a sold-out concert in Bangkok on June 9, 2014. However, a curfew was imposed immediately following Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s military coup on May 22, that year.
BEC-Tero, the concert’s organisers, confirmed the cancellation on May 27 owing to “recent events.” It didn’t go into detail.
In June of that year, the artist performed on other Asian dates, but the Bangkok event was never rescheduled.
Taylor Swift will perform six performances in Singapore beginning March 2 of next year. Online ticket pre-sales began on Wednesday, with over a million people reported to be in line.
