Taylor Swift Eras Tour in Singapore: Remaining shows to have more barriers and tighter crowd control
Opening night saw "gatecrashers" from other floor sections rushing into the VIP sections and ruining fans' experience
SINGAPORE — The remaining three nights of American pop star Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Singapore will see more physical barriers and crowd control measures at the floor sections of the National Stadium.
The Straits Times reported that barriers have been placed throughout all floor sections closest to the stage since Swift's third show on Monday (4 March). The barriers are placed every dozen or so rows, and cut across the aisles.
These measures follow reported incidents on the opening night last Saturday, when unruly concertgoers rushed from other floor sections into the VIP section, disrupting some fans' experience.
'Gatecrashers' left VIP section fans disappointed, angry and feeling sick
A fan took to TikTok to air her disappointment over her concert experience, which saw her getting pushed and bumped by fans. AsiaOne reported that the fan, 23-year-old Alina, had paid S$1,800 for a VIP 1 package, and estimated that there were around 20 people who had moved to her section.
"At some points, I had difficulty breathing from how many people were squeezing into our section. Instead of telling them to go back to their sections, (the security guards) pushed the extra people into our seated rows, and it just caused even more crowding," she added.
A Taiwanese fan also took to X to share his similarly disappointing experience. He told AsiaOne that had no room to stand after people seated at the back had swarmed to the front of the aisle. He later felt nauseous and sought help from venue staff. However, they reportedly told him "there's nothing we can do".
The Straits Times also reported a 22-year-old student sharing a similar experience at the VIP section, where she had allegedly got into verbal arguments with people who were pushing and touching her in the walkways.
She added that Swift’s personal security team intervened when the situation got more severe. The situation improved after the concert’s Evermore “era”, around one hour into the concert.
According to ST, many of the “gatecrashers” were reportedly concertgoers from other sections in search of a better view of the stage, due to the lack of elevation on the floor.
Fans paid premium prices to be in the VIP sections, with top-tier VIP1 packages sold at S$1,228++ each, a far cry from cheaper floor seats in Category 1 (S$348++), Category 2 (S$328++) or VIP3 (S$628++) sections.
No further reports of 'gatecrashing' incidents
A Kallang Alive Sport Management spokesperson told Yahoo Southeast Asia that its security teams and had assisted patrons to return to their seats after spotting the incident that night. There have been no further reports of similar situations since.
"We are aware of an incident involving enthusiastic patrons who rushed from their seats to be closer to the stage during the Taylor Swift concert on 2 March. When this was observed, our ushers and security teams sought the assistance of patrons to return to their seats," the spokesperson said.
"In view of this, on 3 March, we added resources and barriers to enhance crowd control measures to prevent similar situations in the upcoming shows and there have been no further reports of such situations since.
"We seek patrons’ cooperation to stay in their designated sections and seats, and to practise good concert etiquette. We are committed to ensure the experience is a safe and enjoyable one for everyone."
Yahoo Southeast Asia has also reached out to AEG Presents Asia for comment.
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