Qayyum Lukman (25 years old) shows off Taylor Swift’s album while waiting in line to buy tickets on July 7. Photo: Reuters
Singapore is Taylor Swift ‘s only stop in Southeast Asia. When the Eras Tour takes place in March 2024, Lukman will be one of 300,000 fans – also known as “Swifties” – to watch live one of six shows in Singapore.
Lukman said excitedly: “I feel amazing. I was so nervous, oh my god, I’m overwhelmed! I don’t know what to think, I can’t express it, I’m so happy I got the ticket! Yeah, woohoo!”.
Millions of Taylor Swift’s Southeast Asian fans are vying for limited tickets. Many die-hard fans put work aside, charged their electronic devices and stood in long lines to win the coveted tickets.
“That’s Taylor Swift, I have to meet her,” said fan Joan Ng. She and her group of 15-year-old friends camped overnight at the post office in a shopping mall in Singapore to buy tickets. These female students convinced their parents to lend them credit cards and allow them to stay at the shopping center.
Fans set up tents while lining up overnight on July 6 to buy tickets for Taylor Swift’s tour. Photo: Reuters
Fans use umbrellas to block the sun while queuing. Photo: Reuters
Fans lined up overnight at a basketball court. Photo: Reuters
Queuing to buy tickets outside a post office in Singapore on July 7. Photo: Reuters
Many people even took to WhatsApp, TikTok and Twitter to share strategies for buying tickets online that included logging in ahead of time, maybe even a day in advance. Meanwhile, groups of friends aim for different performance dates and seats so they can maximize their chances.
Some even took a day off from work or canceled their schedules for the entire day just to focus on buying tickets. Others use multiple devices and wait to see which device – laptop, tablet or mobile phone – will arrive at the online ticket counter first.
But many “Swifties” across the region haven’t been able to get tickets, in part because of a surge in demand for shows and entertainment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters news agency (UK) said demand has led to rising prices and is called “Swiftflation” by some economists. The Business Times reported that airfare and hotel prices increased dramatically during the week Taylor Swift performed in Singapore.
In June, LiveNation Singapore said similar “overwhelming demand” had been recorded for British band Coldplay. The band has added three more nights of shows in Singapore and in the coming months will play one night in Jakarta (Indonesia), Bangkok (Thailand), Manila (Philippines) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
Mr. Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Moving Forward Party (MFP) and candidate for Prime Minister of Thailand, even posted on Twitter calling for Taylor Swift to come to Bangkok to perform.
