Disabled fans of “Anti-Hero” singer Taylor Swift appear to have some “Bad Blood” (sorry) with ticket sellers, as the system for access bookings for the international leg of her unbelievably popular Eras tour has been branded “abysmal” and a “shambles” by those hoping to see the singer-songwriter live.
The presale for her shows at London’s Wembley Stadium and Edinburgh’s BT Murrayfield Stadium got underway on Monday, with those who pre-ordered Swift’s album Midnights receiving special codes to try and get tickets before anyone else.
Liverpool’s presale launched on Tuesday, while early access to tickets for her Cardiff date in June 2024 are set to go on sale on Wednesday.
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The UK and Ireland leg of Swift’s Eras tour sees her start June next year in Edinburgh on 7 June, before finishing up the month in Dublin during the weekend of Glastonbury Festival – shooting down rumours she was set to make an appearance at Worthy Farm.
Swift will then come back to perform at Wembley again from 15-17 August, in her last dates of the tour.
However, while Twitter was awash with Swifties celebrating nabbing the coveted tickets – which range anywhere from £58.65 to £194.75 at Wembley – disabled people have called out Wembley Stadium as they’ve struggled to secure access tickets:
Despite offering seats to those with a “hearing impairment” (a term considered “negative” and “offensive” by deaf and hard of hearing people), Wembley Stadium requires disabled people to call a phone number in order to purchase access tickets.
SignVideo, a British Sign Language (BSL) service, is available for BSL signers, but deaf and hard of hearing people who do not use BSL to communicate are expected to use the phone, which may not be accessible to them.
Amid ongoing issues, Wembley Stadium shared a tweet on Tuesday and said: “Due to unprecedented demand waiting time for ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour’, disabled access is longer than normal.
“For those unable to wait on the phone we have a call-back system … Please note this is not a guarantee of tickets.”
It's not the first time ticket sellers and venues for a Taylor Swift show have come under fire, as issues with sales for the American leg of her tour saw US fans blast Ticketmaster for its handling of demand.
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