Ms Sri Vidya is doing everything she can to increase her chances of securing tickets to the highly anticipated Taylor Swift concert in Singapore next year, which includes enlisting the help of 40 friends and relatives to register for the general sale on July 7.

“I am usually really bad with luck so I decided to use math to beat luck which creates a higher probability of getting an access code if more people help you to register,” said the 25-year-old senior digital marketing analyst.

She has also applied for a United Overseas Bank (UOB) card, as there will be a pre-sale for UOB credit or debit card holders from 12pm on July 5, two days ahead of general sales by ticketing firm Ticketmaster or at SingPost outlets.

Although she has yet to receive her credit card, she has got a friend in Australia to help her buy a ticket to Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour show on Feb 26, 2024 in Sydney as a “safety net”.

Ms Vidya is just one of thousands of fans of the American country-pop singer-songwriter in Singapore who have gone out of their way to try to boost their hopes of seeing their idol perform live for six nights in March 2024 at the Singapore Sports Hub.

This is because most of them believe the tickets will be snapped up in no time given the red hot demand not only from fans here but also from the region.

Those who want to buy general sales tickets need to register for an access code from Ticketmaster.

The registration closed on Wednesday (June 28), with an unverified message circulating online that a whopping eight million fans had signed up for a chance to get the access codes on the first day of registration on June 23.

Ticketmaster's website states that the unique access code will be sent to selected registered fans only on July 5, who will then be allowed to buy a maximum of four tickets per code when the general sale starts at 12pm on July 7.

Singapore will be the only venue in Asia apart from Japan that Taylor Swift will be stopping over for The Eras Tour.

When the Singapore Sports Hub first announced past midnight on June 21 that she would be performing here from March 2 to 4 next year, it had said that more than 200,000 fans here and in the region are expected to attend the shows. Concert promoter AEG then announced on Sunday that it was adding three more shows due to “overwhelming response”.

TODAY spoke to 10 of the pop star's fans — also known as "Swifties" — on how they are gearing up for the “great ticket war”.

WHAT FANS SAY

Unlike other fans who scrambled to apply for a UOB card when the announcement was made, Ms Md Darwisy had coincidentally applied for a UOB debit card two weeks before that.

“If that isn't fate, then I don't know what is,” the 24-year-old operations and event executive said.

Ms Darwisy aims to secure a VIP ticket for herself but would be more than happy with just any ticket, even if it is far from the stage.

In response to TODAY's queries, UOB's head of group personal financial services Jacquelyn Tan said that its preliminary data has shown that card application volumes have “surged very significantly” since last Wednesday as compared to the daily average so far this month.

This is likely due to the announcement of UOB credit and debit card holders' “privileged access to the pre-sale window and general on-sale reserved ticket allotment”.

UOB did not say how many card applications it has received or how many tickets are available for its card holders for each of the six dates of the concert.

A 24-year-old engineer who wanted to be known only as Kelly told TODAY that while she had attended Taylor Swift's concert in Los Angeles in March this year, she hopes to go for the concert at the Singapore Sports Hub with her sister.

Besides trying for the UOB pre-sale, Kelly will also be trying her luck for the general sale after having registered for the access codes with a few Ticketmaster accounts that she created for herself and her parents.

“I fought the great war once last November (to secure the Los Angeles ticket) so I am hoping I can do it again for Singapore!”

Similarly, photographer Ryan Goh, 39, told TODAY that he has also signed up for a few Ticketmaster accounts and even took leave during the general sales period to ensure that he would have no distractions.

He said that while he was “feeling hopeful” in buying tickets, he will still be disappointed if he does not succeed.

For 31-year-old copywriter Germaine Cheah, the day for general sales is set to be nerve-wrecking as she will be overseas with limited internet connectivity when it happens.

Instead of making the purchase on her own, Ms Cheah would be enlisting the help of her friends who have Ticketmaster accounts to help her secure the tickets.

She said: “I'll be praying to the sparkly Gods that my friends and I get selected for the general sales!”

QUEUING AT SINGPOST AS LAST RESORT

Apart from the application for UOB cards and the creation of multiple Ticketmaster accounts, Taylor Swift fans are also considering the possibility of queuing up in advance at SingPost outlets to get their tickets.

There are even some ticket-buying services offered on e-marketplace Carousell where people offer to “help queue” at SingPost outlets for the tickets at a fee.

Ms Sancti Diaz, 31, an architect has already planned to queue at a SingPost outlet near her home with her friends.

“We are nervous about how many people and how early others would queue but we plan to queue at midnight, the day before the ticket sales so we would have the best chance of securing the tickets!” she said.

Speaking with TODAY, Ms Ariel Yeo and Ms Gladys Ong, who are both 25 and work in marketing, said that the constant thought of being unable to get tickets gives them anxiety.

The two friends would be trying their luck at purchasing tickets through the UOB pre-sale and the general sale, and would likely head to a SingPost outlet only as a last resort.

“From what we know, people are willing to queue as early as the day before, and we are just worried about that,” said Ms Ong.

Ms Yeo added that another concern for her was not knowing what the purchase process would be like.

“We are not entirely sure how the SingPost model works or whether they set aside a set amount of tickets for every SingPost in Singapore or if they are joining the general sale together with everyone.”

Taylor Swift fans here have also taken to various Telegram groups and Twitter to share this concern, with some claiming that it might be impossible to purchase tickets at SingPost outlets without a valid access code.

TODAY has reached out to SingPost and Ticketmaster for comments.

Besides these sales channels, travel firm Klook, the official experience partner of the concert, also announced on Tuesday that it will offer “concert ticket bundles” that include not only tickets to the Singapore concert, but also hotel stays and packages with activities and experiences.

Klook has not released more details of pricing and number of tickets but said that the packages will go on sale on its app at 12pm on July 7 and will be limited to four for each customer.

Ms Cheah, the 31-year-old copywriter, feels that the Klook package is more aimed at increasing tourism in Singapore, but she is not opposed to purchasing the packages to get the tickets even though she foresees that they will be quite costly.

One Taylor Swift fan who has not exactly jumped through hoops to secure tickets is national serviceman Garald Chua, 21.

He is hoping to rely on friends with a UOB card to help him buy a ticket.

“I don't really have a strategy and I don't really care which category I'm seated at as long as I'm inside the stadium then I'm contented.”

Student Nelle Lim, 17, on the other hand is filled with anxiety about her chances of buying a ticket.

She has two UOB cards and has also prepared multiple devices to be on standby for the pre-sale.

With all her plans in place for the upcoming week, she has been keeping a positive mindset and hopes to be able to get tickets for the last day as it marks the second anniversary with her partner.

“I am currently super stressed out because they haven't released the seat map yet, but I am super excited for the war. I am probably not going to sleep though, as I don't think I can sleep!”

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by JASMINE ONG

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