Audience was relocated at the last minute.
Despite the terrorist threat from Vienna, Austria, Taylor Swift and her team still decided to keep their performance schedule in London, England, on August 15-20.
While some are scared of the potential risks and are liquidating their concert tickets on resale websites, most Swifties are eagerly awaiting the day they get to see their idol in real life. Around 500,000 fans are expected to attend Taylor’s five shows in the British capital.
However, as the performance schedule neared, some spectators reported that their seats were changed and they had to move to other areas of the stadium.
According to TMZ , concertgoers received emails from Ticketmaster informing them of the change, with some having to move 40-50 seats back or being moved to a completely different area.
On August 8, a TikTok video on the Gab_N_Go account publicly revealed a message from the Eras Tour organizers in England, stating that her seat was moved back 10 rows.
The TikToker was confused because she didn’t know why she was being switched. The message from the organizers was general, basically just revealing that there were changes in the layout and preparations for the concert. Gab_N_Go added that she had previously surveyed the original seats on the ticket and confirmed that there were no problems.
When contacted by TMZ , a Wembley Stadium representative confirmed the rearrangement was not related to the terrorist plot in Vienna, but rather to visibility issues, as fans were originally seated in seats with limited visibility.
However, that explanation is considered unconvincing. During the previous leg of the Eras Tour in London in June, some fans complained that the lighting system and VIP tents were blocking their view of the stage. TMZ commented that if the organizers had listened to the audience’s opinions, why didn’t they fix it months ago instead of waiting until the day of the show to announce it?
In fact, the organizers started sending emails a few days ago. More importantly, this time coincided with the thwarted terrorist attack in Vienna.
Representatives for Ticketmaster and Taylor Swift have not commented on the changes. However, media reports say security will be tightened to the highest possible level for upcoming shows.
Earlier, London Mayor Sadiq Khan pledged to work closely with the police and other relevant parties to ensure that Taylor Swift’s concert could take place safely.
Ticket prices increase dramatically
The cancellation of three Taylor Swift shows in Austria, leaving an estimated 195,000 fans disappointed, has caused ticket prices to skyrocket for the London concerts, with ticket-hungry fans scrambling to get their hands on resale sites like Viagogo, Vividseats, Stubhub and Gigsberg.
When it first launched, ticket prices ranged from £58 ($74) for a restricted view seat to £110 ($140) for a standard seat. However, prices have now increased by nearly 2,000%, with the cheapest being £416 ($530) and the most expensive being £6,515 ($8,295), according to data collected by Coinpoker.com .
As expected, the Lover singer’s 5 shows in London attracted a total of about 500,000 spectators, both inside and outside the stadium.
Meanwhile, ticket buyers for the show in Vienna have been promised a refund within 10 days by Barracuda Music, the organiser.
The Vienna economy still grew due to the huge influx of tourists, but not as much as initially expected, because of the last-minute cancellation. However, the organizers suffered heavy losses, measured in millions of dollars. The consolation was that the Eras Tour was insured.
Reuters sources revealed that Taylor is favored by insurance companies because she rarely cancels concerts. The popularity and success of the female singer born in 1989 means that most professional insurance companies want to sign contracts with her.
It is unclear which insurers have reached agreements with Taylor, as the source declined to be named citing client confidentiality.
Insurance plans typically do not include coverage in the event of terrorist attacks, but insureds can purchase additional preventative coverage, according to the report.
Marcos Alvarez, managing director at global credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS, said losses from the concert could cost insurers tens of millions of dollars.
However, the loss is likely to be minimal as the concerts can be rescheduled at a later date. According to Andrew Colcomb, director of corporate research at Argenta Private Capital, Taylor Swift’s insurance plan is structured so that insurers would not be liable if the entire tour were canceled.
This is obvious because the Eras Tour is no small event, expected to generate around $2 billion in ticket sales. This type of major event cancellation insurance typically covers costs such as moving the event to a new location, artist fees, and rental of the original venue.
Stadiums also typically purchase some form of event cancellation insurance, so concert cancellations don’t have much of an impact on the insurance industry, says Loretta Worters of the Insurance Information Institute.