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New Aussie Taylor Swift gig detail Americans can’t believe

It’s happening again! Americans can’t seem to get their heads around so many elements of your average Australian stadium event.

Incident between Taylor Swift's dad and paparazzi

Another day, another piece of footage from Taylor Swift’s Australian tour making Americans lose their minds.

This time, it’s not Australia’s efficient public transport systems leaving Americans in disbelief, but a sign spotted in the background at one of Swift’s Melbourne shows.

The footage, captured at Melbourne’s MCG last week, shows Swift in close-up, singing to fans, while in the background, a sign on the stadium bleachers is clearly visible.

It reads “REPORT ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR” with a phone number to call or text.

According to Americans who’ve circulated the footage on Twitter, the sign is a clear indication of just how much us Aussies are living under the thumb of a totalitarian police state.

Taylor Swift performs at the MCG …
Taylor Swift performs at the MCG …
… with the sign visible in the background.
… with the sign visible in the background.

“Australia is a police state,” one person on Twitter declared.

“Oh my God! That’s scary as hell. I’ve never seen anything more terrifying if that’s not just a meme,“ said another person.

Another insisted that the sign “made their hairs stand up,” while another bizarrely tried to link the sign to Australia’s gun control laws: “They gave up their guns and are now paying for it.”

Because in America, if you see antisocial behaviour you can just … shoot the person?

The hyperbole continued as another person on social media declared the billboard “the sign of end times”: “Every science fiction dystopian power riddled Nazi oppressive outcome all in one billboard message.”

One Aussie attempted to calm down the Yank-Panic: “Report Antisocial Behaviour is a phone number at every stadium in Australia to prevent racial, homophobic or sexist abuse being thrown at athletes. Hope that helps,” they wrote.

Indeed it is – and there is a need for the service, even in the relatively polite setting of a Taylor Swift concert.

Last week, gross pictures emerged showing the aftermath of a “drunk man” who vomited on and around the seats of people waiting to see Swift. News.com.au understands people seated in the area were waiting up to two hours for the mess to be cleaned up.

Swift fans had to abandon their seats after a very drunk man vomited all over their aisle.
Swift fans had to abandon their seats after a very drunk man vomited all over their aisle.

A post on the MCG’s website states that those visiting the venue “can report anti-social behaviour anonymously via text message to the dedicated security number or on the MCG app in the Fan Assist section.”

Sydney’s Accor Stadium offers the same service, with the venue’s website stating that “a text message service operates during all events at Accor Stadium. If you experience any issues during an event, SMS us with your issue and location.”

This marks the third time during Swift’s Australian tour that footage from her shows has sparked the attention of Americans. Last week, aerial footage of the MCG with 96,000 fans inside watching Swift had many in the US asking the same question: Where are all the cars?

The stadium is surrounded by parklands and easily accessible by public transport, unlike many major entertainment venues across the US which concertgoers have to drive to.

And over the weekend, time lapse footage which showed thousands of Swift fans promptly leaving Sydney’s Olympic Park stadium via express trains had Americans green with envy.

Originally published as New Aussie Taylor Swift gig detail Americans can’t believe

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/new-aussie-taylor-swift-gig-detail-americans-cant-believe/news-story/7df0b17cc2608646f7352a96fb9409f0