Swifties outraged at Ticketek after tickets sold and given away hours before Sydney concerts

Swifties who missed out on The Eras Tour aren’t too impressed that tickets were still going on sale and ‘literally given away’ after Taylor Swift took the stage in Sydney.

A NSW mum sitting outside Accor Stadium on Saturday night is still in shock she was able to attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour for free.

Julia Abbey had been trying to source two tickets for more than a year, and was only able to purchase one, so she drove her 25-year-old daughter from the Southern Highlands to Sydney and was ‘Taylorgating’ outside.

“The show had just started and I was sitting out the back near the merch tents and the food stalls and thought this is a really nice vibe here, I’ll just sit here all evening and wait for her,” she said.

“A guy in a black T-shirt and jeans came up to me and said do you want a ticket? I happened to look up, he literally put it next to me and walked away. I was in absolute shock and not prepared to see a global superstar,” Abbey told The Daily Telegraph.

Abbey’s ticket was in the B reserve, just seven rows above the diamond-shaped stage where Swift performs on for the majority of the three-hour spectacle.

“I took it over to the gate and said is this legit?” she said.

Fans outside Accor Stadium in Sydney on Saturday, February 24 to listen to Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone.

“Ten minutes before I’d asked the people inside the ticket office if any were for sale. They told me no.

“I feel super grateful for being given that seat but also guilty. I like her, but I know there are fans who would’ve given their right arm to go, people who were more worthy of it than me. My seat was directly overlooking the stage.”

@livswasteland way to go ticketek…. #taylorswift#erastour#theerastour#tstheerastour @Frontier Touring ♬ original sound - livs

Taylor Nation, a fan group run by the pop star’s official management team, are known to approach fans outside of her concert venues to gift seat upgrades and occasionally meet and greets with Swift herself.

However, Sydney Swifties have taken to social media to vent their outrage that a large number of tickets was reportedly given away at Accor over the weekend.

Taylor Swift fans Saffron Williams, Summer Williams and Scarlett-Rose Walters at Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, for the 3rd Taylor Swift Sydney concert on Sunday February 25. Picture: Justin Lloyd/The Daily Telegraph.

Taylor Swift performs at Accor Stadium on February 23, 2024 in Sydney. Photo: Arnold/Getty Images.

Video circulating on TikTok showed a large crowd sprinting in the direction of Taylor Nation team members on Saturday, after word got out around 8pm.

While the Ticketek website and official resale Marketplace said no tickets were available to purchase, some fans who used their original lounge link said they were able to purchase tickets minutes before, and during Swift’s Sydney concerts on social media.

@juliaabbeyart I was handed a free ticket outside the stadium last night #taylorswift#karma#free♬ original sound - Julia Abbey

One Sydney attendee said an entire row of A reserve seats on Friday night was empty.

“I was in section 605 on Saturday and there was literally a whole row empty in front of me,” another said.

“They actually gave out so many free tickets for my section in A reserve,” another wrote on TikTok. “It was empty and then 10 minutes later they all came running.”

Swiftie TikToker Jacinda Chenelle said she didn’t understand how so many tickets could also be listed for sale online an hour – and even minutes – before the concerts.

“I’m even hearing people bought tickets during the first few songs,” she said in a video posted on Sunday.

@jacindachenelle#stitch with @razeen Ticketek are still dropping tickets whilst Taylor is already on stage. Do not give up if you’re outside Taygating, keep checking. ✨🤞🏻 #taylorswift#swifttok#melbournetstheerastour#sydneytstheerastour#tstheerastour#tsmidnights#thetortuedpoetsdepartment#reputationtaylorsversion🐍#ticketek#ticketekmarketplace♬ original sound - Jacinda Chenelle

“To me, that’s just wild. When Taylor’s already on stage performing and you’re still dropping tickets at full price for people to buy and rush into the stadium, having already missed some of the show.

“Why couldn’t these tickets have been released already? It makes no sense to me.”

Meanwhile, official resale platform Ticketek marketplace revealed that “minimal” tickets for Taylor Swift concerts have been transacted since November despite the fact 50,000 desperate fans on average are logged on at any time trying to purchase.

“I had an absolute blast,” Abbey said. “I just don’t know why they’re giving tickets away when they’re saying there’s none left. I understand how a few could be released last minute for sale, but keeping everyone on a string of hope has made this so disappointing for everyone who missed out.”

Adding insult to injury, fans who purchased $65 ‘obstructed view’ seats in the last week have shared video of their near-perfect vision at Accor Stadium.

The cheap seats, in many cases, offered a better vantage of Swift’s performance than some of the A reserve and VIP tickets, which cost hundreds of dollars.

A Ticketek Spokesperson said: “We release inventory at the promoter’s direction. The last releases were production releases once the stage was built.”

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