‘Worse than The Hunger Games’: Inside the war over Taylor Swift tickets

To secure the remaining tickets she needs for Taylor Swift’s Australian tour, Blaise De Vos has initiated a military-grade plan – one that ensures precision, speed and cooperation when battling the notoriously temperamental ticketing websites.

“We need to be prepared because it’s honestly like The Hunger Games. It’s actually worse than The Hunger Games,” De Vos says. “You’ve just got to be fast, it’s all about timing.”

Swiftie Blaise De Vos bought tickets during Wednesday’s presale. But she needs more, so she’ll put her meticulous gameplan to use again on Friday.Credit: Eddie Jim

As dramatic as the analogy sounds, it is fitting considering over four million Australians have tried this week to secure tickets to the artist’s Sydney and Melbourne shows, with many missing out. In fact, demand has been so high that Swift announced an additional show in both cities on Thursday.

On the night before the final round of tickets go on sale on Friday, De Vos has planned an in-person reconnaissance mission with her friend, ensuring they have created the necessary accounts, topped up their debit cards, checked expiry dates and memorised the MCG seating chart.

After a good night’s sleep, De Vos will charge her laptop, iPad and phone, check her Wi-Fi connection and ensure she has enough data in case of a hotspot emergency. If her card fails, De Vos has already arranged to have her mother’s card on-hand. And if for whatever reason no Australian card works, she even has an international back-up on stand-by – her grandma, who lives in Fiji.

Once she’s in the ticket queue, all she can do is “manifest positivity”.

This kind of meticulous planning for a concert may seem outrageous to the non-initiated, but for those familiar with previous ticket fiascoes, careful planning is vital. When tickets went on sale for Swift’s US Eras tour, the computer systems could not cope with demand. And during Monday’s American Express presale, high demand resulted in technical difficulties that left a number of fans without.

“It’s Taylor Swift. She is literally the music industry right now,” De Vos says. “She’s at the peak of her career, and so many people – especially after COVID – want to see her live. They’ve recognised that she’s an amazing performer, songwriter and singer, and they all just want to experience it.”

On Wednesday, the second presale went smoothly despite the millions of people flooding Ticketek.

De Vos successfully nabbed three tickets during the Wednesday presale, but two of her friends were left wanting. No Swiftie can be left behind, so she says she will employ her gameplan to optimise their chances.

Fans have been encouraged to log into the Ticketek website about 15 minutes before sales begin, to avoid refreshing the browser and to ensure they complete their purchase within the allocated timeframe.

“We only allow genuine fans into the lounge for fair access. The security and protections we have in place will not let bots into the lounge,” a Ticketek spokesman said. “The randomisation starts once the on-sale commences, so there is no advantage for fans to jump on hours before.”

President of The University of Melbourne’s Swiftie Society Azalea Rohaizam, 21, and her family are on the hunt for four tickets. After failing to get past the record-breaking queue on Wednesday, she created a detailed master document for her family to follow, including which browser to use, which dates and seats they should select and what to have ready beforehand.

“When in the queue, the page will refresh itself every 10 seconds. DO NOT REFRESH yourself unless it crashes,” it continues. “Quickly confirm details and checkout – you only have six minutes before it times out, so be quick,” the document reads.

She has instructed her family to complete a practice drill on the Ticketek site before Friday, simulating the purchase of other concert tickets. Rohaizam says she has also confirmed back-up options for dates and seats.

“Each family member has their own device assigned to them, and they already have their Ticketek account and [card] details saved,” Rohaizam. “Some people have tried clearing the [browser] caches, maybe I’ll try doing that on Friday.”

The only thing she knows with certainty is she’ll be taking charge at go-time. “I told them if they get through just pass the computer to me because as soon as the screen changes, you get really stressed.”

Stefanie White, another Swiftie, says she will use the Ticketek app rather than its website after experiencing issues using the desktop version during the AMEX presale.

She and her friend will attempt to purchase two tickets each on their own devices, thus avoiding having to text each other or coordinate while navigating the site. If they successfully buy four tickets for the same show, White said they will sell two to their friends for a fair price, though she doubts they’ll be so lucky.

Those with extra tickets can resell them on the official Ticketek resale platform, which guarantees fair pricing, legitimate tickets and secure purchase. This will open September 4. Anyone looking to resell outside the platform must ensure they charge no more than 10 per cent above than the original price.

Swift’s Australian tour kicks off next year, beginning in Melbourne on February 16, 17 and 18 and then heading to Sydney for February 23, 24, 25 and 26.

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