SINGAPORE — It has been three days of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in Singapore but not all concertgoers have had an enchanting experience.

Online reports have emerged of VIP ticket holders at the concert being shoved and having their designated viewing areas crowded by individuals from other sections.

Some also found security checks at the National Stadium stricter than expected, as seemingly common items like multiple-compartment bags and bags with chain straps were prohibited.

Swift will be performing to a full-house crowd of 55,000 fans at the National Stadium for three more nights. 

The Singapore leg of the American singer-songwriter's tour, her only stop in Southeast Asia, kicked off last Saturday (March 2) and wraps up this Saturday.

LACK OF CROWD CONTROL AND 'OVERCROWDING' AT VIP SECTIONS

A 23-year-old fan, who goes by the name Ms Alina, shared on TikTok that she paid S$1,800 on a VIP 1 package but had an “awful experience” on the first night of the concert.

Being closest to the stage, her section reportedly experienced a surge of concertgoers from the back, who were eager to catch a closer glimpse of the performance.

This resulted in “overcrowding” in Ms Alina’s section and she found herself being pushed and shoved by attendees from other sections.

"At some points, I had difficulty breathing from how many people were squeezing into our section," she said.

According to AsiaOne, she estimated roughly 20 individuals from other sections had entered her section.

In her video, Ms Alina further detailed an incident where an attendee from another section had placed her hands on her shoulder and asked her to move. 

She said that when she sought help from the security, the woman and her companions were merely told to stop touching Ms Alina but not directed back to their designated sections.

"I paid for the seat, I paid S$1,800 to be treated like this?," she exclaimed.

Similarly, other attendees reported being mobbed at the VIP sections and other sections close to the stage.

X (formerly known as Twitter) user Mr Colin Charles wrote: “Crowd control was a mess. They (security) tried moving them (gatecrashers) away often, yet it was futile.”

Mr Charles said that his neighbouring seats were kids that stood on the chairs, blocking the views of fellow concertgoers. 

Taiwan-based fan Mr Perry Cooper Hung also recounted his experience with the lack of crowd management.

Writing that he had “flown from Taiwan to Singapore” for the concert, Mr Hung who sat at Cat 1 near the stage said that people from the back “flooded into the front of the aisle”.

“They kept on pushing and pushing, until there was no room for me to stand. The stadium was really warm and humid, I started feeling nauseous.”

When Mr Hung asked the security for help, he said that they had “simply shrugged and said: 'There's nothing we can do, sir.’”

Mr Hung expressed that he had hoped that the security would be more professional in handling the situation and called for local authorities to do more.

A fan account on X named “The Eras Tour Singapore” also called for better crowd management by concert promoter AEG.

“Swifties from all around the world paid so much money to come see Taylor on tour (in Singapore).

“(Given) the money that people spent on VIP (tickets), security needs to be stricter. Cat 1 and 2 people should not be allowed at the VIP section. Isn’t there a reason why we paid S$900 more?”, the fan account continued.

In response, a Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) spokesperson told TODAY that additional barriers and resources were implemented on Sunday to prevent more “gatecrashing” incidents.

They have not received further reports of similar incidents since.

“We are aware of an incident involving enthusiastic patrons who rushed from their seats to be closer to the stage during the (March 2) concert.

"When this was observed, our ushers and security teams sought the assistance of patrons to return to their seats.

“We seek patrons’ cooperation to stay in their designated sections and seats, and to practise good concert etiquette.”

TODAY has reached out to AEG for comments.

STRICT BAG CHECKS LEADING TO LONG WAITS

Some concertgoers also reported losing belongings and missing parts of the concert due to the strict requirements of bag checks at security checkpoints. 

TikTok user “minhimesama” said in a post that she found the list of prohibited items "unreasonable" and that it was not communicated effectively.

Amongst the list of prohibited items were “bags with more than two compartments”, “chains” which included bags with chains and the “VIP merch box” which is a merchandise box comprising some prints, a tote bag, a pin and stickers.

Those who owned prohibited items could store them at a deposit centre. 

However, the queue for the deposit centre was an hour, wrote “minhimesama”, and fans would have to rejoin the queue for the security check, which resulted in many missing parts of the concert.

Payment of S$10 for the deposit was also in cash, which netizens found inconvenient. 

TikTok user “tomcxak” commented under “minhimesama”’s post that she had bought a bag with a chain strap and ended up discarding her bag and dumping everything she owned in a plastic bag. 

Other netizens resorted to leaving their prohibited items in the bushes and other areas outside the National Stadium.

Fortunate ones were able to retrieve their items but others reported losing items like their camera and bags after leaving them outside the stadium.

“I also hid my Instax (camera) under a bush right across but it was gone when I came back for it — I just want my SD card, it has pictures of my family,” wrote one TikTok user.

Inconsistencies in security protocol enforcement were raised by "minhimesama", who spotted attendees entering the venue with prohibited items like chain bags seemingly bypassing the rules by using a different security checkpoint.

Some netizens, however, pointed out that concert guidelines were emailed to attendees before the show and they are also easily accessible via the Sports Hub website.

LITTERBUGS SPOTTED

Besides concerns of mismanagement by organisers, a Reddit user also shared a picture of pizza boxes and food packaging left behind at the concert venue and reminded concertgoers to dispose of their trash responsibly after the show.

"Who eats like a whole three course meal during a Taylor Swift concert?", one user commented.

Some speculated that the litter left behind were from international attendees who may not have the "culture" of cleaning up. 

A netizen, however, shared a positive encounter with concertgoers who offered to clean up after those around them at the Coldplay concert in January.

"I was actually impressed with the other locals and Malaysians in the same section as me at the Coldplay concert.

"A few of them were holding plastic bags, offering to help clear trash from the people around them. And the rest joined in to help too, by picking up empty bottles and small pieces of trash on the floor.

"Sometimes, all it takes is a few people to set an example," he wrote.