Ticketek announced this morning that additional tickets would be released for the sold-out Taylor Swift concert. Melbourne tickets, priced at $65.90 and including “restricted viewing” seats, went on sale at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. By 2:50 p.m., all tickets had been sold out. Caitlin Egerton, 33, started queuing outside the Ticketek counter on Melbourne’s Exhibition Street at 11 a.m. but was informed at around 2:30 p.m. that the tickets were sold out.
.@taylorswift13 | The Eras Tour update 💙 With setup underway, limited tickets, including restricted view tickets at $65.90, can be released for sale!
On sale TODAY (Tue 13 Feb) at https://t.co/2EIQGRbVeD until allocations are exhausted
Melbourne 👉 2pm AEDT
Sydney 👉 4pm AEDT pic.twitter.com/QBnGy9CKdo— Frontier Touring (@frontiertouring) February 12, 2024
Waiting in line in the 35-degree heat, Egerton expressed frustration, saying, “It’s very difficult.” “I just wanted to take my mom to the show, and she was with me in the heat. We were in the middle of the block; I think we were like number 130.”
Egerton wasn’t ready to give up. “There will be many people in the market at night,” she said.
Sydney fans still have some opportunity
For Jessica O’Connell, the limited viewing tickets were a last resort to see Swift after failing to get tickets in all previous sales.
“This is my fifth attempt to buy a ticket; I have tried many times in Sydney and Melbourne without success,” O’Connell said.
Fans purchasing limited viewing tickets must acknowledge that they won’t see the entire stage, but according to O’Connell, being in the room is what matters: “Right now, I just want to be in the room; I don’t care what I see. But the atmosphere will be great,” said the 35-year-old.
Frontier Touring’s website updated before the release, stating, “These tickets are sold with limited viewing because you cannot see the entire stage from your seat. You need to confirm this before purchasing tickets for these sections. Information from Frontier Touring states that some situations are seen in the pictures. Help increase visibility.
Ticketek has confirmed that some ticket holders’ accounts have been compromised.
The company urges ticket holders to change their passwords.
A spokesperson informed Ticketek that unauthorized access to individual accounts may have occurred due to information obtained from other sources. “As a good online practice, we recommend that account holders change or update their passwords frequently to protect their interests.”
Last year, the first tickets for Swift’s Sydney show sold out within two hours. Concessions sold out, and seats in Melbourne sold out in less than an hour. Enthusiastic fans showed their dedication by spending the night to secure a seat, while others used Airtasker to obtain tickets.
The Eras Tour set the record for the most people attempting to buy concert tickets in Australia, with over 4 million fans attempting to buy them during the second sale. O’Connell is among the millions of Swift fans who were unable to secure tickets.
“The worst part is that many fans are only going for two or three nights, so those who haven’t bought tickets will have a good chance of catching the gist of the latest sale.”
The show premieres in Melbourne this weekend, taking fans through 10 of Swift’s “eras,” including highlights from her first 10 studio albums. The 3.5-hour show features Swift performing 44 songs spanning her music career. She will perform three shows at Melbourne’s MCG and four shows at Sydney’s Accor Stadium from February 23–26.
The Eras tour became the largest music tour ever and the first to gross more than $1 billion, breaking the record set by Elton John’s five-year tour.
Those unable to secure tickets in Melbourne can try Swift-themed ice skating at IceHQ, join a talk at Fed Square, or check out the ice skating event and Filipino drag queen tribute Taylor Sheesh at Fed Square. In Sydney, fans can attend Taylor-themed karaoke nights, bingo or trivia nights at Soda Factory, craft workshops at Pole Space to create outfits for Swift-related events, friendship bracelet making classes, themed painting and wine tasting classes, or afternoon tea.