Oh, no! Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour is off to a rocky start in Lisbon!
The pop star’s concert in Portugal on Friday began… with most of the crowd stuck outside! It’s unclear exactly what happened, but fans took to social media in droves to share videos from outside the venue, where thousands of people were stuck unable to get inside for night one of the highly-anticipated concert.
Per everyone’s tickets, the show was set to begin at 6 p.m. local time, but the opener, Paramore, was ultimately delayed an hour, eventually beginning their set at 7:05 p.m. Sharing a photo of hundreds of people packed together outside Estádio da Luz stadium (where there was an apparent hold up at some security gates), one concertgoer wrote on X (Twitter):
“GA standing line is not moving. Show starts in less than an hour. People are hot, there’s not bathrooms, no water. People are dehydrated and sick. Please make something happen to help us get in safely”
Yikes!
Related: You Won’t BELIEVE How Much Taylor Spends On Security For Tour!
It’s reportedly been in the 60s to 70s in the city today, so not terribly hot — but if you’re stuck on your feet in a crowded and sunny area, that could get uncomfortable quickly.
According to USA Today, at the last minute, the tour’s promoter Last Tour agreed to let fans bring plastic water bottles into the open-roofed stadium. That said, the fan account @tswifterastour heard from fans that some security was forcing people to throw their waters and power banks away. Seems to be very hit or miss — though there are reportedly water stations throughout the venue. Given the fact that a 23-year-old fan died after passing out at the stadium in Rio de Janeiro, possibly due to extreme heat, we’re glad these measures are in place!
Still, that doesn’t account for the apparent security f**k up!
Along with more videos of the crowds packed together waiting to get inside, one fan posted a video of fans running across a highway, writing:
“this is f**king crazy why are we running across a motorway to enter this stadium???? No sings and no staff??? Help”
Jeez!
Just take a look at the scene:
@taylornation13 #LisbonTStheErasTour Fans need help getting inside!! Security needs to DO BETTER. This is insane. People are missing the show!
— raq the bolter ????️???? (@rxquxl) May 24, 2024
this is fucking crazy why are we running across a motorway to enter this stadium???? No sings and no staff??? Help pic.twitter.com/MftnmnWqP4
— tasha ???? eras lisbon (@swiftslorelai) May 24, 2024
GA standing line is not moving. Show starts in less than an hour. People are hot, there’s not bathrooms, no water. People are dehydrated and sick. Please make something happen to help us get in safely #LisbonTSTheErasTour @taylornation13 @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/RmH7jnZmeQ
— Mark Sal (@markyswiftie13) May 24, 2024
19:00, Paramore saliendo a tocar (con 45min de retraso) y la cola del piso 3 así. Menuda vergüenza @lasttourint #LisbonTStheErasTour pic.twitter.com/jPhClhGuZk
— nirheda || ERAS TOUR in 1 (@nirhedab) May 24, 2024
I want to clarify that this is not fans sneaking into the stadium I don’t know why that is a trend in my replies!! This was the entrance for fans with level three seats! We were queuing for hours and people broke the barriers to enter the area surrounding the stadium!
— tasha ???? eras lisbon (@swiftslorelai) May 24, 2024
WTF is happening?!
Taylor has just taken the stage (starting at around 12:30 p.m. PST, FYI). It’s unclear how many people are still left outside. We’re sure they’re devastated to be missing the show, if so! (It seems like MANY missed the opener, at the very least.)
For the record, this is totally out of the singer’s control. The promoter/venue are the ones at fault here, but we’re sure the Anti-Hero artist hates seeing this! Fans spend so much money traveling to her shows, the last thing she’d want is for them to miss it because they were stuck outside! We’re crossing our fingers and hoping all these Swifties got inside safely!
Reactions? What do you think is happening? Let us know (below)!
[Image via Taylor Swift/YouTube]
