If you've been anywhere on the internet today, you'll know it's the start of Swiftogeddon. Or, for the uninitiated, the day Taylor Swift Eras Tour pre-sale tickets go on sale for next year's UK shows.
The scramble to get tickets will be far from the Love Story fans would wish for - due to the sheer demand. It's something people hoping to get tickets to Croke Park have to look forward to.
Buzz Bingo previously warned almost three-quarters of Swifties could be left without, as over 2.9 millions fans are expected to go after an estimated 750,076 tickets. And while it's not all bad news, as the superstar has since added an extra 14 shows to her roster, the ticket search will inevitably end in heartbreak for many.
Swift's first tour in five years - one that's been crowned the "show of a lifetime" - for many, myself included, it's THE tour to end all tours. So it's no surprise American #SwiftTok is full of videos showing fans camped outside packed-out arenas, desperate to hear anything they can from inside sold-out shows.
But before it comes to that, UK fans can try their luck with this week's pre-sale - and lots of luck will be needed if my experience with this morning's sale is anything to go by.
As one of the fans who who bought Taylor's Midnights album between August 29, 2022 and October 27, 2022, I received a unique pre-sale access code. I was also randomly assigned a ticket provider (either Ticketmaster or AXS - I got the latter), like the rest of this week's hopefuls.
And, like many Swifties, I'm trying to get tickets to any local show I can (London, Wembley for me). As such, there are six (six!) relevant pre-sales. You see, the slots have been staggered for various shows and dates.
But after trying and failing to secure any tickets in the first sale at 11am today, I'm not sure how many more of these I can take (though you can bet I won't stop).
Young and hopeful, I joined AXS' waiting room almost 30 minutes before the start of the sale - the max time possible. Granted, I must have joined a few seconds later than some, as I tried to select the date via the website first, not realising I needed to use my email link, but I was pretty speedy.
With my access code, card details and AXS login to hand, I was ready. Even before the clock struck 11, my nerves were high. "Higher than normal stress detected," my fitness watch informed me. (But I could have told you that).
Unfortunately, things only got worse. Next came an agonising wait, as I watched the AXS' queue progress slider inch forwards. Unlike Ticketmaster, you're not assigned a number, so it's near impossible to tell how far along you are in the queue. So you don't know if you stand a chance or ought to give up - a small mercy I would have appreciated - for when I finally made it into the website - just after 11.25am - there were no tickets to be had for my chosen date.
Devastated, I searched and searched again just in case, dropping my selection down from the three tickets I'd hoped for to two then one, not caring whether I was seated, standing or watching from the loos, but again, I had no no luck.
"Oh no! There are currently no tickets available," read the screen - a message I then saw shared and re-shared across Twitter, as those of us who didn't make it the front of the queue realised tickets were sold out.
Ouch, right? Don't get me wrong, I know it's not the end of the world if I don't get tickets. But if I could only ever see one concert in my life, this is the one I'd pick, so it's going to be pretty brutal if my hopes are raised and dashed repeatedly over the next three days.
I don't mind admitting I felt heartbroken when I closed my laptop, wondering: "How am I going to do this all again at 1pm?" Unluckily, the answer is: with much difficulty. Never a quitter, I readied myself to join the waiting room at half 12.30pm, only to find it was not showing up. 12.32pm, 12.34pm, 12.36pm, and still the waiting room had yet to appear on my laptop, no matter how many times I refreshed or closed and reopened the webpage. Several users reported the same problem. For reasons unknown, it worked when I tried to connect with a second laptop.
As I write this, I've just gained access but far too late. All the tickets are gone and I'll have to try again tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll be listening to Cruel Summer.
For fans lucky enough to get through, ticket prices for Friday, June 21 at Wembley Stadium have been confirmed as:
- Ticket presale seated ticket - £58.65 - £194.75 each
- Ticket presale general admission standing - £110.40 each
- Tickets presale front standing left ticket - £172.25 each
- Ticket presales front standing right ticket - £172.25 each
