TikTok user Sophie (not her real name), has been a Swiftie since she was a tween, citing Taylor Swift's lyricism and songwriting as the things she loves most about the billionaire pop-star.

So when Swift announced she was bringing her The Eras Tour to Singapore, the TikToker jumped at the opportunity to go, concluding it was a "once in a lifetime kinda thing".

The 23-year-old "splurged" on VIP1 tickets, spending S$1,800 to see Swift perform for the first time.

But Sophie was left "disappointed" after attending night one of the three-and-a-half-hour concert on Mar. 2, taking to TikTok to share her experience.

She said, despite it being a seated concert, ticket-holders from other categories made their way into the VIP1 section she was seated in, leaving it "overcrowded" and "blocking [her] view". Sophie said, as a result she had an "awful experience" at the sold-out concert.

Since posting, her TikTok has amassed more than 1,300 comments, some of which are from fans who had similar experiences at National Stadium on the first two nights of Swift's six-show stop in Singapore.

A spokesperson from Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) told Mothership they were "aware of an incident involving enthusiastic patrons who rushed from their seats to be closer to the stage" and said changes have been implemented in light of what happened.

"I wasted S$1,800"

Tickets to The Era's Tour are the hottest item in town at the moment.

The VIP1 ticket purchased by Sophie is advertised as including:

"One Unforgettable Top Price Reserved Seated Floor Ticket*, Special Set of Four (4) Taylor Swift Prints, Exclusive Taylor Swift VIP Merchandise, Commemorative Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour VIP Tote Bag, Collectible Taylor Swift Pin, Sticker & Postcard Set + Souvenir Concert Ticket, and Special VIP Tour Laminate & Matching Lanyard".

When she arrived at Singapore's National Stadium on Saturday night (Mar. 2), she was seated at the end of a row in the "PD2" section, close to the Diamond Stage, where Swift spends much of the performance.

The seats proved to be coveted.

Sophie started off her TikTok by saying that she needs to share her experience as she "did not have a good time" because people from other sections kept making their way into her VIP1 section, resulting in "overcrowding".

"As a result, it was really hard for us to enjoy the experience at all," she said in the video.

She recounted her night for her TikTok followers, saying security "didn't really know how to handle things".

"Instead of saying 'hey, go back to your sections', [security] pushed them — the people, the extra people — into our rows and it just caused even more crowding."

Despite there being "no space for them", she estimates there were at least 20 extra people in her section.

She told Mothership the overcrowding became progressively worse throughout the concert, particularly during the segment with songs from Swift's Speak Now era, towards the middle of the 44-song setlist.

"It was a little bit hard to breathe at some points because of how many people there were," she said in her TikTok.

Sophie then talked about a group of women who entered her section and kept "bumping into" and "shoving" her before asking her to move.

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

When she told security about the incident, they told the women to "stop touching" Sophie, but did not ask the group to leave the VIP1 section.

The group of women eventually "moved on to the front — the very front", despite not having tickets for the section.

"At the end of the day, I'm just really, really appalled and, I guess, ultimately really disappointed with how.... everything was handled," she said.

"I still enjoyed myself, of course, but a lot of my enjoyment was impeded by these people who didn't know how to stay in their own sections or rows."

Sophie said that she's "just really, really sad" about the experience and feels she "wasted S$1,800 on [The] Eras Tour".

In response to Mothership's queries, a KASM spokesperson said it was aware of "an incident involving enthusiastic patrons who rushed from their seats to be closer to the stage" during the Mar. 2 concert.

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

The reaction

Sophie isn't the only fan feeling let down after the show.

In comments on her TikTok, which has over 17,100 likes at the time of writing, other Swifties said they had a similar experience.

One user said she heard people from her section "running to the front". Another said "everyone was standing on their seats, they were going all the way to Taylor and crowding around."

Sophie told Mothership she has spoken to "many other people" who had similar experiences to her, or witnessed the overcrowding from other sections. She said they all share "the same frustration" as her.

Other commenters said they had been to The Eras Tour in Melbourne and Sydney and this didn't happen, saying that their experience was "orderly" and "calm and respectful".

Some netizens criticised Sophie for complaining when so many others missed out on tickets. She told Mothership she has been harassed online since the video was posted.

And, of course, there were fans who are yet to attend Swift's concert and are now nervous the same thing will happen to them.

She said, "aside from the overcrowding" she "did enjoy" Swift's performance:

"In retrospect I think I should've focused more on the concert itself but it was quite hard too due to pushing and crowding."

Sophie is now hoping to attend another of Swift's concerts so that she doesn't "come away from the experience with only sour memories".

Her message to Sports Hub

Sophie doesn't want any other Swifties to experience what she did.

At the end of her TikTok, she directly addresses Sports Hub, asking them to "regulate these events better".

She pleads for "strict guidelines to be put in place" and "punishments" for those not obeying the rules.

"I just think that if we paid a premium price, these things should be handled better."

KASM's spokesperson told Mothership changes have been made since Mar. 2's incident, saying:

"We added resources and barriers to enhance crowd control measures to prevent similar situations in the upcoming shows and there have been no further reports of such situations since.

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

We are committed to ensure the experience is a safe and enjoyable one for everyone."

Sophie said she has contacted Singapore Sports Hub, who told her their customer care team would be in touch.

Taylor Swift has four more performances in Singapore: Mar. 4, 7, 8 and 9.

Top images from TikTok and @taylorswift13/X