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When Swift brings her acclaimed "Eras Tour" to Singapore next
March, Lukman will be one of the 300,000 fans - called "Swifties"
- in the audience for one of the six shows in the city state.
"I feel great, I’m stressed out, oh my God, I’m just
overwhelmed! I don’t know what to think, indescribable, I’m very
happy I got tickets! Yeah, woohoo!,” said Lukman.
But many "Swifties" across the region of more than half a
billion, couldn't get a ticket, partly as a result of a
post-pandemic spike in demand for concerts and entertainment.
The demand has led to rising prices that some economists have
termed "Swiftflation".
Holders of UOB bank credit cards were given preferred access,
prompting a 45% surge in daily credit card applications in
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam the week
Swift announced her concert dates, according to media.
Indonesian Friski Riana, 31, joined virtual queues of millions
of fans, even borrowing her friend's credit card to try and get
tickets.
"I waited for three hours but I failed to get a ticket," Friski
said.
Hours after the pre-sale closed, touts were marking up S$358
($264.73) tickets to at least S$1,000 on marketplace app
Carousell.
Last month, British band Coldplay saw similar "overwhelming
demand" according to LiveNation Singapore, and added an extra
three nights in Singapore despite playing a night each in
Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila and Kuala Lumpur in the coming months.
Amid the ticket frenzy for Swift this week, Singapore's central
bank was even asked if concerts like hers would add to inflation
woes, while the Business Times reported a spike in prices for
flights and hotels the week "Taytay" performs on the island.
Showing his "Swiftie" credentials, Thailand's leading candidate
for prime minister Pita Limjareonrat asked the singer to swing
by Bangkok, where she had cancelled a performance in 2014 due to
a coup.
"Do come and I'll be singing Lavender Haze with you!" he said on
Twitter, referring to a track from an album released earlier
this year.
($1 = 1.3523 Singapore dollars)
(Additional reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok, Ananda
Teresia in Jakarta; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor & Simon
Cameron-Moore)
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