They were supposed to be birthday presents. They were supposed to be Christmas presents. They were supposed to be the most special of special treats for young fans of .
Instead, for many parents, the they endured Tuesday trying to score concert seats left them empty-handed and frustrated 鈥� and their kids disappointed.
鈥淚 was trying to buy tickets so my best friend and I could take our pre-teens to their first concert and waited literally all day to finally get in to buy tickets and not one ticket was left,鈥� Micah Woods, who lives near Little Rock, Arkansas, said Wednesday.
Others who did battle on computers eventually scored, some after being kicked out of the online queue numerous times or struggling with error messages.
鈥淚 was pretty worn out afterwards. Just the stress of it,鈥� said Natasha Mitchner in Dayton, Ohio. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 worth it. She puts on a good show.鈥�
After nearly six hours in the queue, Mitchner madly scooped up tickets for herself and her two daughters, ages 17 and 20. She sprung for a bonus fourth ticket to be used by her husband or a friend of the kids. It will be the fourth time the Swiftie family has seen her live.
鈥淢y 20-year-old said even if you don鈥檛 get them, I still love you,鈥� Mitchner said, laughing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of our thing to do together. I would have been upset. I just tried to be calm.鈥�
Emails to Ticketmaster spokeswomen were not immediately returned Wednesday. In a , the company called demand 鈥渉istorically unprecedented鈥� with millions of people trying to buy.
Fresh off one of the , Swift announced earlier this month she was going starting next year, with international dates to follow. Fans who received a special code after registering had exclusive access to buy tickets Wednesday, ahead of Friday sales for the rest of the public.
The 27-date Eras Tour kicks off March 18 in Glendale, Arizona, and wraps up with two nights in Los Angeles on Aug. 4-5. It鈥檚 Swift鈥檚 first tour since 2018.
鈥淚t was sad. It was so sad,鈥� said Vivica Williams in Clarksville, Maryland.
She lost out trying for her 14-year-old daughter and a friend. The girls were in gym class when tickets went on sale so mom was tasked with the job. The Philadelphia show was going to be a birthday present.
鈥淭hey were so excited. I tried to get on and I tried to get on it. It crashes and it crashes and it crashes and it crashes. And so finally, eventually I get in the queue, and I鈥檓 like yay! Then, oh, there are 2,000 plus people ahead of you in line,鈥� Williams said.
She was kicked off the queue four or five times, having logged on about 9:30 a.m., which was 30 minutes ahead of the sale.
鈥淚 never got past 2,000 plus people in line. So finally around 2:30 I gave up. I鈥檓 like, forget this, I鈥檓 an adult person. I can鈥檛 sit here all day with Taylor Swift on my phone,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 was complaining to my daughter the whole time. Like, this is for the birds.鈥�
With another chance at tickets Friday, she has already informed the young ones: 鈥淚t鈥檚 on you now, girls.鈥�
And with tickets for the pre-sale up for grabs in the middle of a school day, Williams wasn鈥檛 the only parent left with the job.
Jonathan Hickman in Knoxville, Tennessee, managed to snag a pair of tickets for his 15-year-old daughter after performing, as his wife Katie Allison described, 鈥渟ome crazy crashing Ticketmaster鈥� magic all day long.
The tickets, for a Nashville show, were supposed to be a Christmas present 鈥� and their daughter鈥檚 first concert without parents 鈥� but they went ahead and told her now.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e ever wondered what the teenage girls screaming with unbelievable excitement for the Beatles sounded like, I can now describe the sound to you in what I鈥檓 sure is a pretty accurate way,鈥� Allison wrote on Facebook. 鈥淲e still aren鈥檛 sure how Jon did this. We鈥檙e kind of in shock. But boy is it fun seeing your daughter THAT excited about music.鈥�
鈥擫eanne Italie, The Associated Press
