A man was jailed for illegally sneaking a person into a Taylor Swift Eras Tour show in Singapore on Monday.
According to the local news outlet Channel News Asia (CNA), 54-year-old Wu Zhihong assisted 20-year-old Yan Shuqing in entering the Swift show at the National Stadium. The court heard that Shuqing found a resale ticket for 3,000 yuan (S$557) and was told to arrive before the concert started and someone would assist him through the gates. Shuqing transferred the money to Zhihong and was given a lanyard labelled “VIP” and “Taylor Swift The Eras Tour” attached to a card, as well as a Swift poster and a wristband.
CNA reported Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang said Shuqing was told to tailgate other concertgoers through the turnstile gate by presenting the lanyard and wristband. When Shuqing was in line to enter the queue of concertgoers through the turnstile, Zhihong pushed him forward, following another group of fans. Simultaneously, Zhihong reportedly distracted security officers at the gate.
While Shuqing successfully made it into the stadium, another security officer spotted him and escorted him out. The entire incident was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
Following the incident, CNA said Zhihong transferred 3,000 yuan to Shuqing and told him not to tell the police about the transaction.
Zhihong was jailed for two weeks, CNA reported, while Shuqing has yet to be prosecuted.
| READ: Swifternational Incident? Asian Countries Cry Foul Over Singapore’s AEG Deal |
Swift’s six shows at the National Stadium stirred-up controversy earlier this month. According to the New York Post, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said concert promoter AEG told him that the Singapore government offered Swift’s camp up to $3 million for each concert in the country — as long as she agreed not to tour in other Southeast Asian countries.
Philippines Representative Joey Salceda reportedly asked his country’s Department of Foreign Affairs to formally protest Swift’s arrangements with Singapore, telling the Straights Times “this isn’t what good neighbors do.”
Swift’s “Era’s Tour” has broken records, becoming the first tour to cross the $1 billion mark in 2023, bringing-in a staggering $1.04 billion with over 4 million tickets sold across 60 dates.
