Telling.
The above might be one word to describe the record breaking demand for tickets to Beyonce‘s forthcoming world tour, ‘The Mrs.Carter Show‘.
Indicative of the singer’s undying star power even 16 years after her debut, the hype surrounding the show reached fever pitch hours ago when fans cueing to buy tickets in the British city of Manchester found themselves in the middle of an uncontrollable stampede- injury and wounding many.
Full story below…
After spending the night outside the Manchester Arena Box Office, the ‘Be With You’ singer’s fans were hoping to be the first to purchase the tickets come 9.30 am the following morning.
Unfortunately for them, an announcement from the Box Office revealed that it would not be opening due to health and safety reasons and that-according to some fans-is due to the events of the night before.
Billing it the scariest night of their lives, members of the performers ‘Beyhive’ revealed that large groups of mens began to barge through the cue armed with bottles- ordering them to hand over their tickets once they had purchased them. This, causing a mad rush as fans lower down in the cue attempted to push forward, which saw a stampede ensue.
On the night, a Ms. Sarah Miah explained:
“I stayed in the tunnel outside the arena to avoid being crushed when all hell broke loose at about 5am. Men were ripping open fire doors that were locked. Once opened, they fought to get through one side of a double door. Children were getting crushed and screaming. It was horrible. By far the worst night of my life.”
Sentiments, echoed by 15 year old Emily Hopkins– pictured in the glasses above. She shared:
“It was really horrible. It was intimidating and frightening – one of the scariest nights of my life. These men were smoking drugs, they were so aggressive and more and more turned up into the night. They were pushing in and drinking. We were all so excited about seeing Beyonce – we love her – but this was more like a nightmare.”
A testament to the force that is Brand Beyonce, another fan said of the crazed frenzy to see her live:
“At about 5.30am one of the security guards led us through the car park and into a corridor. As they opened the door people started running to get to the front of the corridor but the security guard wouldn’t open the other door. I had a panic attack – if it wasn’t for my friend I would have collapsed. It was traumatising, I couldn’t breathe and I could just hear screaming. In the end the doors came off their hinges.”
Forced to take a week off work after sustaining a bruised rib and knee, this fan added:
“We came home on the minibus in silence. None of us could believe what had happened.”
In response to the madness, the Arena released the following statement:
“Since the Beyonce dates were announced two weeks ago we strongly advised all customers not to travel to the venue box office as tickets could not be guaranteed due to the anticipated high demand.
‘Unfortunately, when we opened our doors at 5.30am what had been an orderly queue immediately stormed the box office windows causing a potential crush.
‘Despite the best efforts of our stewards and security staff we had to involve British Transport Police in an attempt to restore order. Even then the safety of genuine fans could not be guaranteed and, following police advice, the box office remained closed.This information was communicated via our PA system and customers were redirected to the official website and phone lines for tickets”