For all the core memories and once-in-a-lifetime moments attending your favorite artist’s concert may provide, the experience can also be stressful and even horrible, depending on the people around you. Two American Swifties attending one of Taylor Swift’s Warsaw Eras Tour concerts unfortunately got the short end of the stick.
16-year-old Neriya and her 15-year-old sister clashed with other Eras attendees over their respective places in the standing era of the stadium, leading to completely unnecessary and cruel comments from the seemingly local Polish fans. “You look like trash,” one older woman hurled at the two teens. Call me old-fashioned, but no matter how annoyed you may be over someone cutting in front of you at a concert, nothing justifies attacking someone’s looks.
The sisters also claim the insults and the cold shoulder were racially charged, which makes the whole ordeal even more repulsive. “Having a group of grown women harass me and my sister for the only reason being our skin color is an experience I’ll never forget,” Neriya lamented.
Videos from other people in the crowd made the rounds online reportedly showing the two girls shifting past those who had been standing for a while, lying about having to find their parents, but they’re nowhere to be found now. Left are the comments of other supposed Warsaw concert attendees who claim there’s more to this story.
You do not know what happend [sic], they where late and pushed in front of people to get to the front. That’s why people are mad. Hope this helps”
Those girls literally pushed themselves to front not even carrying [sic] if they’re stepping on someone and this girl just had enough and snapped.”
European Eras Tour attendees have long been calling out “entitled” Americans who, despite having infinite opportunities to attend a Taylor Swift concert in their country over the years, still feel the need to come to smaller locations like Poland and possibly even steal a local fan’s only chance ever to see their favorite singer live (in a career spanning 18 years, Taylor hadn’t visited the country a single time). They usually do this due to the lower ticket prices which are not only adjusted to the smaller country’s economy but also much more strictly tabled by European Union consumer laws compared to the Wild Wild West that is the American ticket market.
Hailing from a country that arguably has the most inflated ego in the world, these fans can often act like they run the place. Not used to the fact that there are no marked seats in the General Admission Pit area of European concerts, American fans leave their placings often to get food and drinks. Naturally, as the concert approaches, the standing area will get increasingly crowded and more intense, so if you leave, you have to be okay with losing your place. Also, if you get there late, it should go without saying, don’t expect people to happily let you move closer to the stage (not even if you have a VIP bracelet, which, in Europe, only gives you a chance to enter the stadium an hour before everyone else, and does not come with a special standing area).
With that said, this specific situation is still about an older, possibly racist, white woman picking a fight with two much younger Black teens. You would think someone who is more mature would know to let the line-cutting slide when it concerns a couple of kids. And nothing, and I repeat, nothing, justifies going against someone’s appearance.
As a general final thought, everyone should learn some manners before attending a concert. You’ll be surrounded by thousands of people and anti-social behavior won’t cut it. Try not to ruin it for everyone else.