Music fans have been speaking out about the sale of “obstructed view” or “listening only” tickets at Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s recent world tours.
Both pop stars are currently playing across the US as part of their global concert experiences. Swift is performing on her Eras tour, while Beyoncé is playing her Renaissance World Tour.
While much criticism has been made of the ticket prices for both sets of shows, as well as the inability of fans to procure tickets due to demand, fans have recently also complained about the sale of “obstructed view” seats.
These tickets are marked as having partially obstructed views, often due to the nature of the venue where they’re being performed. They’re usually sold at a lower price, but fans have argued that people are still being charged too much given that they are not able to fully see the stage.
In clips shared from Swift’s recent shows, some fans in obstructed view seats – which are sold $49 (about £38) were positioned directly behind the main stage, meaning many could only see the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer when she was out on the walkway.
“My view is hella obstructed but hearing Taylor live is enough for me,” one fan tweeted.
In one TikTok video, a fan shared a video taken behind the main stage, with only the walkway visible.
While the original poster captioned her video: “No words can describe the feeling of seeing The Eras Tour intro,” one Twitter user reshared a screenshot from the post, writing: “This is just money hungry bulls*** u don’t even get to see anything…”
On social media, fans branded the price of the “obstructed view” tickets “f***ing ridiculous”, arguing that they were often the only seats remaining and still expensive.
“These Taylor Swift ticket prices are insane. $800 minimum for an obstructed view in the nosebleeds and halfway to God,” one fan wrote.
“So wrong and sad to see so many tickets still available at ridiculous prices (over $1000 for fourth level with obstructed view) right before showtime when there are fans ready and waiting to go in who’ve been trying for months to get tickets,” another tweeted.
“Should I just buy $900 tickets and deal with the consequences later or risk a last minute Ticketmaster obstructed view release,” one fan questioned.
Some Twitter users shared screenshots of “no view” seats for the Beyoncé’s tour, which promised a “listening only” experience. However, a number of photos from the event appear to show that the stage can still be seen.
Some ticketholders also claimed that their seats for Swift and Beyoncé’s shows hadn’t been advertised as restricted view, yet still were obstructed by towers in the venue.
“Hey besties anything you can do since our ticket doesn’t say obstructed view,” one fan wrote, with a picture of a structure obscuring their sightlines.
“Not me getting floor tickets to Beyoncé and this monstrous thing is in my way... TF so disappointed. It did not say obstructed view,” another tweeted alongside a similar photo.
However, on TikTok, fans have encouraged each other to buy the cheaper obstructed view seats, as they argue just being in the room with Beyoncé or Swift alone is an experience worth having.
“This is your sign to buy those cheap ‘obstructed view’ tickets,” numerous posters wrote.
The Independent has contacted Swift and Beyoncé’s representatives for comment.
