Ultimate Blog Challenge - Our Journey to Taylor Swift Tickets

Welcome back, it's Day 22 of the Ultimate Blog Challeng! Today we're invited to present the product or service we provide. I don't have anything to offer. I mean, I don't have a website from where people can order stuff. I do hope I have something to offer as a person. For what it's worth I am a good listener, I have great ideas, and I make (some) people laugh!? Oh, one more thing, there's people who compliment me on my baking.

If I had an online business presence, it'd probably be life coaching or party planning.

However, I can tell you what others offer, and how we bent backwards to obtain their services.

Colin has been a huge Taylor Swift fan as early as in elementary school. For his 9th birthday, which was on September 17, 2017, he asked for the Reputation CD. It had not been released at the time, and it was going to take almost until Christmas time until he finally got his musical gift.

Taylor's five Europe tours so far have not included Switzerland. 

Colin and his 21yo cousin desperately wanted to go and see Taylor, and a while ago he asked if I would allow them to travel to Paris, France, if they managed to get tickets.

Luckily, it was later announced that there was going to be a concert in Zurich, Switzerland, as well. 

It was an elaborate process. They had to sign up in June to participate in the pre-sale link lottery. 

As a backup, I signed up as well. 

The event takes place in July 2024, and originally there was one single date, which the responsible people soon extended to two concerts.

With a capacity of over 50,000 spectators (30k of them in the seating area) for concerts, the Letzigrund soccer stadium is the largest venue in Switzerland.

So a maximum of 100k Swift enthusiasts were going to get lucky.

Among the three of us, I ended up being the only one actually getting the link. Later I was sent a code, which would enable me to access the sales platform. 

The process was announced to start at 10am on July 13 (of all dates!)

So my teddy bear, my lucky bamboo and my wallet were ready at 9:45 because that's what, according to Colin, TikTok users had recommended. 

He had an obligation to take care of in connection with the upcoming youth festival, but he managed to sneak off and come home shortly after 10. 

For the first ten minutes or so this is what we saw: 

Then we were in!!

I frantically clicked on seating area and upped the amount of tickets to the maximum of four they allowed.

"Sorry, the tickets you're trying to purchase, are not available. Check another date or category."

We did, and we failed. 

OK, standing rows then, the cheapest category. CHF 160 (about the equivalent in USD) sounds like daylight robbery, but hey, it's Taylor Swift, and it's my son!

They were sold out for both dates. 

The only ones left: preferred standing area or VIP.

I didn't wanna know the price for VIP (I did later, it's 340), so we went for the front row standing area. Amount: 4, check, add to cart, check!

Boom! CHF 258.50 a piece. Ouch.

On her setlist of "The Eras Tour" there are 44 songs, divided into ten concert parts, sorted by albums.

So I guess it's safe to say we are going to get our money's worth.

This is us, celebrating. What better way than at the sushi train restaurant?

PS: Nine days after this ticket transactions, they have still not been issued. Whenever we go into the ticket app, we can see four sections that look like tickets, and everyone is labeled "it's going to take a couple of days until your ticket is ready."

So far I am not too thrilled about the ticket vendor's level of service! Patience is not my strongest suit, so hurry it up already!

In the meantime (early August) the tickets are in the app. However, they can't be forwarded to the members of our party.