Waiting Beyonce fans in Manchester left the selling place without any tickets since a group of men hijacked the young people who camped in front of MEN Arena.
Police were called to MEN Arena after touts and gangs hijacked fans who had been queuing overnight last Friday (February 22) for tickets due to go on sale at 9.30am the following day.
Describing her experience in the queue, 15-year-old Emily Hopkins said: “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 Beyoncé – we love her – but this was more like a nightmare.”
A spokesman for Manchester Arena explained: “Since the Beyoncé 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.”
Another fan, who queued for 17 hours, said that the problems began about 10.30pm when the touts pushed into the queue – with stampedes throughout the night as they fought to get near the box office: “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.”
