Paris venue says “alternative seating was proposed but refused” for Taylor Swift fans with baby on floor of pit
The Paris venue that staged Taylor Swift‘s ‘Eras Tour’ last week has issued a statement after a baby was pictured on the floor in the crowd.
The pop star began the European, UK and Ireland leg of her huge career-spanning tour with four concerts at the Paris La Défense Arena in the French capital on May 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Fans have criticised the parents who took their baby into the pit at the second date last Friday (May 10). At the gig, one audience member took a photo of the infant on the floor of the arena and shared it online.
In the image, the child is seen lying on the floor, surrounded by adults, beer cups and bags of merchandise from the sold-out show.
Criticism followed on social media, with many fans commenting on how dangerous an environment the busy crowd could be at the 40,000-capacity venue – which is Europe’s largest indoor arena.
“Get ur baby off the floor and GO HOME,” one person wrote. Another said that the parents’ decision to take their infant with them was “irresponsible and dangerous”. A third commented: “Please don’t bring babies to concerts, their ears are very sensitive and it could affect their hearing.”
Someone else posted: “Literally if there was an emergency and everyone had to rush to exit that baby would get stepped on or injured. It’s literally so upsetting to me I can’t even.”
Now, the Paris La Défense Arena has responded by sharing a statement with Page Six – claiming that it had offered the parents “an alternative seating arrangement”.
“[The] general terms and conditions of sale stipulate that all minors (without any age limit) holding a ticket for a concert at Paris La Défense arena must be accompanied by an adult,” it read.
“Under 18 children remain under their legal guardian responsibility, it’s venue policy. For spectators with a young child in the floor, an alternative seating arrangement has been proposed but refused by ticket holders.”
The venue’s official website had also launched a guide specifically for Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ shows, including information on bag regulations, prohibited items and ticketholders with disabilities. However, it does not mention anything about children.
Another section of the site says that the arena “doesn’t recommend bringing children under the age of 4, even if accompanied, particularly due to the high volume”.
“Some events may not be recommended or may be prohibited for children. In such cases, information will be specified on the event details,” it continues.
“Any minor under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult holding a valid ticket in the same area and will be under their responsibility […] Strollers are prohibited within Paris La Défense Arena.”
As some fans predicted, Swift worked her 11th album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ into the setlist as a new ‘era’ at the opening dates of her current European tour. She has since thanked her crew for “working tirelessly” to revamp the show in their two-month break.
The ‘Tortured Poets…’ segment of the gig includes the songs ‘But Daddy I Love Him’, ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?’, ‘Down Bad’, ‘Fortnight’, ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ and ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’.
Swift has dropped tracks such as ‘Long Live’, ‘The 1’, ‘Tolerate It’ and ‘The Archer’ to make room for the new additions, and combined the ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ sections into one ‘era’.
You can check out the full setlist from night one in Paris here, along with a selection of fan-shot footage. Paramore are the support act on the current leg.
Swift is set to play three shows in Stockholm, Sweden this week ahead of stop-offs in Lisbon, Madrid and Lyon.
The 2024 UK and Ireland leg of the ‘Eras Tour’ will see Swift play eight dates at Wembley Stadium in London this summer. She’ll also take to the stage in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and Dublin.
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Tom Skinner
NME
