50 and beyond

All you old fogies out there, do you remember that in the days before the internet, we actually had to queue up at physical Sistic counters scattered across malls in Singapore to purchase tickets for concerts and plays, etc?

1993. I remember attending Michael Jackson’s concert at the National Stadium. It was a fantastic experience. He had stage presence and his performance was electrifying.

2019. I was super excited when I heard that U2 was coming to SG. I knew I had to strategise getting hold of the tickets. Apparently, when Ed Sheeren performed in Singapore the year before in 2018, tickets for his gig were sold out in minutes.

My then-helper Jane, had experience purchasing tickets for the BTS concert earlier that same year. She had spent more than her 0ne-month’s salary for a VIP ticket to attend the concert! She told me to queue for physical tickets because the system would be sure to crash. SingPost staff use a different and more secure ticketing system. She said that if I went online, I would be competing with thousands of people outside Singapore to get onto the ticketing site.

So, on the first day tickets were on sale, I woke up at 5am, drove to a very secluded SingPost, set up my Ikea stool, and sat in queue with two other friends. We were the first in queue, and actually, we were the only ones in the queue! We managed to get fantastic seats for our categories. I am sorry, but I will not divulge which branch this SingPost is. Needless to say, it was the best concert I had ever attended. I have been a fan of U2 since I was a teenager, and the feeling of being in the stadium 30 years later and hearing them play a song list from The Joshua Tree album that I’d first heard in 1990…insane, it was insane.

2023. Did you know that when Sting performed in Singapore in March this year, the radio stations were STILL promoting tickets the week – and I think the day – he was performing? I don’t think the young ones even know who he is. My guess is that the average age of the audience at the U2 and Sting concerts was around 50 years old. But I like my crowd.

Taylor Swift? Well, I don’t find her annoying; I don’t change the radio channel when her songs come on, like I do for many other artists/songs. I find some of her tunes quite catchy. But no, Taylor Swift is not my cup of tea.

Coldplay? Well, I know only a handful of their songs. D1 likes Coldplay enough to have logged in at 11am to try to get tickets. Yup, he knew that log-in started at 10am…that’s how much he likes Coldplay. He was around 800,000 in the queue when he logged in. BUT he got 4 tickets(!!!) all the same, from a very nice classmate, who had logged in with multiple accounts.

All you Coldplay fans and Swifties out there who have managed to get a ticket, enjoy the concert, y’all! And don’t take so many photos and videos, just enjoy and BE in the concert. Your video and photos may capture some moments, but nothing beats just standing there and drinking in the live music and their charisma.

Now, for fogies like me, will Santana come to Singapore again?