Accessible and Fearless: Attending a Taylor Swift Concert in My WHILL Power Chair
At WHILL, we create more than just electric wheelchairs and scooters. We create mobility solutions that allow our users to enjoy more of what they love, allowing them to make more meaningful memories they will never forget. Sylvia Longmire, one of our fantastic social ambassadors, got to do just that by enjoying Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Miami, Florida. Check out her story below!
Dec 26, 2024
I did it. I pulled the trigger. I dropped (probably way too much) money on a ticket to see Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour in Miami on night three. Pretty quickly, the anxiety started to set in, and it wasn’t over the price tag. Here’s how my Eras Tour experience went in my WHILL Model C2.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Taylor Swift tickets are next to impossible to get at face value. They sold out across the entire tour in less than three minutes, so the only available tickets are on resale. Even one accessible ticket for just me was way above my budget. But then I learned that there’s a provision in the Americans with Disabilities Act that says you can buy a ticket for a non-accessible seat, then trade it in at the venue for an accessible seat in the same price category in a nearby location. Several wheelchair-using friends of mine have done this with success, so I took a leap of faith and bought the non-accessible ticket. As recommended, I arrived in my accessible van at Hard Rock Stadium, right when the parking lot gates opened and got an accessible parking space close to the stadium. I had purchased a lot pass along with my ticket, which was the only way to park there. 15 minutes before the gates opened, I got in line with about 1,000 other people to enter. Fortunately, there was a separate ADA entrance for wheelchair users, and I was able to bypass the line. I immediately went to guest services to get my ticket exchanged, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a representative dedicated to exactly this. Not only was I able to exchange my ticket, but I got upgraded to a section with one of the best views in the lower bowl!
I spent the next 2 ½ hours before the show relaxing, getting something to eat without having to wait in line, exchanging friendship bracelets with dozens of amazing girls and young women, and checking out all the amazing outfits and Eras costumes. Gracie Abrams was the show opener, and she was incredible! Such a wonderful singer and songwriter.
Then…it was time. I had seen the Eras Tour concert film and probably hundreds of TikTok video clips of her shows, so I knew exactly what was going to happen. But it didn’t take away from the magic of actually being there for Taylor’s three-hour nonstop performance. I sang, I danced in my WHILL Model C2, I laughed, I cried, and smiled through the whole thing. For the hours I spent in my van driving to and from Miami, the hotel room, the ticket, the anxiety, all of it was worth it 10 times over for the experience of seeing Taylor Swift in concert!