Taylor Swift’s Sydney concert impacted by storm event

Fans were briefly evacuated from the floor and lower bowl of Accor Stadium yesterday evening in advance of music superstar Taylor Swift’s first Sydney concert after a huge storm with nearby lightning strikes hit the area.

Impacting Sydney Oplypic Park less than an hour before the show was to begin, in addition to the evacuation, the thunderstorm saw the cancellation of support act Sabrina Carpenter.

Management at Accor Stadium posted on social media channels that the start time had been delayed, and asked fans in the venue to stay undercover until “further notice”.

Button battery danger on Taylor Swift tour wristbands
Hundreds of thousands of Taylor Swift fans will be contacted by The Eras Tour promoter Frontier Touring about the potential danger of more than a million button batteries contained in wristbands that are being distributed at her Australian concert dates.

The light-emitting diode (LED) wristbands received by every The Eras Tour concertgoer can be activated to create visual effects around the stadium during performances.

Containing two batteries, safety advocates have suggested the batteries could be choking hazard if removed.

However, Frontier Touring and Consumer Affairs Victoria deny the batteries can be easily accessed and videos posted online show screwdrivers, pliers or other tools are required to extract the batteries.

Nonetheless, Frontier Touring will retrospectively contact the 288,000 people who attended Swift’s Melbourne concert to warn them that the wristbands contain button batteries.

Frontier Touring also advised that "the LED wristbands for the upcoming Sydney concerts will be distributed with the appropriate warnings and medical advice.

"We are in contact with the relevant authorities, which are satisfied with the action being taken."

About 320,000 people are expected to attend Swift's four concerts in Sydney from last evening (Friday 23rd February) through to Monday.

Attendees from the Melbourne shows began receiving messages from Frontier Touring on Friday.

The message advised “for those who took their LED wristbands home as a souvenir, the wristbands contain button batteries and should be kept out of reach of children, given button batteries are hazardous and can cause severe of fatal injuries in two hours or less if swallowed.

"Medical attention should be sought immediately if it is suspected the battery has been swallowed.

"Please dispose of any wristband carefully."

Wristbands issued to patrons were for the duration of the concert and were meant to be returned. However, many fans kept them as souvenirs.

Images: Taylor Swift on stage at Accor Stadium yestterday evening (top, credit: Accor Stadium/Tas Rights Management), the LED wristbands handed to The Eras Tour concertgoers (middle, credit: Frontier Touring) and the batteries inside the wristband (below, credit: Frontier Touring).