A seven-year-old with Down’s Syndrome has been kicked out of a P!nk gig after not sitting in his seat.
The moment occurred at the singer’s recent show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London over the past weekend, as she took to the stage as part of her extensive ‘Summer Carnival World Tour’.
Ahead of the performance, concertgoer Vanessa Vasey and her son Jesse went to the stadium to watch the set, but the seven-year-old who has Down’s Syndrome and sensory disorders found it hard to sit still.
According to reports from Metro, Vasey had prepared for this and had brought her friend Kirsty to stand near the seating area while her son danced. That being said, just before P!nk went on stage, a group of security guards confronted them and asked them to go back to their seats.
Vasey said that she explained the situation, and was told that either they had to take their seats or leave the gig. With Jesse being unable to sit in his seat, four more security guards allegedly arrived and escorted them out.
She had paid £630 on tickets which had lounge access – so Jesse could move to the restaurant areas and not be stuck in his seat – and before being kicked out of the venue, they were offered access to a soundproof sensory room. They turned down the offer for the latter, however, as they thought it would leave Jesse watching the show on a screen without hearing any of it from the stage.
“We couldn’t wait as it was going to be such a special moment for us to experience together. On the day, I didn’t take his disability buggy as the ticket said there was no storage,” Vasey told The Daily Mail. “But when it came to sitting in our seats, Jesse didn’t want to. And in the lounge area, the blinds had been pulled down. So we stood up by our seats and Jesse was dancing.
“We weren’t causing any problems – Jesse is three feet tall and was entertaining everyone. Then six security guards showed up telling us we had to move. When I explained about Jesse’s disabilities, they said there was nothing they could do – we either had to sit in the seats or leave.”
She continued, adding that the experience left her son “upset”. “We were intimidated and by the time we decided to go, there were 10 of them around us – including security guards, people in suits, other employees and they literally escorted us out of the building like criminals… All Jesse has now is memories of me crying, being upset and angry and the whole intimidation and people being unkind to us. I think P!nk would be disgusted if she found out.”
Vasey concluded, saying how she hopes the venue will implement some changes going forward: “I’d like venue staff to have greater knowledge and understanding to support everyone equally in a manner in which they’re able to be comfortable and supportive regardless of their needs.”
In a response to Metro, a spokesperson for Tottenham Hotspur Stadium said: “We are aware of the complaint that has been posted on Facebook, which has not been received directly. As a venue that prides itself on providing fully inclusive facilities for all, we are extremely sorry to hear that Jesse did not enjoy a positive experience at Saturday night’s concert.
“Following further investigation, we can confirm that Ms Vasey was offered assistance by our Safeguarding and Welfare teams throughout the night to provide Jesse with a comfortable viewing experience, including access to our dedicated Sensory Room. The offers of assistance were declined by Ms Vasey and the party chose to leave the event.
“Although our records show Ms Vasey purchased her tickets through Ticketmaster, we shall contact Ms Vasey directly. The safety and security of all event attendees remains our utmost priority.”
In other P!nk news, earlier this year the singer was forced to pause a show in Australia after a fan went into labour mid-song.
The pop artist was performing at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney to kick off her 2024 ‘Summer Carnival’ tour when she noticed a group “waving for help” from the crowd. She was performing her 2023 ballad ‘Our Song’ at the time.
The UK dates are set to continue later this month, and will be followed by a run of European dates in the next few weeks. From there, she’ll head stateside for more shows in North America. Find any remaining tickets here.
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