Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 22
Concertgoers Wear Diapers for Front Rows as Urination Incidents Hit Pop Shows
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 22

Concertgoers Wear Diapers for Front Rows as Urination Incidents Hit Pop Shows

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 22

Summary

  • Olivia Rodrigo said some fans wear diapers to avoid losing front-row spots, adding that performers can smell it from the stage.
  • A Morgan Wallen fan said he, his brother and his niece were urinated on this week, and police are investigating, underscoring how front-row toileting problems have spilled beyond rumor.
  • High VIP prices, hours-long queues and the social-media payoff of clear barrier footage have intensified the scramble for prime spots since the pandemic, pushing some fans toward hydration cutoffs and other tactics.
  • Venues and artists are starting to curb the culture: Wembley has banned camping, Louis Tomlinson used randomized wristbands, and Bring Me the Horizon said fan numbering would not determine entry order.

Insights

With ticketing monopolies fueling fan desperation, what can truly fix the broken concert experience?
Is 'pit diaper' culture a shocking new low for fans, or just modern-day Beatlemania?
As fans go to extremes for the perfect view, who is ultimately responsible for their safety?