A Teddy Swims fan has criticised OVO Wembley Arena after her view of the stage was completely blocked.
Eden King, 25, who uses a wheelchair, paid £35 to watch the Grammy-nominated singer on March 6 but her dream gig quickly turned in to a nightmare when she arrived to find her view was obstructed.
The business owner from Thetford, Norfolk, claims she missed the majority of the concert due to a wooden barrier obscuring her view.
When she complained to staff, she claims she was told it was an ongoing problem in the historic venue and there was nothing that could be done.
She has now said she felt neglected and abandoned as a result of her treatment. She has also vowed to never return to the music venue and has claimed she was not told in advance her seat was restricted.
‘I felt like an afterthought. We booked the tickets more than six months ago because my mum and I are massive Teddy Swims fans and we wanted to go together,’ she said.
In the clip shared to TikTok the American singer-songwriter and supporting musicians are barely visible during the performance and despite Eden’s bets efforts she appears unable to catch a glimpse of the performance.
Eden was born with a severe muscle disorder called congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD) and has to use a ventilator to help her breath.
Wheelchair user Eden King, 25, had been excited to watch Teddy Swims but her dream gig quickly turned in to nightmare when she arrived to find her view was totally obstructed
The business-owner from Norfolk has criticised OVO Wembley Arena after her view of the stage was completely blocked and said she felt neglected during the show
Eden says she complained to venue staff about her view before the concert began and they told her it was an ‘ongoing issue’.
They reportedly said that given arena is a Grade II-listed building there ‘isn’t a lot they can do’ to change the seating layout.
Arena bosses have since apologised for Eden’s disappointment and insist they’re ‘continuously improving accessibility’.
‘He is one of my top-three artists and I was so excited to see him,’ Eden added.
‘In the video you can see that there is a wooden bar in the way so I couldn’t see the middle of the stage.
‘When Teddy was at the edge of the stage I could see him then and I could see him a little on the screens but this isn’t why you go to a concert.
‘For the majority of the concert I couldn’t see him.
‘It was all a bit of a nightmare and I felt a bit discriminated against.
Eden went with mum Catherine King, 57, and friend Freya Mitchell, 28, but claims they were only given portable chairs to sit on for their free ‘carer’ tickets (pictured together)
When she complained to staff she claims she was told it was an ongoing problem in the historic venue and there was nothing that could be done to improve her view or remove the wooden bar
‘The seats didn’t have numbers on like the others and they [my mum and Freya’s seats] were just portable seats.
‘I felt neglected, not looked after at all and forgotten about. This was my first time at the arena and I would never go again.
‘[After finding our seats] we went to speak to a guy that manages all the tickets and he said that the disability seats were all around the arena and said about the restricted view.
‘He said this had been an ongoing issue for a while and people do complain about this but because it is a listed building there isn’t a lot they can do about it.
‘What they should have done is make us aware about this [beforehand] but they didn’t do this.
‘They did offer us some other seats but they were up steps so we couldn’t get up there [because I was in a wheelchair].’
Eden’s says her dad Rod King, 58, had called the ‘disabled access booking’ line to secure her ticket.
She went with mum Catherine King, 57, and friend Freya Mitchell, 28, but claims they were only given portable chairs to sit on for their free ‘carer’ tickets.
Eden said she could only see the performer (pictured) when he was on the edge of the stage or via the large screens dotted around the arena
The music fan claims venue staff did offer to relocate them but sadly the other options could only be reached using stairs.
Eden claims her accessibility needs were ‘neglected’ and ‘an afterthought’ and has pledged never to return to the world-renowned venue.
She’s sharing her experience to make other disabled concert goers aware of the ‘nightmare’ view from the venue’s accessible seating.
The Equality Act 2010 states event organisers, including concert venues, have a duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure disabled people can enjoy events the same way as others and are not disadvantaged.
OVO Arena Wembley’s website states that ‘any [restricted view] seats sold will be labelled as restricted view’.
Eden, who owns a small business selling personalised gifts, says she hasn’t complained to the arena directly but will be filling in a post-show survey via email.
She shared a video of her ‘nightmare’ stage view on TikTok on March 10th, which has racked up more than 70,000 views.
One user commented: ‘I’ve stopped going to gigs for this exact reason.’
Eden says she hasn’t complained to the arena directly but will be filling in a post-show survey via email and has shared hr experience in a TikTok video
Another added: ‘The accessibility is terrible at the OVO. I try to avoid it like the plague.’
A third said: ‘The unconscious ableism in the events industry is so frustrating.
‘A close friend of mine is a wheelchair user and I get so angry on her behalf as things like this happen all the time.’
A fourth commented: ‘That’s awful. Hope you’re trying to get your money back. This isn’t on.’
A spokesperson for OVO Arena Wembley said: ‘At OVO Arena Wembley, we strive to provide an accessible and inclusive experience for everyone who visits our venue.
‘We are very sorry to hear that the experience of one customer last week didn’t meet our usual standards.
‘Our venue team assisted the guest on the night and worked hard to explore all possible options but as it was a completely sold-out show, alternative seating was not available.
‘We sincerely apologise that we were unable to provide another option and for any disappointment.
‘As a venue, we’re committed to continuously improving accessibility and welcome feedback to help us further enhance our services.’