A Beyoncé fan wound up crying through the singer’s concert after facing a “dehumanizing” experience.
Esther Obigbesan was left utterly disappointed after she was treated like a “problem” during the pop diva’s recent Cowboy Carter show.
“I hope Beyoncé sees this. I hope she will try to right this wrong,” one commented online.
Esther Obigbesan wound up crying through a Beyoncé concert in June
The visually impaired fan revealed that she paid more than $660 (£489) for her standing VIP ticket to see the Grammy winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 10.
She reached out to the providers of the VIP package to inform them about her access needs. However, they did not acknowledge her message.
When the gig day arrived, Esther excitedly went to the venue for her first solo concert experience.
But she was stopped by security at the pitch area because she had a cane with her.
“They just automatically started talking to the ladies that were with me being like, ‘she can’t go down there, she can’t go down there,’” she told BBC Radio London’s Eddie Nestor.
The young fan said she was forced to give up her cane to access the VIP area
Esther said she tried to explain to the staff that she used the cane as a visual aid and not for mobility purposes.
The cane “is to help me find obstacles,” she said during the interview.
However, the staff members claimed their policies didn’t permit such an item in the pitch area.
“I couldn’t even finish my sentence, and it was ‘no, no, we can’t do that. No, of course we can’t do that,” recalled the disappointed fan.
The interaction made Esther feel like she was the one “being ridiculous, and she eventually complied with the staff’s demands.
“It felt dehumanising,” Esther said about the heartbreaking ordeal
“In the end, I gave up my cane to the medic team and then they let me go down,” the young fan said through tears. “It was more my confidence and my independence… it felt dehumanising.”
Later, she asked a security guard to help her find the toilet. That’s when she overheard the staffers talk about her.
Upon exiting the cubicle, Esther was told that they had to relocate her for safety purposes.
“When I came out, they’d contacted the safety officer who was trying to relocate me,” she said.
The young fan said she was treated like a “problem” by the staff
“They were saying it’s not safe for me down there because people won’t know I’m visually impaired – I said I could have my cane back.” the concertgoer continued.
For the rest of the show, Esther had to be seated in an area two levels above her original spot.
“It’s a three-hour show but I barely remember any of it because I was crying so much,” she said.
“They weren’t seeing me as a person. I was just this problem,” the fan added.
Netizens expressed outrage over the “dehumanizing” experience Esther had to go through.
The internet called the incident “outrageous” and sent love to Esther
“This is outrageous,” one said, while another wrote, “Awful disability discrimination. You can hear the pain in her voice. Sending her love.”
“This is so heartbreaking, we’re still having to deal with this in 2025. A cane is literally an extension of us, even when it’s folded! Such a shame, things need to change universally,” one commented online. “Not just in some areas where ‘people care.’ We all deserve to have a beautiful life. She deserved to have a great experience.”
The concert venue addressed the incident in a statement and expressed regret
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium acknowledged the incident in a statement.
“We accept this was not reflective of the VIP package Esther had purchased via the promoter and that her overall experience did not meet the standards we consider acceptable as a venue,” they said.
They said their staff was trying to keep “Esther’s safety” in mind on the night of the concert but admitted the events “fell far short of the experience.”
Leigh Luke, customer services operations manager at the stadium, said they not only gave the visually impaired fan a refund but also invited her as a guest to a Kendrick Lamar concert.
“It’s not about seeing the disability aid or the visual aid,” he was quoted as saying. “It’s about seeing the patron… and ensuring that we communicate with them, and not through them, which is what happened in this place.”
Leigh said they were making improvements and giving training to their staff following the incident.
People quickly sided with Esther after the incident
