A VIP ticketholder to last night’s Eminem gig in Brisbane has alleged security barred her and friends from mingling with other ticketholders due to the so-called “safety risk” of her wheelchair.
Music journalist Marlena Katene, who has cerebral palsy, took to Facebook last night after she and her friends were allegedly told to occupy the far edges of the near-empty Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre‘s VIP section, away from the crowd closer to the stage.
That was despite outlaying nearly $500 for the VIP tickets, which promise early access to the venue and a closer viewing experience than regular passes.
“Segregation at Eminem looks like this,” Katene said on Facebook.
“These are what $500 tickets look like,” one of Katene’s friends can be heard saying in an accompanying Facebook Live video.
“We’re all alone. Can’t talk to people, and if we move any closer we’ll be removed from the venue,” he said.
Speaking to the Gold Coast Bulletin, Katene’s carer Bert Hibbert said security staff on-site “were in process of getting police involved and were physically aggressive and accused myself of the same”.
Hibbert added the group was eventually permitted to occupy a space closer to the stage after “sticking to our guns.”
A subsequent video shows Katene near the front of the crowd during the rapper’s performance.
“Had we not challenged what we paid for we wouldn’t get this,” Katene wrote.
“It’s better up the front and so many people around us.”
Katene commented on the matter this morning, referencing a similar 2018 incident in which she was denied access to the VIP area at one of Pink’s Qudos Bank Arena shows due to her wheelchair.
“I won’t be bullied and I sure as heck won’t be told where I belong,” Katene said.
“This fight is worth it.”
Discussing responses to the video, Katene told PEDESTRIAN “to be fair the venue, and [Teg] Dainty were ok but security were thugs.
“Videos don’t lie… they knew we were coming and we even were told we could go where we paid the day before.
“It is the security I have a beef with,” she added.
“The venue needs education big time and moving forward I am happy to be part of this.”
PEDESTRIAN has contacted Teg Dainty and Stadiums Queensland for comment.
