Oh, how different it is to be a fangirl today. In 2023, I hardly bat an eye at tales of people crossing continents to see Beyoncé, camping for days to see BTS, or going broke to secure Harry Styles tickets. Designing elaborate replicas of your idol’s costumes and documenting your battles for barricade? All par for the course. In my case, I was again blessed by the fandom gods and secured a spot at Taylor’s mega Eras tour, shelling out $139 of my big girl adult money — a far cry from 2010. What’s changed? Well, the obvious. “Like all venues across the UK, big or small, the current economic climate has had a major impact on the delivery of live events,” Adam Pearson, commercial director at The O2, tells Refinery29. “Costs for staffing, food and beverage services, and energy are all at their highest ever, and so ticket prices also have to increase — up 12% compared to last year, although this varies between acts.” (It’s important to note that ticket prices are set by the event promoter or organizer and not a venue like The O2 or a ticketing company like Ticketmaster.)