Ariana Grande fan Shaunna was reduced to tears after spending five hours queuing outside London's O2 Arena for box office tickets to the singer's sold-out Eternal Sunshine residency. Shaunna and her friend eventually secured two tickets in section 112 at £157 each, a result that left both women emotional.
Fan documents five-hour wait
Shaunna posted several videos on TikTok chronicling her time in the O2 box office queue, which began at around 12:30pm on Wednesday, 19th August. She and her friend joined the rear of an already substantial queue outside the venue. In her first video, Shaunna said: "I don't think we're getting tickets. I'd be very, very surprised if we did. But we're not going to lose hope. We're not losing hope over here."
Four hours later, at 4:30pm, the pair remained in the queue. Shaunna shared another update revealing that an O2 staff member had walked past them carrying a counter to monitor the number of people still queuing. She noted that the queue had been "closed" a few rows behind them, leaving her optimistic that tickets would still be available when she reached the front, as nobody had yet instructed her to leave.
Emotional outcome at the box office
Another hour on, Shaunna eventually reached the front of the queue. She and her companion rushed to the open box office booth to discover whether their five hours of queuing had proved worthwhile. The box office worker informed them their wait was "about to pay off", as he brought up the seating layout for the venue and delivered the news they had been anticipating: there were tickets remaining in some of the finest seats in the venue.
Shaunna and her companion were presented with the seating layout, which revealed there were some tickets available in less favourable positions, including seats with obstructed sightlines because they sat slightly behind the stage, and ones positioned very high up, meaning they wouldn't offer an excellent view. However, tickets remained on the floor in the standing area of the venue, alongside some in section 112, which were seated tickets offering an excellent view of the stage.
Pair secures tickets at £157 each
The pair opted for two tickets in section 112 at £157, and upon leaving the box office, Shaunna's friend was moved to tears, scarcely able to comprehend that they'd managed to get their hands on seats to the enormously coveted show. Shaunna added: "She's crying, I'm screaming."
Fellow commenters on Shaunna's videos shared in her elation, with numerous viewers stating they would be trying their own luck at the box office for Ariana's forthcoming shows, which run until 1st September. One person said: "I've never been so happy for two people I don't even know. Enjoy your night, girls!" Another added: "This is making me wanna go get in the box office queue on the 28th if I don't get them online in time." A third wrote: "These videos give me so much hope! Hope you had the best time."
Ariana Grande is currently performing a 10-night residency at London's O2 Arena as part of her Eternal Sunshine tour, with three shows already completed. Every show has been completely sold out online, leaving fans to queue for hours at the box office in the hope of snapping up last-minute tickets, with many walking away empty-handed.
