Why as a blind Taylor Swift fan I was left disappointed by her recent Eras gig - Holly Tuke

When tickets to Taylor Swift’s muchly anticipated Eras Tour went on sale last July, I knew demand would be extremely high. What I wasn’t expecting was to make over 1,000 calls to the accessibility team at Anfield Stadium in just under four hours. Two days after tickets initially went on sale, I was lucky enough to secure tickets. However, I know of others who weren’t so lucky. You only had to scroll on social media at the time to see that there were thousands of people up and down the country who missed out because of an inadequate, and inaccessible, system.

When it comes to the concert itself, there’s no feeling quite like being immersed in the music and living in the moment, it’s magical. There’s something euphoric about being surrounded by thousands of other people, all sharing the same passion and experience as you.

As someone who’s registered blind, I’ve been asked why I attend gigs when I can’t see. For me, it’s all about the music and the experience. Nothing can take away from that.

However, I’d also like to experience the visuals or to know what’s visually happening on the stage. That’s where audio description (AD) comes in. If you’re not familiar with AD, it is additional commentary that explains what’s happening on screen or in this case, on stage. AD gives details of the visual elements; body language, outfits, setting the scene and so much more.

For concerts like Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, I can’t think of anything more amazing than having audio description. The visuals are just as important as Taylor’s incredible vocals.

With a mega three-and-a-half-hour set, the show goes through the ‘Eras’ (essentially each of Taylor’s albums); the backdrop, staging and Taylor’s outfits for each ‘era’ change to reflect the period, making it even more magical. Not forgetting the glitz and the glam.

But, as a blind fan, I couldn’t see any of that. I have to rely on friends or family to describe it to me.

In some ways, I felt like I only had part of the experience. When you read people’s excited social media posts, they’re constantly referring to the spectacular visual aspects. Audio description would give blind and partially sighted fans, like myself, the chance to live our wildest dreams. It's already being done at theatre shows.

ADA Scotland made it a reality at recent Taylor Swift and Pink concerts, audio describing the entire sets. Can others follow in their footsteps? Everyone deserves to have the most memorable experience of their favourite band or artist live.

Coldplay are leading the way in access and inclusivity on their tour, by providing touch tours for blind and partially sighted fans, among many more. Can you imagine if more bands and artists did that? Just the thought of it makes me emotional.

Holly Tuke is from York and the social media officer at the (Royal National Institute of Blind People).