OUR concerts it’s a wonderful experience. The satisfaction of finding myself Ticketsa thrill of anticipation, a growing excitement with crowd which, slowly, crowds, heartbeat seconds before kickoff and then an explosion as the music kicks in and the stadium explodes. In adolescence, concerts are also a rite of passage: you feel a little older because, together with your friends, you finally become part of the collective experience of music, dance of bodies, voices singing in unison.
These are emotions that I believe we have all experienced. However, for some of us, concerts are often something else. For people with disabilities, Really, they can become experiences of isolation and loneliness. Why me available seats they are very limited in number, and it is difficult to re-enter the limited circle of those who are “admitted”. ‘Cause these places are often in places that deliver little or no visibility. Because restricted areas can only be accessed with a companion, so you are separated from your group of friends.
For all these reasons I happened to feel anger, disappointment and sadness at concerts. In the riot of joy that surrounded me, I felt marked as different; restricted to an Indian reservation reserved for us disabled people, Serie B Spectators; embarrassed because a friend of the band had to”sacrifice yourself” stay with me; alone, terribly lonely, because that girlfriend or girlfriend wasn’t even allowed to sit next to me, she had to sit in the back so that in the front row of the Indian reservation, the only one of which visibility, more wheelchair users could fit was vaguely decent.
Many years have passed, I have become older, my shoulders have become wider and I know how to react, because the skin becomes more resistant as it grows. However, I remember the suffering of those moments when I was a little girl and, like all teenagers in this world, desperately wanted to feel like everyone else.
One day at a concert Bruce Springsteen, I saw a little girl arrive in a wheelchair. He must be fifteen. He wore a Boss T-shirt, a bandanna and a smile of pure happiness as he approached his parents and a handful of other toddler friends. She was told that she should stay on the Indian Reservation platform with one of her parents, away from the group. When she stepped onto the platform, she said nothing and pretended to be indifferent, but I saw death in his eyes. I also knew this pain well and knew that at this particular moment it goes far beyond suffering. It was something deeper, it was a projection of what concerts would be for her from then on.
These days he reminded us of the injustice of it all Silvia StoyanovaMilanese girl excluded from the concert Taylor Swift scheduled for July 13, 2024 at the San Siro, despite the purchase of a ticket worth more than 300 euros for the turf, which is fully accessible because it is intended – as for a person with a disability in a wheelchair – for a separate area declared “out of reserve”. I mean, you have no right to go to your favorite star’s concert, without even paying for the ticket.
Sylvia launched an online petition asking the organizers to increase the number of places accessible to people with disabilities and has already collected almost thirty-five thousand signatures. I hope that Sylvia’s call will be heard, but I think we need to move on. I know there are critical issues related to security protocols.
However, together, in cooperation between institutions, artists and live event organizers, we can find a solution based on the best practices that exist in other countries. stadium From WembleyFor example, has more than 300 permanent places, are present at all levels of the structure, accessible to wheelchair users, and others suitable for those who walk but have difficulty walking. Not only that, tickets can be booked in a transparent manner, with a dedicated number that meets all needs, as well as providing support for people with sensory disabilities.
IN Italy we are talking about new stadiums, starting with Milan, and in 2026 we will host the Winter Olympics, with all the restructuring and construction of sports facilities that entails. A great opportunity to experiment with solutions that allow everyone to live fully and without discrimination. This is not only correct and appropriate, but also beautiful. Because music is joy and life, only if it really belongs to everyone.
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