MILWAUKEE — Ariana Grande fans who didn’t know there was a "clear bag policy" for her big concert Friday night at Fiserv Forum weren’t allowed through the gates with regular purses and bags.
Arena officials said it’s the first time Fiserv Forum has had a "clear bag" requirement due to a request from a performer.
Lines to get inside the venue Friday night were filled with excited young teens wearing Ariana Grande shirts.
“I’m shooting through the moon, like, not kidding,” Frankie Bautista said.
Hundreds of fans including Bautista brought small, clear bags for their valuables. It’s something Bautista knew well in advance.
“It’s like on social media so I just guessed that I would get kicked out if I didn’t bring a clear bag,” she said.
Signs at the Deer District plaza entrance explained why the policy was in effect to some 13,000 fans in attendance, but Linda Braun and her granddaughter of Beaver Dam didn’t get the memo until it was too late.
“We just came now and we found out we can’t take our purses in,” Braun said. “We can’t take anything but our phone and our wallet. And we are at the Ambassador. We have no way to get our purses to anybody safe. We don’t know what to do.”
Fiserv Forum General Manager Raj Saha said fans were notified through social media and local media partners.
“It’s something that Ariana personally requested for her entire tour,” Saha said. “We’re probably date 49 of this tour.”
“We just came now and we found out we can’t take our purses in. We can’t take anything but our phone and our wallet. And we are at the Ambassador. We have no way to get our purses to anybody safe. We don’t know what to do.” — concertgoer Linda Braun
The requirement is because of a horrifying incident that happened at one of Grande’s concerts two years ago in the U.K. A suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured dozens more outside Manchester Arena in England.
“I would say 99% of the people read everything and have come here and the people that did not arrive with a clear bag have gone to the merchandise trailer to pick one up.”
Grande’s concert at Fiserv Forum was rescheduled for Friday after her performance in April was postponed so she could headline at Coachella.
