One Direction fans check out concert venue to get best views
A day before UK teen heartthrobs One Direction take to the stage at the National Stadium, at least two fans were already at the venue.
Schoolgirls Tuti Elisha Muhamad and Nur Shafiqah Zulkifli had made the trip yesterday afternoon specially to recce the site before the concert today.
Top of the two 16-year-olds' list: Where exactly to queue in the wee hours of today so that they can get the best spots in the free-standing area in front of the stage, which they had bought tickets to.
Said Tuti Elisha: "I haven't been able to sleep the past few days as I've been busy checking for updates on their whereabouts online. I'm afraid if I sleep, I might miss any updates and miss the chance to catch them when they arrive. On Sunday, I cried because they were still not here and I had false hopes!"
The boyband - Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik - will perform tonight to about 30,000 screaming fans as part of the Asian leg of their On The Road Again world tour, which kicked off in February in Australia.
Tickets, priced at between $88 and $388 (seated) and $168 for free-standing, are 90 per cent sold.
As no overnight queueing is allowed, eager fans like Tuti Elisha and Nur Shafiqah are planning to arrive early.
The girls had skipped school yesterday and will do it again today, with the knowledge of their parents, in anticipation of the concert of their lives.
Tuti Elisha's mother is so supportive she plans to get up early today to prepare food for her daughter and friends to eat while they wait in the queue for a good spot in the free-standing area.
Madam S. Tuti Rusidan had initial concerns about her daughter queueing too early. "But I understand that they need to get ready because of the huge crowd. I'm preparing them food so that they don't starve and have enough energy," she said.
Madam S. Tuti, 41, a site administrator for a construction company, had splashed over $1,000 on free-standing tickets for her daughter and her friends.
While some paid her back, she had sponsored the others who she said were close friends of her daughter's that she is very familiar with.
PASSION
She has since become a "Directioner" herself - "adorable" Styles is her favourite.
Asked about supporting her daughter's passion for the band, she said: "I'm a music lover myself and I think it's healthy as long as it doesn't affect her studies and health."
She said she had spoken to her daughter's teachers about giving school a miss.
"She has just finished her exams anyway and was due to be in Vietnam for a school trip (today)," she said.
Over at Changi Airport, more than 50 fans had gathered at the Terminal 1 arrival hall by 4.30pm yesterday.
Deafening screams from the mostly-female crowd pierced the hall when a few members of what was believed to be the boy band's crew arrived.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of the famous quintet whom the fans had been eagerly anticipating since morning.
Some had arrived as early as 6am.
For student Nur Ayuni Musfirah Mohd Shafarin, 14, it was her second attempt this week to catch a precious glimpse of the boys.
Together with her friends, she had also waited at the airport for hours on Monday.
"I haven't been able to sleep well. I can't stop thinking about them, knowing they will be here any time now. It's disappointing that I haven't seen them... I thought after all the hard work, my effort will pay off," she said, dejectedly.
Fellow fans and students Nur Amira Razali and Insyirah Zulkiffli had arrived at 7am yesterday and shuttled between all three terminals all day, hoping to spot One Direction.
Nur Ayuni said she planned to be at the National Stadium at 6am today to try and grab the best spot in the standing pen.
Best friends Janani Rajan and Sinduja are also eager to snag the best spots to see the boys up close during the concert.
The pair are avid collectors of the band's posters, magazines, books and other merchandise, and have spent over $300 so far.
Posters of her favourite boys adorn Janani's bedroom wall, but nothing will compare to seeing them in the flesh tonight.
"I want to see them so I know they are real. I will probably scream and only cry when everything ends," said the excited fan.
"I haven't been able to sleep the past few days as I've been busy checking for updates on their where-abouts online. On Sunday, I cried because they were still not here..."
- Tuti Elisha Muhamad, 16
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