“That was the best night of my life”. Not everyone had access issues at the Harry Styles show

While Marvel Stadium’s sensory room is currently under scrutiny, this Melbourne venue is where, for the first time in her life, Mandy Hose’s daughter was able to enjoy a stadium concert with her sisters.

In the words of my seventeen year-old daughter, Molly*, “That was the best night of my life”.

She’s describing last Saturday night, when Harry Styles performed at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium. Her very first concert.

Both of her sisters had attended stadium shows before but not Molly. This daughter of mine has often felt frightened of loud noise, overwhelming crowds and all the ways her senses respond at an event like this. This was the first time she had asked to go to a concert, to see someone so famous, because both of her sisters were going.

So, I sat down and went through all the motions. Companion Card, check. Event website, check. Email to Ticketmaster, check. And then I waited.

Later that day, I had a reply to my email saying that “yes”, they could accommodate our request to use our Companion Card - a government card that enables people with disability to have a companion attend events that are otherwise inaccessible. We’d also received a “yes” to a wheelchair spot, and “yes”, they could help me book an accessible park at the venue too. 

How could it be so easy, I kept asking myself?

The week leading up to Harry’s show, there was much excitement. Outfits were planned, noise-cancelling headphones were decorated, feather boas were purchased - but vetoed - in favour of an invisible disability sunflower lanyard.

One of our support workers was also very excited about going to see Harry, suggesting that if she disappeared after the show, it was likely the pop star was proposing to her backstage. It was fun. Molly told me that she and her friend were nervous about getting in, so it was agreed that of course, I’d come along too. On the way to the concert, we played Harry in the car and indulged in our family’s tradition of lolly salad.

We arrived into a city full of colour and parked our car, got ourselves sorted and walked straight towards the lift. Security and ticketing all done, we went up to level three and beelined for the hot nuggets and chips. Staff helped us with directions and told us where the nearest accessible toilet was. We walked past the sensory room, had a quick look and made some enquiries - just in case we needed it - before a quick stop at the merchandise shop on the way back to our seats.

Our family has people with hearing loss and deafness, so we never take this precious sense for granted. We all had headphones on - and Molly’s featured Harry Styles’ initials and love hearts. Friends came and found us, photos were taken, and we readied ourselves for Harry to come onstage and serenade us.   

If you could only have been me that night, sitting beside my daughters. Together, safe and comfortable, happy and excited. I wish everyone could feel like I did that night.

Molly danced, sang, kissed me, cuddled me, and said “Thanks mum, I love you” more times that I can count. She held my phone torch and swayed it to ‘Matilda’ and screamed “leave America” at the top of her lungs to ‘As It Was’. She was amongst it all and having the time of her life. I have never seen her eyes so bright.

On the way home, eating our lolly salad in the car and lamenting that Harry didn’t, in fact, propose to our support worker, while remembering every delicious moment of his show, my girl looked at me and said “Can we go to Pink?” I wrote her request in an email to Ticketmaster at 1am that same night. Yes, my precious girl, we can.

*Name has been changed