Mother and disabled son 'kicked out' of Pink concert: 'Absolutely horrific'

A single mother has revealed she and her seven-year-old son, Jesse, who has Down Syndrome as well as developmental, sensory and neurodivergent needs, were asked to leave a Pink concert and were treated 'like criminals' because the young boy wouldn't sit in his seat.

Vanessa Casey paid around AUD$1200 for the tickets to see Pink's Summer Carnival Tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last weekend.

Jesse refused to sit, so Vanessa and her friend Kirsty stood near the seating area so he could dance to the support act. However, they were soon approached by six security guards, who told them to either sit down or leave despite the mum explaining the situation.

The group was then escorted from their seats by four staff members just as Pink arrived on stage.

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Speaking to Daily Mail, Vanessa said, "Jesse and I love Pink - I'd booked the tickets in November and made sure I paid £630 for hospitality tickets as that gave us lounge access and I knew Jesse wouldn't be able to sit for that long as he has Down's Syndrome and other developmental, sensory and neurodivergent needs."

She added that she didn't bring his disability buggy as their tickets stated there wouldn't be any storage.

"But when it came to sitting in our seats, Jesse didn't want to. And in the lounge area, the blinds had been pulled down. So we stood up by our seats and Jesse was dancing," Vanessa said, adding they weren't causing any issues to surrounding concertgoers, yet they were still told by security to leave.

After pleading with the guards and explaining Jesse's disabilities, they were told to sit down or leave.

"It was absolutely horrific," she said. "All Jesse has now is memories of me crying, being upset and angry and the whole intimidation and people being unkind to us. I think Pink would be disgusted if she found out."

'Very upset and overwhelmed'

Taking to Facebook, Vanessa shared her experience and hoped for change. She wrote: "Yesterday my little Jesse was robbed of his chance to see his idol P!nk at Tottenham Hotspur stadium simply because he has special needs and didn’t fit into the requirements for his seating."

"Music is his life and P!nk is one of his absolute favourites. We successfully saw her perform at BST Hyde Park last year, and were thrilled to learn of her return again this year," Vanessa said, adding that she consulted a security officer, who told them they didn't have to remain seated throughout the evening.

She continued: "We couldn’t get him to sit in his seat, but he was happy dancing and singing at the front railings, and even interacting with some of the other guests. Doing no harm to anyone or obstructing anyone’s view. This seemed ok for about half an hour or so."

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When the security guards approached the mum, they said they were "abrupt, intimidating, and unpleasant."

Vanessa finished by saying, "By the time we were left with no choice but to leave, we were surrounded by about 10 guards and staff, and I had a very upset and overwhelmed little boy. We were escorted out of the building like criminals and saw no more of the Pink show. Jesse was utterly devastated, and they showed absolutely zero care or understanding.

"The whole trip took a great deal of planning and cost close to £1000, all to walk away with a brokenhearted little boy. Shame on you Tottenham stadium."

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