Fan Entitlement And The Petition To Replace A Tour’s Opening Act
On Jan. 24, singer Gracie Abrams announced alternative/indie artist Dora Jar as the opening act for her European branch of The Secret of Us Tour.
Although most fans, including Abrams herself, expressed excitement about Jar opening the upcoming shows, some fans took to social media to express disappointment.
One fan, under the pseudonym Dexter Morgan, went as far as to create a change.org petition titled “Replace Dora Jar as the Opening Act for The Secret of Us Europe Tour.” The petition went viral, with some fans agreeing with Morgan and others defending Jar on social media.
The petition claimed that Jar’s music was too slow-paced and unpopular to open for an “upbeat” artist like Abrams.
In the petition, Morgan stated: “We are perplexed as we do not recognize her, and with less than two weeks till the tour, it’s virtually impossible to familiarize ourselves with her slow-paced songs.”
Morgan doubled-down by citing a Billboard article stating: “upbeat opening acts are essential to the overall concert experience as they set the tone for the headlining act and help in keeping the audience’s energy”.
Billboard clarified that the “cited” article never existed—leading some to speculate that the petition was written using AI.
Abrams later responded to the petition on Instagram, calling it “wildly uncool and bizarre.” The singer continued to defend Jar by stating: “I’ve only seen everyone’s total excitement and I couldn’t be luckier or prouder to share a stage with this talented wonder.”
Jar herself also responded with a post on X, expressing gratitude for Abram’s support and for fans who have continued to support her. The post read: “Hate comes with the job, the truth is this is the biggest outpouring of love I’ve ever received from a fanbase who is still unfamiliar with me.”
The artist even poked fun at the petition, jokingly tweeting: “Signed the petition but rehearsing these songs just in case I remain the opener! Love u Dexter.”
Controversies like this are becoming more common, partly due to the rise of fandom culture and its increasing toxicity—not only to regular people—but also to artists themselves. Violence, bullying and other condemnable actions are becoming more common in large fandoms, especially those made up of young fans.
The disappointment that an “unknown” artist is opening The Secret of Us Tour is also inherently hypocritical, considering that Gracie Abrams herself was widely discovered by opening Taylor Swift’s The Era’s Tour.
While this specific incident was comical and unserious in comparison to other instances of extreme fan behavior, it illustrates the increasing entitlement of fans. It seems that strange fandom behavior is inescapable as artists continue to address unacceptable fan behavior and as superfans become more expansive in online spaces.
