US singer Gracie Abrams, whose songs include Close To You and I Love You I’m Sorry, is coming to Perth for two shows on May 16 and 17. Many of her young fanbase are taking to social media saying they are prepared to camp outside RAC Arena for days in advance in order to get the prime spots for the concert.

RAC arena says it is aware of the plans, and is taking extra precautions to ensure concert goers stay safe. A spokesperson told Western Independent they strongly discourage overnight camping at the venue, but are aware they need to prepare for an early influx of fans.

“We understand an artist like Gracie Abrams has a large young fanbase and this show may be their first concert. We consider a number of measures in the lead up to a show like this, including increasing external security to assist with those that arrive earlier.

“At previous events where fans have arrived earlier, they have implemented their own self-managed queuing system, which has been effective in monitoring the line prior to the event officially kicking off.”

Psychology Today defines parasocial relationships as “one-sided relationships in which a person develops a strong sense of connection, intimacy, or familiarity with someone they don’t know, most often celebrities or media personalities”.

Registered counsellor Michael Keady says parasocial relationships manifesting like camping outside shows is not inherently bad, although there are times where it can cross a line.

“It is a biproduct of public figures, people will develop a relationship. The Taylor Swift we see on the stage isn’t the Taylor Swift in real life,” he says.

“The chemistry of a concert can heighten these parasocial feelings. There can be moments where it becomes unsavoury or obsessive.”

Mr Keady says you can love an artists music without participating in everything.

“For the most part, if you feel deeply connected to the artist camping can be an outlet. It’s always been a thing, which doesn’t necessarily mean that its good.”

Emily Hodder creates content for TikTok under the handle Fangirl. She shares music-related content with her 130,000 followers, and says the idea of showing up the morning of the show to secure a close spot to the stage used to be a very secretive operation.

“The whole point was not to post on social media so that you were the only ones there. I think what shifted is this need to post to gain likes, clicks, and engagement. A lot of the engagement on TikTok comes from shock value because of this rage-bait content,” she says.

“Venues didn’t used to care about baby sitting 10 people, but what happens when 100 people show up? It becomes the venue’s responsibility, suddenly they have to hire extra security to watch over 100 fans.”