Earlier this week at the Grammys, host Trevor Noah – perhaps bravely – made a Taylor Swift joke. “As Taylor moves around the room, the local economy around her improves,” he said, gesturing at her. “Look at that.”
It wasn’t entirely a joke. It’s been estimated Swift’s Eras tour generated US$5bn in the US economy; the US Federal Reserve even singled her out for stimulating the national tourism industry. “If Taylor Swift were an economy,” said Dan Fleetwood, the president of QuestionPro, the research company that made that estimate, “she’d be bigger than 50 countries.”
Her impact can already be felt in Australia, where Sydney and Melbourne are busy preparing for her arrival next week. It is expected that Swift’s seven concerts in the two cities – three in Melbourne and four in Sydney – will generate $140m, according to state government modelling.
More than 85% of the hotels and motels in Melbourne city are booked during her first two shows; a similar capacity is expected in Sydney. Qantas added an extra 11,000 seats on flights to both cities. Australian bead sales are reportedly through the roof, as Swifties prepare friendship bracelets to exchange at her shows. (Some fans have reportedly been outraged that they can only bring as many friendship bracelets as they can wear on their arms, but this was Swift’s team’s call.)
‘It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before’
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where it is expected that Swift will play to the biggest crowds of her career – about 86,000 every night – construction is well under way on three huge merchandise marquees, which officials hope will alleviate pressure inside.
Swift’s Eras tour has shattered attendance records at venues everywhere from Nashville to Brazil. Her Australian shows are unlikely break national attendance records – Ed Sheeran set a new record at the MCG with 109,500 last year – as her large stage and long runway will leave less space for fans.
Still, the Eras tour remains one of the biggest operations the MCG has staged. The adjacent Brunton Avenue will be closed for more than a week as trucks deliver parts of Swift’s stage then cart it out afterwards. More than 12,000 sq metres of turf is on hand to repair the damage to the ground ahead of AFL season. More than 5,000 MCG staff will be working at each concert.
“We’ve never had staffing numbers like that before,” says Josh Eltringham, the MCG’s venue and event services general manager, who has been working on the Swift concerts for 18 months. “The amount of infrastructure that’s coming, you only have to look out at the marquees – we’ve never had those before because the demand and hype is so real. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before and, I think, anything we’ll ever see again.”
In Sydney, about 300,000 Swifties are expected at Accor Stadium over the four nights. Concertgoers are being urged to leave their cars at home, with extra pressure being placed on parking infrastructure as 100,000 more people are expected over the same nights at nearby Blink 182 shows.
Both cities are putting on extra trains and buses, though only Sydney is offering free public transport as part of ticket purchase. Final numbers are yet to be settled on but Transport for NSW has confirmed hundreds of extra train and bus services will run to the area each night.
“The four-night concert series is expected to be one of the biggest at the precinct to date and we want Swifties to enjoy the experience,” said the TfNSW executive director of customer journey management, Craig Moran, who asked concertgoers to “plan ahead, leave plenty of extra travel time and, most importantly, be prepared for crowds and queues for transport, especially after the concert”.
The battle to stop ‘Taylorgating’
While some Swifties around the world have gone to great lengths to get good spots – including some in Argentina who used an elaborate timetable to line up for five months – Accor Stadium and the MCG hope to deter ticketholders from turning up too early. The MCG is instructing ticketholders not to line up outside the stadium before 2.30pm on the day of each concert and said any overly early attendees will be moved into nearby Yarra Park. Gates at both stadiums will open about 4.30pm.
Earlier this week the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, announced that there were plans to prevent what she called “Taylorgating” at the MCG – fans without tickets gathering outside to experience the concert anyway. Outside the MCG and Accor, police, emergency services and security staff will be on hand to manage Taylorgaters, who will be moved on if they are drinking or setting up tents. Both venues have pleaded with people to stay away, stressing that there will be no screens outside the venues broadcasting what is happening inside.
But there is a sense that everyone involved knows they’re fighting a losing battle: on Sunday, Allan said: “We know there’s also the experience of being around the event.”
If the first night in Melbourne is too chaotic or unsafe, MCG management will work with police to reassess what they do at the next show, Eltringham said.
“I hope some do [listen to us],” he added. “Of course some people won’t and we’ll be prepared for that.”
In Sydney and Melbourne, extra merchandise stands have been set up outside the stadiums. It might seem like a lot of faff, but Swift merch is particularly coveted. At her shows in the US, where it is estimated she made US$300m in merch sales, there were reports of people camping out for days, hiding under delivery trucks and spending thousands just to buy certain items – like a particular blue sweatshirt that was only on sale at her shows and became hugely popular.
“A band hoodie is going to always set you back $100 – but what she does [that is unique] is she makes everything limited edition and that traps you into thinking you’re going to miss out,” says Dr Georgia Carroll, the world’s only dedicated Taylor Swift academic. “It’s not a trick, it is clever marketing – but you end up spending a lot of money if you do want to be one of the fans that has everything.
Spending as ‘fan identity’
While the Eras tour was moving through the US, one estimate suggested that while every US$100 spent on a live performance would typically result in US$300 in ancillary spending on things like hotels, dining, merch and transport, Swifties were spending US$1,300.
Part of this stems from their devotion to her, but also her practice of releasing multiple versions of one item: there are more than 20 versions of her album Midnights available to buy, for instance, with extra tracks and different covers.
“If any other artist sold eight different vinyl versions of the same album, people would think they were ripping us off. When it is Taylor, it’s like, ‘amazing, I’ll buy them all’. It’s part of the fan identity in a way that nobody else has really mastered,” says Caroll.
To Accor and the MCG staff, however, it is about keeping people safe and showing them a good time. Eltringham had sage advice for Swifties: stay hydrated and remember to eat breakfast.
“We see a lot of excited people who forget to look after themselves – they get here and then they start feeling ill and they miss the show,” he said. “So my message to people who are coming is: look after yourself.”
