Earlier this week, Grammys host Trevor Noah made a Taylor Swift joke—perhaps boldly. “As Taylor moves around the room, the local economy around her thrives,” he said, pointing at her. “Look at this.”
It wasn’t entirely a joke. Swift’s Eras tour is estimated to have brought US$5 billion into the US economy; The US Federal Reserve even singled it out for promoting the national tourism industry. “If Taylor Swift were an economy, it would be larger than 50 countries,” said Dan Fleetwood, president of research firm QuestionPro, which made this prediction.
His impact is already being felt in Australia, where Sydney and Melbourne are busy preparing for his arrival next week. Swift’s seven concerts in two cities – three in Melbourne and four in Sydney – are expected to bring in $140 million, according to the state’s government modelling.
More than 85% of hotels and motels in Melbourne were booked during the first two shows; A similar capacity is expected in Sydney. Qantas has added an extra 11,000 seats to flights to both cities. Bead sales are reportedly through the roof in Australia as Swifties prepare friendship bracelets to swap at their shows. (Some fans were reportedly outraged that they were only able to bring as many friendship bracelets as they could wear on their arms, but that was Swift’s team’s decision.)
‘It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before’
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Swift is expected to play to the biggest crowds of his career – around 86,000 people each night – construction is underway on three massive commercial tents that officials hope will ease the pressure inside.
Swift’s Eras tour shattered attendance records everywhere from Nashville to Brazil. Its shows in Australia are unlikely to break national attendance records – Ed Sheeran set a new record of 109,500 at the MCG last year – because its big stage and long catwalk will leave less room for fans.
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Still, the Eras tour remains one of the biggest operations the MCG has undertaken. Adjacent Brunton Avenue will be closed for more than a week as trucks deliver and then move portions of Swift’s stage. More than 12,000 m2 of turf has been made available to repair ground damage ahead of the AFL season. More than 5,000 MCG staff will be on duty at each concert.
“We’ve never had this much staff before,” says Josh Eltringham, the MCG’s general manager of venue and event services, who has been working on Swift concerts for 18 months. “For the amount of infrastructure that will be coming, you only have to look at the tents; we’ve never had these before because the demand and excitement is so real. “It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, and I don’t think it’s like anything we’ll ever see again.”
Around 300,000 Swifties are expected to be at Accor Stadium in Sydney over four nights. Concertgoers are being asked to leave their cars at home, and nearby Blink 182 shows are expected to attract another 100,000 people on the same nights, putting extra pressure on parking infrastructure.
Both cities run extra train and bus services, but only Sydney offers free public transport as part of your ticket purchase. Final figures have yet to be determined, but Transport for NSW has confirmed there will be hundreds of extra train and bus services to the region each night.
“The four-night concert series is expected to be one of the biggest ever in the region and we want Swifties to enjoy the experience,” said TfNSW customer journey management general manager Craig Moran, who asked concertgoers to “plan ahead”. , allow plenty of extra travel time and most importantly, be prepared for crowds and transportation queues, especially after the concert.”
The battle to stop ‘Taylorgating’
While some Swifties around the world have gone to great lengths to secure good spots – including some in Argentina, which used a detailed timetable to queue for five months – Accor Stadium and the MCG are hoping to dissuade ticket holders from arriving too early. The MCG has instructed ticket holders not to queue outside the stadium before 2.30pm on each concert day and said attendees arriving unduly early will be moved to nearby Yarra Park. The gates of both stadiums will open at 16.30.
Earlier this week Victorian premier Jacinta Allan announced plans to prevent fans without tickets from gathering outside to experience the concert, which she called “Taylorgating” at the MCG. Outside the MCG and Accor, police, emergency services and security personnel will be on hand to manage Taylorgaters, who will be sent elsewhere if they drink or pitch tents. Both venues called on people to stay away and emphasized that there would be no screens outside the venues broadcasting what was happening inside.
But there is a sense that everyone involved knows they are fighting a losing battle: On Sunday, Allan said: “We also know that there is the experience of being. around event.”
Eltringham said if the first night in Melbourne was too chaotic or unsafe, MCG management would work with police to re-evaluate what to do at the next show.
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“I hope some of them do this [listen to us],” he added. “Of course some people won’t do it, and we’ll be prepared for that.”
Extra merchandise stands were set up outside stadiums in Sydney and Melbourne. It may seem like a lot of nonsense, but Swift products are particularly coveted. At its shows in the US, which are estimated to have earned US$300 million from merchandise sales, people reportedly camped out for days, hid under delivery trucks and spent thousands of dollars just to buy certain items – like a blue sweater, for example. it was only on sale at their shows and became quite popular.
“A bunch of hoodies will always set you back $100 – but what does it do? [that is unique] The world’s only dedicated Taylor Swift scholar, Dr. “They produce everything in limited quantities, which makes you think you’re going to miss out,” says Georgia Carroll. “This is not a gimmick, it is clever marketing; But if you want to be one of those fans who has it all, you’ll end up spending a lot of money.
Spending as a ‘Fan ID’
As the Eras tour progressed through the US, one estimate suggested that every US$100 spent on a live performance would typically result in US$300 in ancillary expenses such as hotel, food, shopping and transportation, while Swifties spent US$1,300.
Part of this is due to their devotion to it, but also to his practice of releasing multiple versions of a track: the album Midnights, for example, has more than 20 versions available for purchase, with extra tracks and different covers.
“If another artist sold eight different vinyl versions of the same album, people would think they were scamming us. When it’s Taylor, it’s like ‘great, I’ll take it all’. It’s part of the fan identity in a way that no one else has really mastered,” Caroll says.
But according to Accor and MCG staff, this is about keeping people safe and showing them a good time. Eltringham had some sage advice for Swifties: Stay hydrated and don’t forget to eat breakfast.
“We see a lot of excited people who forget to take care of themselves; they come here, then they start feeling sick and they miss the show,” he said. “So my message to people coming is: take care of yourself.”