Herald entertainment reporter Lillie Rohan speaks to Swifties queueing up to get merch ahead of tonight's Eras Tour concert at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Video / Megan Watts
Taylor Swift is about to perform seven shows in Australia as part of her Eras Tour - three of which are anticipated to be the largest crowds of her career. The Heraldchats to some dedicated fans ahead of the show.
Taylor Swift is hours away from the first of seven shows in the Australian leg of her Eras Tour - and her Kiwi and Aussie fans have never been more ready for it.
Speaking to the Herald, mother Tina and daughter Amelia revealed they initially weren’t going to attend the show, until their friend’s heartwarming act.
Recalling the great ticket wars in June, the duo said they had “lots of devices going” but when they finally got through the offerings were “really expensive tickets” so they decided to pass.
As it turned out, fate had other plans for them: “my sister’s friend, her mum got tickets so she gave them to us,” Amelia tells the Herald. She says the friend secured tickets to both a Sydney and a Melbourne show but opted to attend just one - and instead of listing her tickets on resale sites, she passed them on to friends she knew were keen to go.
The thankful Tina and Amelia decided to make the show a family night out, with Tina’s second daughter flying in to Melbourne tonight. And while Tina was initially just tagging along, she’s getting excited now. “I’m getting into the hype of it all,” she says.
Taylor Swift fans are ready for what may be the biggest show of her career. Photo / NZ Herald
Meanwhile, two young twins were waiting in the merchandise line, with their parents telling the Herald they spent “quite a while” making friendship bracelets. “We ran out of beads very quickly,” they giggled as they got ready to see their favourite superstar perform tonight.
Elsewhere, a mother and her daughter who travelled from Tasmania waited in line, saying Swift’s music has spanned generations: “I bought her original CD many, like way before she [her daughter] was born and so, it’s been reignited now with her excitement.”
It’s not the only moment that has perfectly showcased fans’ dedication to the star ahead of her shows. Many flocked to Melbourne’s Private Jet Base in the early hours of Thursday morning trying to catch a glimpse of Swift as she touched down in the city.
Despite the nippy 14C temperatures and 12.50am time, news.com.au reported there was a large group of fans wrapped in blankets, carrying cardboard signs as they sat on the fence trying to spot the Grammy winner.
Elsewhere, the news outlet spoke to 32-year-old Melbourne woman Livvi Campbell who, in an effort to create the perfect Eras Tour outfit, revealed she had spent more than a year hand-sewing thousands of pieces of tinsel on to upcycled T-shirts.
Featuring colours referencing the singer’s hit songs like Bejewelled, she ensured her six different outfits were a direct reflection of the star’s music eras.
Taylor Swift performs as part of the Eras Tour at the Tokyo Dome. Photo / AP
Sydney fan Peyton Wilson also spoke to the outlet, stating she had spent her time leading up to the concerts “making people’s dream costumes come to life”. She had created more than 15 looks, from a gold dress,to a whimsical gown similar to the one Swift wore for the Folklore album.
What is the Eras Tour?
Swift’s Eras Tour is her first in five years - and it is on track to become the highest-grossing tour of all time. Recent predictions published by the Washington Post anticipate the shows will make US$4.1 billion ($6.72b) overall, with Time magazine reporting the tour grossed US$2.2b from the North American leg alone.
What makes the show so special is its 44-song setlist that takes fans on a journey of Swift’s “eras”, from her first album to her last - including Lover, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights, which she has never performed before.
Coming in at just over three hours, the concert is roughly twice the length of an average pop stadium show and is split into 10 non-chronological “eras” for each of her albums.
As it stands, the star begins with Lover (she performs six songs from this album), then moves on to Fearless (three songs),Evermore (five songs), Reputation (four songs), SpeakNow(one song), Red (four songs, including the 10-minute version of All Too Well), Folklore (seven songs), 1989 (five songs), Taylor Swift (one song) and concludes with seven songs from Midnights.
Sabrina Carpenter will perform as her support act playing a set of 10 songs, which is expected to include Feather, Nonsense and Vicious.
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
Megan Watts is a lifestyle multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald whose passions include honest journalism, backstage band chats and doing things for the plot.
