Taylor Swift mega fan makes 140 friendship bracelets, lines up for hours to get some merch, dressed up in her best Taylor Swift outfit even though she didn't manage to get tickets to any of the shows.
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 NZ Herald chats to one die-hard Swiftie with a heartbreaking ticket story and a whole lot of friendship bracelets.
One Aussie Taylor Swift fan won’t let missing out on tickets get her down.
Jordan from Geelong tells the Herald: “I unfortunately didn’t get any tickets. I waited for so, so long and still didn’t get anything.”
Admitting she has tried every competition, every ticket release and even looked at resale options, she has had no luck - but she’s not letting it get her down, and she arrived at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday to get involved in Swift mania.
The NZ Herald chats to Jordan from Geelong about her many friendship bracelets and her heartbreaking ticket predicament. Photo / NZ Herald
Friendship bracelets
A heartwarming moment to behold was seeing devoted Swifties hand out their friendship bracelets in the crowds - a tradition that has taken off at Swift’s concerts around the world.
Jordan confessed to taking two months to make 140 bracelets for the Melbourne leg, which she passed out to fans waiting in the merchandise line on Friday morning.
And what inspired the young Aussie to make so many bracelets? “It’s become a very popular tradition and it makes people smile,” she said. “It makes me smile.”
The beaded trinkets were handmade by the young Swiftie, who designed bracelets based on Swift songs, albums and some of her most famous quotes. “Me and my mum did a lot of them on the weekends,” she added. “Just sit there, listen to the 1989 concert and make a lot of them.”
Jordan was decked out in purple, wearing a dress almost identical to Swift’s 2010 Speak Now dress, along with a knitted Speak Now cardigan that the fan had bought a few months ago. Finished off with a pair of cowboy boots, Jordan looked ready for the Era’s Tour.
Despite missing out on the shows, the fan was ecstatic to grab some merch, meet some fellow Swifties and hopefully hear some of Swift’s hits from outside the MCG.
But if anyone has an extra ticket going, we know just the person who deserves it more than anyone.
Taylor Swift fans are ready for what may be the biggest show of her career. Photo / NZ Herald
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.
Despite the nippy 14C temperatures and 12.50am time, News.com.aureported 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 onto upcycled T-shirts.
Featuring colours referencing the singer’s hit songs such as Bejewelled, she ensured her six different outfits were a direct reflection of the star’s music eras.
=Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. Photo / Getty Images
What is the Eras Tour?
Swift’s Eras Tour is her first in five years — and 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 ($6.7b) 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 onto 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 10-song set expected to include Feather, Nonsense and Vicious.
Show Schedule
February 16, 17 and 18 - Melbourne Cricket Ground
February 23, 24, 25 and 26 - Sydney Accor Stadium
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.
