Having shaken four continents, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour finally brings the biggest pop culture icon of the century to Europe from Thursday, starting with a four-night run in Paris.
Swift has broken almost every record in music, and her sixth tour is no exception.
The Eras Tour, which began in March 2023, is already the first to sell more than $1 billion in tickets, and is expected to more than double that by the time it concludes in Vancouver this December.
Many critics have derided the 31-track album as bloated and mediocre — “a rare misstep” in the words of British music mag NME.
Such blasphemy leaves her devoted fanbase seeing red — Paste magazine felt the need to keep their damning review anonymous, knowing all too well how her fans would react.
But a few bad reviews are unlikely to lead to a cruel summer for Swift — the album sold 1.4 million copies on its first day and broke every streaming record going, reaching a billion streams on Spotify within five days.
Some 42,000 people will see Swift in Paris before she heads on for dates in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria.
Many are travelling a long way — around one in five of the Paris audience is coming from the United States, according to the La Defense Arena where she is performing.
The 34-year-old’s tour remains a money-making machine beyond the wildest dreams of promoters and venues.
Research group QuestionPro estimated that last year’s US dates generated $5 billion for the country’s economy. The US Travel Association said the figure may have exceeded $10 billion when hotel rooms, restaurants and other indirect sales were included.
The La Defense Arena says it has doubled the previous record of merchandise-sellers across its dates.
The mere mention of a London pub, The Black Dog, on her new album was enough to send a swarm of Swifties to its doors this month, potentially saving the struggling boozer.
Fans tracked it down after realising it lay close to the home of British actor Joe Alwyn, with whom Swift had a six-year relationship that ended last summer.
Swift’s tell-all dissections of her love stories have been the fuel powering her global domination, and fans have been pouring over “The Tortured Poets Department” for cryptic clues about Alwyn, her short-but-dramatic fling with Matty Healy (lead singer of The 1975), and her current beau, American football star Travis Kelce.
“There is something in her music that captures the adolescent desire for a poetic existence, charged with passion, danger and love,” said Satu Hämeenaho-Fox, author of “Into the Taylor-Verse”.
Soukeyna, a 16-year-old fan travelling up from southwest France for opening night, said Swift gives her “the feeling of being part of a community”.
“She’s a complete artist who writes her own words, and you really have to listen to the lyrics and understand them, which is something unique,” she added.
News
Gilbert Arenas backs 5x NBA All-Star for MVP glory in 2024-25: “He’s going to do something that hasn’t been done in a few years”
Gilbert Arenas backs 5x NBA All-Star for MVP glory in 2024-25. (Photo: GETTY) Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas expects Luka Doncic to be the favorite to win the MVP in the 2024-25 season. Arenas believes the Dallas Mavericks superstar will “do something…
“Ty Voit Aims to Prove His Value to Maple Leafs Fans After Injury-Plagued Rookie Season”
After suffering a shoulder injury during the Traverse City Prospect Tournament last year, Voit missed the first two and an half months of the Toronto Marlies’ season before returning in mid-December. What was supposed to be an exciting moment for…
REPORT: Tua Tagovailoa Likely Done For Season, Miami Dolphins & NFL Will “Definitely” Ask Him To Retire
Tua Tagovailoa has an important decision to make about his career going forward. He is at a point where he can afford to have another concussion. Tagovailoa’s NFL future is the subject of widespread debate after he suffered his third concussion in 24…
Ed Sheeran takes a break from his world tour to perform for delighted British troops and their families in Cyprus
He’s currently in the middle of his Mathematics world tour, but Ed Sheeran still found the time to pay a visit to British troops in Cyprus and surprise them with an intimate acoustic set. The British pop superstar, 33, delighted the military…
Lionel Messi and Ed Sheeran Meet in Florida: Special Moment Shared on Instagram
In an unmissable event, global icons Lionel Messi and Ed Sheeran had the opportunity to meet in Florida, creating a memorable moment for fans worldwide. Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer superstar currently playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer…
Swayman likely to miss training camp in contract holdout.
More bad news on the Jeremy Swayman front for the Boston Bruins and their fan base. There has been a lot of discussion surrounding the topic of Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman this summer, but that talk has truly reached…
End of content
No more pages to load