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“I mean, they were all crazy ideas,” Mero said. “But the comment that actually got my attention the most was, ‘That’s a lot more real than actually getting a ticket.'”
Even if the commenter was (probably?) joking, it’s no joke that the odds of getting tickets to Swift’s 52-time stadium tour are pretty tough. That’s what brought Melo and her fiancée to the outside gate area of Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night. There they sat on a concrete parking fence near the Lot K sign. Around them, thousands of Swift fans blocked parking lots and roads beside the stadium, screaming, dancing, singing and sometimes wailing to Swift’s vocals echoing from the giant venue. speakers in the hall. Even if they can’t see the pop megastar, they will definitely hear her.
“I’m lucky to be in the same city as her,” said Jackie Gall, 27, of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. She was sitting on the ground with her friends in Lot F on blankets, where she could hear the music astonishingly. Clearly, this is due to gaps in the stadium structure that one person described as “sound tunnels”. Officials explained that it’s common for Eagles games to have security guards patrolling the grounds guarding companions who stay beyond their welcome, but Gaur and friends say that any sane official would I correctly assumed that even Swift wouldn’t risk upsetting hardcore Swift fans by calling for her exit.
So the Swifties huddled together with blankets, beanbags, drinks and snacks. They knew they were still part of the experience, even if they didn’t have their eye on the singer. During her 17-year career, the 33-year-old Swift has been unusually close to her fans by emphasizing that she is one of them and they are all part of one big group of friends. I have built relationships. They then form a tight bond with each other, practically speaking their own language while analyzing Swift’s music and her every move.
On the second day of a three-night residency in Philadelphia, which Swift, who hails from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, calls home, a chorus of thousands staring out at the stadium takes on the feel of a religious experience in a sea of sequined dresses. Elaborate Swift-themed outfits, including a pink cowboy hat and a mop and broom that symbolizes Swift’s song “Clean.”
“Have you ever seen another concert with so many people sitting outside the stadium, in the alleys, on the floor?” Anna Mason, 24, perched on the curb with two friends from Washington. But to the surprise and dismay of Washington DC area residents, Swift said she had no tour dates planned. “Everyone is so special, so kind, it’s such a great community.”
“A lot of people wanted to come in here,” said 23-year-old Shreya Srinivasan, who lives in suburban Philadelphia, sitting in a lawn chair on 11th Avenue next to her father and sister. “And they still make the most of it.”
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how the massive Ellas Tour outdoor gathering (“Tail Gates”?) began, but fans were inspired by a TikTok that appeared during a concert in Tampa in mid-April. The Swifties found just the right angle outside the Raymond James Stadium. , so they could see the jumbotron directly. “Everything looks perfect so we can enjoy a little picnic on the lawn,” one reported. In Atlanta and Nashville, others followed suit, even if they couldn’t see the screens.
But that goes back to November, when tickets for the Ellas Tour went on sale on Ticketmaster too quickly and with disastrous results, triggering congressional hearings on the consolidation of the ticketing industry. The company claimed Swift could fill “900 stadiums” due to bot attacks and “massive demand” for Swift. More than two million people got tickets, but many more didn’t. And anticipation for the show, a 44-track, 3-hour, 15-minute spectacle that travels through Swift’s musical epochs, has only risen since the tour began in March.
On the sidewalks and in many places in Philadelphia, fans bonded over stories of trying to secure tickets, hoping intently as they stared intently at their phones and watched Ticketmaster’s last-minute drop. They waited in virtual lines for hours, but the screens inevitably showed that he had more than 2,000 people in front of them. Rumors flew that stadium staff had sold tickets at the box office during the opening act. Some secondary market sites have been monitoring declining resale prices, but the cost seems to skyrocket with each renewal, with prices hovering around $1,800 for “blocked-out” seats once Swift takes to the stage. Was.
“Monopolies are bad,” said Tara Ketterer, 39, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She arrived around noon with her 12-year-old daughter and her friends and secured her a suitable parking space. They were also looking for a good view when they watched from outside the stadium on Friday.
“Is anyone else crying?” asked a dejected woman about half an hour into the show, wondering what would happen if a miracle happened. She vowed to return and try again for a third show on her Sunday.
There were a few tear-stained faces (“It’s so unfair, I want to go home!” cried one preteen slumped on a camp chair outside the family car), but most fans were second. I was determined to enjoy the good things. I was to be swallowed up by a wave of screaming Swifty’s jubilant screams. While we didn’t hear Swift’s crowd banter between songs, fans in the parking lot sang “You Belong With Me,” “Love Story,” “Shake It Off,” and “All Too Well.” 10 Minute Version)”, and they sang along with all the lyrics.
“I don’t know, it’s literally a cult,” said Gianni Fowler, 19, standing near the stadium entrance brightly when asked why Swift’s fan base is so loyal.
“I feel like everyone is so connected and everyone loves Taylor. The mutual connection is really great,” said Abby Crispin, 19, who traveled with Fowler from New Jersey. “Everyone is great, everyone is lively, it’s a really good group–“
“Oh, come on!” someone roared, interrupting the catharsis of the chorus of Swift’s ballad “Enchanted,” as car alarms suddenly started screeching nearby. “This night is shining, don’t let it go”.
But the Swifties quickly learned the benefits of space that isn’t restricted to seats. There was even more room to flop around and dance to “Look What You Made Me Do,” or dramatically fall to the ground and shout the lyrics to “Illicit Affair.” There was more time to make and exchange friendship bracelets, a tradition of Swift’s tour.
And then there was the ability to chat with people around her, including Melo, a fan who spotted people figuring out how to break into the stadium, and her fiancée, Chris Carrigan, 29. They quickly accepted the lack of concert visuals that made friends with people in their corner.
“I wish there was at least a small screen like the US Open,” said Melo, who wore a “Me and Karma Vibe Like That” shirt and sparkly jacket. “But this is great. I love it, to be honest.”
“Two hours into the show, we paid zero money,” Carrigan admitted, boasting of his “Swiftadelphia” T-shirt.
The woman I met that night, 27-year-old Jasmine Chen, repeatedly missed out on tickets, often falling prey to scams. But she was also determined to have her positive attitude.
“For $0, you’ll have 10 new friends,” she added triumphantly.
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