Since opening night in Glendale, Arizona, on March 17, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour has been a hot topic across social media. With nearly 150 stops across 5 continents, the tour is Swift’s largest tour yet.
While the shows have been praised, they have not been without controversy. Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, described the process of buying tickets as “The Great War”, a nod to the song with the same name from her 10th album, Midnights. From broken queues and verified fan waitlists to bots buying tickets, the process was a mission, not to mention the thousands of other fans also trying their luck with Ticketmaster.
The lucky few Swifties who were able to secure tickets had immense praise for the shows they attended. For junior Brook Holifield who attended a show in Tampa, the night of her show was one she would not soon forget. “It was absolutely amazing! Everyone singing together was so fun. I would go again in a heartbeat if I had the chance,” Brook said.
Fans like Brook had to travel to Tampa since this leg of the tour did not come down to Miami. So when it was announced that Swift would be playing three dates at Hard Rock Stadium in October of 2024, the Great War was reignited. While some fans were able to get their tickets, others were not as lucky. Senior Jeyda Martinez tried but was ultimately unsuccessful. “I signed up for the verified fan and then a couple of days later I found out I was waitlisted. I was so disappointed because I’m such a huge fan. I’ve never seen her live but I kind of had hope that I would get tickets with no trouble,” Jeyda said.
In relation to the tour, Ticketmaster, the largest ticket sales company in the world, has been called out for its monopolization of the live show industry. Most artists sell tickets through Ticketmaster, leaving essentially no competing companies. A group of Swifties even banded together to sue Ticketmaster, asking $2,500 each in damages.
Swift herself is also under fire from climate activists regarding her CO2 emissions from her flights related to the tour. Yard, a company dedicated to tracking celebrities’ carbon emissions from private jet travel, estimates that Swift’s emissions are 8,293.54 tons, which is over 1,000 times the amount of the average person’s annual emissions.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Swift’s representative said, “Taylor’s jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals. To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.”
However, the tour is also being recognized in a positive light for a large boost to the national and global economy. The Eras Tour’s economic boost is estimated to exceed $5 billion. Cities are seeing tourism like never before and local businesses, restaurants, and attractions are being flooded with Swifties in the days before and after shows.
Taylor Swift haters and lovers both recognize her successes from the tour and while some believe it is not deserved, there is no denying her popularity.
