Glittery costumes, heart-shaped glasses and nails in the colors of her albums, Taylor Swift fans will meet Thursday, May 9 in the evening in Paris, before Lyon, Madrid, London or Munich, for the launch of the tour star on the Old Continent. At the foot of the Arena Paris la Défense, the most diligent have been camping for several days in around twenty tents.
“It wasn't planned, but I came to do some scouting and, when I saw the first tents, I panicked a little,” says Chris, a young French woman aged 30, met by the Agency France-Presse (AFP) Wednesday afternoon. “As we paid a certain price for the place [180 euros on average, depending on the concert hall], we don’t want to be badly placed. And the weather allows it too. »
Other fans arrived in a continuous stream to collect the book intended for VIP seat holders or to buy souvenirs, t-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, bracelets, etc. Aware of the public's impatience and their appetite for derivative products after attending Taylor Swift's Japanese shows, the Arena Paris la Défense will open its doors from 3:30 p.m. (Paris time) for VIPs and has doubled its points of sale, said Bathilde Lorenzetti, vice-president of the pregnant. The concert will begin at 8 p.m.
“I think we can all find a song that resonates with our experiences.”
In the queues, young adults rub shoulders with fifty-year-old couples and children with their parents. Some exchange homemade “friendship bracelets,” a custom on this tour. The languages are mixed, with 30% non-French, including 20% Americans, among the 42,000 spectators of each of the four concerts scheduled in Paris until Sunday, according to figures communicated by the venue. A 40-year-old American woman and around ten of her university friends made the trip and will also visit Versailles and Disneyland Paris.
The common point of this crowd: having been touched by the texts of an artist who has been singing about her joys and sorrows for seventeen years. “We know his biggest hits which are super “catchy”, very pop. But, when we look deeper into her discography, there are songs on which she opens up. Taylor Swift talks toxic relationships, impossible love, politics, mental health, and more I think we can all find a song that resonates with our experiences,” says Chris.
“Maybe she’ll include this new album? »
The sixth tour of the Personality of the Year 2023, according to Time magazine, began in March of the same year in the United States. Called “The Eras Tour”, at the end of 2023 it became the first in history to sell more than $1 billion in tickets. This figure is expected to more than double by the time it expires in Canada in December.
The precise three-hour-twenty show, which the singer took across the Americas, Asia and Australia, retraced until then the ten albums (since Taylor Swift, in 2006) which propelled her from a rising star in the American country to biggest international pop star, with 110 million monthly listeners on Spotify (compared to 70 for Beyoncé or Dua Lipa).
In mid-April, the 34-year-old singer released her eleventh album. Sold 1.4 million copies on its first day, The Tortured Poets Department became the most listened to upon its launch on the music streaming platform, with a billion streams in five days.
“Maybe she’ll include this new album? », asks Noah, a 20-year-old Frenchman. Images of rehearsals posted online by the artist to more than 500 million subscribers on all social networks gave a glimpse of new paintings. After registering with his friends “22 different emails” to obtain places, Noah will attend the four Parisian evenings. Chris had reserved a meeting room with colleagues to watch for the precious sesames. She will attend several European concerts.
Taylor Swift, former America's Little Bride who took a stand against Trumpism in 2018, is scheduled to visit Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Lyon (June 2-3), the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria. With, each time, a notable impact expected on the local economy.
