I REALISE that, to an outsider, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour might look slightly insane.
Thousands of (mainly) women, old enough to know better, are flocking to these shows decked out in a worrying amount of glitter and freshly purchased cowboy boots.
We’re digging out dusty bags of beads from the attic to make friendship bracelets.
Groups of friends are planning themed costumes as if we’re in Year 7 coordinating for a school disco.
And speculating what Tay’s “surprise songs” might be is like the top-mark question in an end-of-year exam.
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I’m going to the first night in Edinburgh today and the WhatsApp pals’ chat to organise our outfits has been in existence for almost a year.
Buying the tickets was like a major military operation (a battalion of thousands of cowboy hat-wearing twentysomethings against the old guard of Ticketmaster).
With tickets soaring to as much as £6,000, Swifties from around the world have spent a small fortune just to see the 34-year-old hitmaker live at Murrayfield Stadium.
And it’s not just the fans going mad.
The singer disclosed at a gig in 2015 that she has Scottish ancestry, so the stadium sponsorship signage has been changed from Scottish Gas to Scottish Lass to highlight her link.
‘A lot of fun’
Taylor Swift has even arrived at Edinburgh Zoo — or at least two of the superstar’s namesakes have.
A pair of critically endangered cotton-top tamarins were born on Tuesday to first-time mum Elf and dad Zecca.
And keepers at the wildlife conservation charity have named the tiny newborn monkeys Taylor and Swift ahead of the pop star’s highly anticipated performances in the capital.
To give her a “Scottish welcome”, the Reel Time Band, an 11-piece group made up of eight highland bagpipers and three drummers, performed her song Love Story on the steps outside the venue, wearing “Era-fied” kilts.
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Pipe major Roddy Deans said: “Taylor’s tunes translate surprisingly well to traditional Scottish instruments. We’re all huge music fans, so we’re delighted to help welcome Taylor to Scotland in the best way we know how.”
“It’s been a lot of fun recreating Love Story on the bagpipes.”
The tour, which takes fans on a journey through the different musical stages of her career, has been a juggernaut and is predicted to provide a £997million boost to the UK economy as almost 1.2million fans will spend an average of £848 on tickets, travel, accommodation, outfits and other costs to see the pop icon at one of her 15 UK tour dates.
Cities are rolling out the red carpet for her arrival, with special artworks being installed around Liverpool on a “Taylor Trail” in celebration of her shows.
Capital Radio has even launched a pop-up station dedicated to all things Taylor.
Ellie Poulter, 19, was already in line to secure her place at the front of the crowd yesterday afternoon.
She said: “I think I’m the first person to start camping.
“People were queuing for the Paris shows for two nights.
“So I thought I was going to be camping for like a week before, but nobody else was doing that so I thought two days would be fine. I’ve got a tent and I’ve took a duvet and that’s it apart from my clothes.
“I didn’t come prepared at all. I’ve got a hotel for the night of the show, so I’ll basically chuck everything in there and get ready, so I’ve got nothing on me.”
Ellie says she thinks she will be “a mess” when the singer starts performing on Saturday and reveals she cannot wait to hear Taylor’s 2017 Reputation album live.
‘I couldn’t breathe’
The superfan, from Oxford, said: “I’m so excited, I’ve been waiting a year for this. I’m excited for the surprise songs but I’m more excited for Reputation because that’s my favourite album.
“I saw Taylor when she came out with The 1975 and we got to hear Anti Hero for the first time ever.
“I had a panic attack when she came out, I fell to the floor and was hyperventilating. I couldn’t breathe and I was very excited and I was crying a lot.”
You might, understandably, be thinking, ‘What’s all the fuss about?’
But I was lucky enough to see the tour last year in Philadelphia during the US leg so I know a bit about what is coming tonight.
First of all, it is a gig that offers real value for money.
It clocks in at more than four hours and spans Taylor’s entire musical back catalogue.
But, most importantly, it is overwhelmingly fun.
Everyone in the crowd has come along for a good time and to enjoy the night, even if the clouds over Murrayfield threaten a downpour.
After successive Covid lockdowns, the Eras Tour is our chance to belt out the songs we’ve been listening to alone in our bedrooms with our friends.
Everyone has a different song they are anticipating hearing live for the first time.
I don’t think it is too dramatic to say that witnessing Tay Tay play All Too Well (the ten-minute version) is a religious experience.
She has an ability to speak to her fans and somehow make a gig in a stadium filled with thousands of people feel like a truly personal experience.
So I’ll be taking a break from my usual Sun reporting duties tonight to cover myself in glitter, head to Murrayfield and dance like I’m back at the school disco.
Swiftie-mania is about to completely take over the UK for a few weeks and I’m delighted to be a part of it.
‘Such a lovely atmosphere, it’s so nice’
AROUND 220,000 fans are expected to attend Taylor’s Edinburgh shows over the three nights – with many coming from abroad.
We caught up with a few…
MUM Carolanne Dunn, with Jessica, from near Glasgow: “It’s such a lovely atmosphere. We’ve met a lot of Americans. Everyone’s just so nice.”
DEBRA Allison, with family, from San Francisco: “Each of our tickets cost around £700, but it’s so worth it. Our daughters are superfans!”
KRISTINA Karlsen, with Alberte Lund, from Denmark: “We met at a Taylor concert last year and we’ve been friends since. We really clicked.”
SUSAN Berry: “I have got tickets for all three concerts. I wanted to get down here so I could get all my merch and get it back to my digs.”
MOLLY Gilroy, of Edinburgh: “I’ve made 60 bracelets. I’ve got some on a little karabiner to trade at the concert. The rest I’ll wear on each arm.”
