1. Dozens of dates in more than 10 countries
When the European tour kicked off in Paris on May 9, there were more than 50 dates scheduled, taking in France, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Austria, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland, before concluding in London on August 20.
Several European cities have reported a sharp increase in demand for hotel accommodation and short-term rentals over the summer after dates were announced. BBC Scotland revealed that the shortage of accommodation was so severe that several homeless people were sent by taxi to Aberdeen and Glasgow.
Some areas have also increased transport links around the event, for example Irish Rail offering additional night services to Cork and Limerick.
2. Seismic proportions
It’s not all Tay-gating and friendship bracelets: Swiftonomics is serious business. The UK leg was predicted to boost the British economy by £1 billion, as almost 1.2 million fans attended the shows in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London.
Each spent an estimated average of £848 on the overall experience, triggering a short-term spike in inflation, according to Barclays. However, some economists have expressed skepticism about the impact Swift’s tour could actually have on the economy, claiming the £1 billion figure was overstated.
Swift’s decision to donate to food banks in the cities she toured helped a Cardiff food bank buy a truckload of supplies, while one in Liverpool said it would fund 12 months of donations.
A team of geophysicists recorded seismic ground waves generated by fans dancing at Wembley Stadium over three nights from June 21 to 23 and found that the songs Love Story and Shake It Off generated tremors equivalent to a magnitude 0.8 earthquake.
3. A tragic scenario
On July 29, shortly before Swift arrived in the UK, three girls were killed in a horrific attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Swift is believed to have personally contacted the families of the three Southport stabbing victims: Bebe King, six, Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
Following the attack, which left 10 other people injured, Swift released a statement saying she was “completely in shock” and “not sure how to convey my condolences to these families.”
Swift then took two young survivors backstage for a rare meet-and-greet at one of her Wembley shows. Photos posted to TikTok show Autumn and Hope Foster, who attended the dance class, posing with Swift.
4. Highest-grossing tour of all time
As Swift’s Eras tour rolls out across the world, she is on track to gross more than $1 billion (£770 million) in 2024 alone, having become the first tour to surpass that figure last year and making her the first billionaire through music alone.
Pollstar, a trade publication that collects data on the live music industry, put the tour’s gross profits at just over $1 billion after the first 60 shows. That means Swift is selling an average of 72,000 tickets at $239 each, earning $17 million from each show.
The industry standard is for artists to receive around 85% of ticket revenue, suggesting that Swift earns around $14.7 million per show. Her gross revenue has been estimated at over $2 billion, although this does not include the cost of running the tour.
Tour merchandise is selling for an average price of $51 per item in the US, or £52 in the UK.
5. A terrorist plot foiled
The Vienna leg of Swift’s Eras tour has been canceled after three people were arrested over an apparent plot to launch an attack on a public event in the Austrian capital, reportedly Swift’s concert.
According to police, one of the suspects confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.” Around 20,000 to 35,000 ticketless people were expected to gather outside the Ernst Happel Stadium for each of the three concerts.
Security for the subsequent UK leg was tightened as a result. Although fans tend to gather outside venues to sing along, Wembley warned it would move any such gatherings.
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