Are you all set? Get ready, as the monumental Eras Tour by Taylor Swift is now heading to Dublin. If you haven’t been fervently selecting your ensemble for the past 12 months like the rest of us, what exactly have you been up to? It’s almost the time to don the cowboy hats, feather boas, and everything glitzy.
Remarkably, Swift, despite being a jet-setter with her private plane, has emerged as the most relatable woman in pop music by turning her heartbreak into addictive songs that sell like hotcakes. Since her first widespread exposure through the 2008 mega-hit Love Story, her career has seen myriad transformations. Quite daunting to realise there will be attendees of the concerts who were not born when Love Story was first aired. Swift reigned over pop with Red and 1989, embraced a fierce persona in 2017’s Reputation and offered solace during the pandemic with the dreamy Folklore and Evermore albums. Her recent breakup album, The Tortured Poets Department, set a record, becoming Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single week.
Amassing numerous Grammy’s over her 14-year career, it was hard to predict how she could soar any higher. How about presenting tracks from each album – or “era” – at a single concert? It was a daring move, and it’s rewarded her immensely.
The American leg of the tour last year made history by earning more than $1 billion (€920,000). It is projected that the tour’s international segment could quadruple that amount to a whopping $4 billion (€3.7 billion). Last year, she was purportedly paid $27 million for each three-hour show, which equals an astounding $150,000 per minute or $2,500 per second. Whether you’re a fan or a critic, you have to admit that’s impressive. She stands as the first artist to amass a billion-dollar fortune solely from her music, and all by the age of 34.
[Taylor Swift is back on the road, captivating 70,000 spectators during the first night with her three-hour performance]
Swift’s concerts have a proven track record of boosting local economies, and it’s quite clear that she’s got no limits once focused on her goals. Artists can often find it intimidating to perform live following a successful album, yet Swift never fails to live up to the immense expectations. Given that it’s her first performance in Ireland since 2018, what can fans anticipate?
What’s the schedule?
Swift will perform three shows at Aviva Stadium on the dates of June 28th, 29th, and 30th.
How about ticket availability?
It’s safe to assume that if you’re perusing this article, you’re still recovering from the 2023 Ticketmaster struggle known globally amongst Swifties. Fans battled fiercely in the digital line to secure their spot at the Eras Tour. Consequently, the concerts are completely sold out. Nonetheless, the occasional resale ticket does pop up on ticketmaster.ie, albeit at exorbitant prices, so keen fans may wish to monitor this. Always purchase tickets from recognised sources.
Who’s the opening act?
Paramore, renowned American pop-punk icons, will take the stage to set the tone for Swift. This promises to add extra electricity among the 50,000 excited fans.
What’s the advisable arrival time?
Attendees can enter the venue from 5pm, with Paramore slated to begin proceedings. Swift is predicted to step on stage just after 8pm.
What are the transport considerations?
The organisers recommend allowing ample time for travelling to and from the venue due to the potential traffic and parking hold Ups. Fans are encouraged to walk, cycle, or use public and private transport.
Luas commuters: The stadium is a considerable distance from the nearest Luas stop. Stations including Ranelagh, Charlemont, Harcourt, St Stephen’s Green, Dawson, and Trinity on the Green Line are around a 30-40 minute walk away.
Train commuters: The Dart station at Lansdowne Road is conveniently located mere steps from the southern end of the stadium. As huge crowds are expected at ingress and egress times, it’s advisable to plan ahead.
A representative from Irish Rail has verified supplementary commuter and Dart services will be available before and after the Swift concerts. Taylor Swift’s show dates hold the potential for heightened activity within the summertime, with a substantial number of individuals flocking to the capital. During that same weekend, Shania Twain is slated to perform in Malahide on the Friday; Dublin Pride and Longitude are on the schedule for Saturday; and the Fairview Park concerts and All-Ireland football quarter finals at Croke Park span across the entire weekend.
People planning to travel to and from these activities have been advised by Irish Rail to meticulously plan their journey. With an expected surge of passengers, the rail company is encouraging customers to allocate additional time for travel to avoid possible delays. Those who aren’t partaking in these events are recommended to bypass these travel routes during the events. The Garda intends to implement an event plan for the Aviva Stadium’s primary events, which will result in the Grand Canal Dock Station closing post-concerts. Irish Rail’s event teams will be present at all major event stations to guide customers.
For those using Intercity services, post-concert late-night departures are available at 12.40am from Heuston towards Cork with a connecting route to Limerick. Booking in advance is required.
Several commercial operators will be providing transport to and from the concert such as: Travel Master, Irish Concert Travel, Concertbus.ie, BusesToConcerts.com, JJ Kavanagh, Matthews Coaches, Halpenny Travel, and East Coast Coaches. Surprisingly, even Belfast City Sightseeing will be part of the service.
For those planning to drive, please note that the Stadium provides no bike or car parking on concert days for security purposes. Although commercial car parks such as Claremont Parking and Q-Park are available in the city, they have a limited capacity. If you’re visiting from out of town and know someone with spare driveway space within the M50, you might consider that an option.
A riveting spectacle that lacks restraint debuted in the form of The Eras Tour film – a guaranteed delight for devoted Swift fans. A well-oiled machine, the concert largely mirrors its forerunners in choices of music. Ever since the film garnered upwards of £221 million ($260 million) after it premiered, a selection of songs from The Tortured Poets Department have found their way into the mix. Below is what was courteously performed during a splendidly long concert in Lyons:
From her album ‘Lover’,
– Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince
– Cruel Summer
– The Man
– You Need To Calm Down
– Lover
Her album ‘Fearless presents’
– Fearless
– You Belong With Me
– Love Story
Pulled from ‘Red’
– Red
– 22
– We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
– I Knew You Were Trouble
– All Too Well
Songs from ‘Speak Now’
– Speak Now
– Enchanted
Presenting ‘Reputation’
– … Ready For It?
– Delicate
– Don’t Blame Me
– Look What You Made Me Do
Songs from ‘Folklore/Evermore’
– cardigan
– betty
– champagne problems
– august
– illicit affairs
– my tears ricochet
– marjorie
– willow
Depicting ‘1989’
– Style
– Blank Space
– Shake It Off
– Wildest Dreams
– Bad Blood
Directed from The Tortured Poets Department
– Female Rage The Musical (Medley of My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys; Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?; loml; So Long, London; But Daddy I Love Him.)
– So High School
– Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
– Down Bad
– Fortnight
– The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
– I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
Lastly, a sprinkle of musical surprise
– Glitch/Everything Has Changed
– Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
Songs from ‘Midnights’
– Lavender Haze
– Anti-Hero
– Midnight Rain
– Vigilante Sh*t
– Bejewelled
– Mastermind
– Karma
As per usual, the Swifties never lack energy or enthusiasm. For any Spotify users out there, getting pumped up can be as easy as tuning into this fan-curated playlist, which has already earned an impressive 1.2 million likes on the platform.
Let’s get down to brass tacks – what are the details on security?
Unless it’s absolutely essential, don’t bring a bag. Anyone sporting one will be subject to a pat-down and search whilst others quickly pass through security. In terms of size, any bags shouldn’t exceed the dimensions of an A4 sheet of paper. Banned items range from umbrellas, professional cameras with large-lenses, selfie sticks, banner sticks, potential weapons, bottles, glass containers, cans, flasks, frisbees, illegal substances, scooters, skateboards or any other kind of skates, laser devices, prams or strollers, inflatable or folding chairs, suitcases, laptops and illegal merchandise, to hampers and cool boxes, air horns. Only service dogs and guide dogs are allowed, all other animals are restricted.
What’s the procedure for individuals requiring disabled access?
MCD productions should be contacted at access@mcd.ie for information regarding accessibility in terms of both parking and wheelchair access onsite. They will also provide information about accessible seating.
Am I allowed to take photos at the gig?
Indeed, you can capture the moment with a smartphone or small digital camera. Unfortunately, all professional cameras, especially those with detachable lenses, along with other recording gadgets are off-limits.
Any clue about the weather?
Whilst it’s somewhat early to give an accurate prediction for the concerts, let’s consider previous years. If you recall, last summer, we had a great May and June, with June setting the record for being the warmest. But then July shocked us by being the rainiest month ever, with rainfall exceeding the expected level by 215%. Let’s collectively cross our fingers for this summer to be more forgiving.