Prepare yourself! The much-anticipated, gigantic Eras Tour of Taylor Swift is at last landing in Dublin. If you haven’t been devising your ensemble like the rest of us throughout the past year, what exactly have you been up to? It’s nearly time to unveil the cowboy hats, feathery boas, and all shining items.
Swift, despite her reputation of globe-trotting via private jet, has surprisingly become pop’s most relatable woman, cleverly converting her heartbreaks into incredibly catchy songs. Ever since her 2008 smash hit Love Story introduced most of us to Swift, her career has demonstrated a chameleonic adaptability. (The thought of 16-year-olds at the concert who weren’t even a thought when Love Story released is somewhat unnerving.) After ruling the pop genre with Red and 1989, she made a fierce shift with 2017’s Reputation and brought solace during the pandemic with her dreamy albums, Folklore and Evermore. The Tortured Poets Department, her most recent heartbreak-inspired album, achieved the record for Spotify’s top-streamed album within a week.
Swift, after accumulating numerous Grammys over the past 14 years, continued escalating her fame by performing songs from each phase – or “era” – in a single concert. This bold move turned out to be a smashing success.
Her tour’s US section last year was a historic event, earning over $1 billion (€920,000). With projections estimating the global portion of the tour might raise that amount to a staggering $4 billion (€3.7 billion). Previous years saw her allegedly earning a whopping $27 million for each three-hour performance, which means $2,500 per second or $150,000 per minute. Regardless of personal opinions, it’s undeniably impressive. And, at the age of 34, she’s the first-ever musician to become a billionaire solely from her music career.
[ Taylor Swift has resumed her tour. On the opening night, her three-hour performance captivated a crowd of 70,000 ]
A very few artists possess the ability to impact local economies with their concerts, but Swift certainly has that power. It truly seems that there are no limits to what she can accomplish once she’s determined to do so.
Leaving behind Swiftonomics and levitating celebrities, an artist may find the task of staging live concerts on the heels of a successful album a bit intimidating. Yet, there is an air of utmost certainty that Swift will meet the sky-high expectations. What should we anticipate from Swift’s first performance on Irish soil since 2018?
When is she set to perform?
Swift is scheduled to give three performances at the Aviva Stadium on the dates of 28th, 29th, and 30th of June.
Is it possible to get tickets now and from where could I pick mine up?
You must be jesting. If you are looking at this, you are likely still tormented from the occurrence famously known by Swifties around the globe as ‘The Great (Ticketmaster) War of 2023. Fans battled fiercely to be first in the online line to obtain the much sought after tickets to the Eras Tour. So, the concerts are fully booked. However, an occasional resale ticket pops up on ticketmaster.ie at exorbitant prices – so, check out there if you’re suffering from fear of missing out. Be sure to purchase tickets only from authorised sources.
If I have a pre-booked ticket, how do I get it?
For those fortunate few who are all set to attend the concert, the Ticketmaster offices where you can gather your tickets will be set up at the junction of Lansdowne Road and Northumberland Road. Email instructions about entering the venue will be sent out to ticket holders with early entry VIP tickets by Ticketmaster.
Who are the warm-up acts?
American pop-punk legends Paramore will be getting the stadium energised before Swift’s show. It seems like 50,000 exuberant fans weren’t enough.
When do I have to get there?
Paramore will start to get the atmosphere rocking about 6pm after the doors open at 5pm. Swift is likely to make her appearance on stage around 7.30pm.
If you’re interested in merchandise but don’t have enough time for that or don’t want to lug it around, worry not. Swift (or more probably her management team) has every scenario covered. An early merchandise day has been planned as part of the tour at the 3Arena. It will be open from 10am to 8pm on Thursday, 27th June, and from 10am on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 28th-30th June to everyone, regardless of whether they have a ticket or not.
What are the logistics for reaching the venue and coming back home?
The event coordinators advise attendees to allot enough time for journeying to and from the venue, highlighting potential delays due to traffic and parking constraints. Alternative travel options such as walking, cycling, public transport or private coach services are strongly recommended.
In case you are planning to use the Luas, kindly note that the stadium is not within immediate proximity of the nearest stop, and a walk of approximately 30-40 minutes from Ranelagh, Charlemont, Harcourt, St Stephen’s Green, Dawson and Trinity on the Green Line should be anticipated.
The closest train station to the venue, Lansdowne Road Dart station, is a mere minute away by foot from the stadium’s southern end. However, expect a large influx of people before and after the event, so plan your journey in advance for a smoother visit.
Multiple Dublin Bus routes cater to the Aviva Stadium, namely 1, 4, 7, 7a, 38, 38a, 47, C1 and C2.
Upon reaching Aviva, specific entrances based on your ticket types are proposed:
– If seated in the West Stand Upper (Blue Route), proceed through Shelbourne Road.
– West Stand Lower (Orange Route) ticket holders should take Lansdowne Lane.
– Tickets for the South Stand and Main Pitch Standing (Green Route) require access via Lansdowne Road.
– East Stand (Purple Route) audiences should utilise Herbert Road/Tritonville Road.
– Finally, Gold Circle (Red Route) patrons will find entry through Bath Avenue.
The upcoming weekend, during which Taylor Swift’s concerts are scheduled, is likely to be the most populous of the summer season. Various other activities such as Shania Twain’s performance in Malahide on Friday, Dublin Pride and Longitude on Saturday, and Fairview Park concerts coupled with All-Ireland football quarter finals in Croke Park, will contribute to the major influx of people in the capital.
Irish Rail has cautioned travellers concerning potential transport disruptions due to the schedule of upcoming events. Attendees are advised to allocate more time for their travel to accommodate likely delays due to large crowds. As part of the security measures put in place by the Gardai for significant events at Aviva Stadium, Grand Canal Dock Station will close post-concerts. Support teams from Irish Rail will be stationed at all key events to assist customers in their travel.
For Intercity travellers, a late-night service running from Heuston to Cork at 12.40am will be in effect post-concert with a connecting service to Limerick. However, passengers need to reserve their spaces prior to travel. Further details can be accessed at irishrail.ie.
Multiple commercial travel firms are offering transport services to and from the concerts, including Travel Master, Irish Concert Travel, Concertbus.ie, BusesToConcerts.com, JJ Kavanagh, Matthews Coaches, Halpenny Travel, and East Coast Coaches. Even Belfast City Sightseeing has joined the bandwagon. However, seats on these services are filling up quickly, so unreserved travellers are urged to secure their bookings promptly.
For those considering driving, it’s important to note that parking facilities are not available at the stadium on concert days owing to security considerations. However, commercial automobile parks across the city like Claremont Parking and Q-Park can be used, albeit with limited availability. If you’re visiting from another county and can make arrangements for driveway parking within the M50 boundary through a friend, it could be a viable solution.
Regarding the program, The Eras Tour is known for its precision staging, which indicates a similar setlist to prior performances. Songs featured since the release of the artist’s Eras Tour film grossing over €239 million ($260 million) last year, including selections from The Tortured Poets Department. Her performance in Lyons earlier this month, which lasted for over three hours, included the following:
From the album Lover:
– Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince
– Cruel Summer
– The Man
– You Need to Calm Down
– Lover
From the album Fearless:
– Fearless
– You Belong With Me
– Love Story
The following musical pieces are included in the fan-made playlist that can be streamed on Spotify:
– From ‘Red’, the tracks comprise of ‘Red’, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’, ‘All Too Well’, and ’22’.
– Speak Now’s contributions are ‘Speak Now’ and ‘Enchanted’.
– Reputation features ‘… Ready For It?’, ‘Delicate’, ‘Don’t Blame Me’, and ‘Look What You Made Me Do’.
– From Folklore/Evermore, the selection includes ‘cardigan’, ‘betty’, ‘my tears ricochet’, ‘champagne problems’, ‘august’, ‘marjorie’, ‘illicit affairs’, and ‘willow’.
– 1989 offers ‘Style’, ‘Blank Space’, ‘Shake It Off’, ‘Wildest Dreams’, and ‘Bad Blood’.
– The Tortured Poets Department includes ‘Female Rage The Musical’ (a medley), ‘So High School’, ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?’, ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’, ‘Down Bad’, ‘Fortnight’, ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’.
– As for surprise songs, there is ‘Glitch/Everything Has Changed’ and ‘Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus’.
– From Midnights, there’s ‘Lavender Haze’, ‘Midnight Rain’, ‘Anti-Hero’, ‘Vigilante Sh*t’, ‘Mastermind’, ‘Bejewelled’, and ‘Karma’.
The playlist has currently won the approval of an impressive 1.2 million Spotify users, predominantly from the passionate Swiftie community.
As for the security procedures, if a bag isn’t vital, it’s recommended to leave it behind to avoid delay at security checking. Any bag with dimensions exceeding that of an A4 paper isn’t permissible. Among the prohibited items are: professional cameras with large lenses, umbrellas, flagpoles, selfie sticks, banner sticks, potential weapons, glass containers, bottles, cans, flasks, recreational drugs, frisbees, skateboards, scooters, skates, inflatables, folding chairs, prams, suitcases, laptops, illegal merchandise, laser devices, cool boxes, hampers and air horns. No animals are allowed, except for guide dogs and service dogs.
The query of wheelchair access remains unanswered.
To inquire about accessible parking, wheelchair access, and dedicated seating provisions, please reach out to MCD productions at [email protected].
May I capture moments during the concert?
Definitely, but only via a smartphone or handy digital device. Cameras posing professional-grade features, such as detachable lenses, or any other recording devices are strictly prohibited.
What is the meteorological prediction?
As per the latest updates, no rainfall is anticipated for the weekend. Friday will likely feature cloudy skies with mercury levels ranging between 11 and 19°C. Similar weather is anticipated for Saturday as well with intermittent sunshine and temperatures oscillating between 13 and 19°C. Sunday’s forecast predicts mostly similar conditions with expected temperatures in the range of 13-17°C.
The event will proceed as scheduled despite rain, hail, or sunshine; hence, staying updated with the unpredictable Irish weather forecast and dressing appropriately is highly advised. Opt for wellingtons, boots, trainers, layered clothing, rainproof jackets/capes, and don’t forget sunscreen. Remember, umbrellas are not permitted on site. Let’s pray the summer isn’t too harsh.
And, this concludes how 2023 turned out to be the hallmark year of Taylor Swift.