South Africans move swiftly to see Taylor Swift

True Taylor Swift fans, otherwise known as Swifties, will travel the world to see the artist in concert, and a number of members of our own community are among those who counted the days and sleeps to attend her record-breaking Era Tour overseas.

“Some might think it’s a bit crazy to travel internationally for a concert, but to me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfil a childhood dream,” said first-year Bachelor of Arts student at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Hanna Resnick, “My best friend and I first fell in love with Taylor Swift’s music through her videos, which we would watch on her mom’s laptop. More than a decade later, she created a tour with a setlist that spanned all of her musical eras, which corresponded with so many pivotal moments in our lives.”

Swift has been travelling around the world with her Eras Tour for two years, in which, for three and a half hours, she performs music spanning all her different eras. South Africa wasn’t on her itinerary, however.

As Resnick knew there was little chance of Swift coming to South Africa, despite numerous social media campaigns, she decided to travel to London in August to see her idol.

Getting tickets for any show is described as the “Great Ticketmaster War” – a reference to one of Taylor Swift’s songs – as it was a struggle, or as they would say “treacherous” to get an opportunity to buy tickets.

Nurse and fellow Swiftie, Timor Lifschitz, who attended the Eras Tour in Stockholm in May said, “To watch Taylor Swift, you had to sign up to the city you wanted to watch her in. Signing up doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get tickets for that show, but it allows you to buy tickets or be put on a waitlist. If you choose to buy tickets, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get tickets. Five of us signed up, and we decided that wherever the universe takes us, that’s where we’ll go.”

Yakira Aires, a first-year medical student at Wits who has been a Taylor Swift fan since she was in primary school said, “During matric, I saw that international dates were being released for the Eras Tour and there was a chance to register for presale ticket sales. Since I wasn’t entirely sure what I would be doing this year, I took a risk and registered for presale tickets for the Lisbon show in May. I waited in the queue virtually, behind more than 50 000 others, hoping to buy a ticket for the concert. I had five devices open with the website, and waited two and a half hours to buy presale tickets.”

Paediatric occupational therapist and small business owner Angie Sevel has been a Swiftie since Swift’s debut album in 2009. She travelled to Liverpool in June despite not knowing whether she had secured tickets. “I was just hoping that I got tickets,” Sevel said. “It was anxiety-provoking. I messaged and emailed Ticketmaster, and got no reply. And then the day before the concert, I got an email and my tickets came through.”

Thirteen-year-old Levi Alexander has been a lover of Swift since he was six years old and dreamed of attending her concerts, with even the theme of his Barmitzvah being Taylor Swift-inspired, so when he learned that he was going to attend the Eras Tour in Zurich, it was a dream come true. He attended with his parents, Hayley and Jonty Alexander on 9 July.

For one of the lyrics in one of Swift’s songs, You’re On Your Own, Kid, many Swifties spend months leading up to their concert date beading friendship bracelets with lyrics and iconic sayings to trade with others in the stadium.

But this isn’t where the preparation ends, there’s a lot of planning that goes into the outfits Swifties wear to their show. These often reference iconic outfits Swift has worn in the past, their favourite song lyrics, or just the upbeat fun atmosphere, with lots of sparkles and cowboy boots and hats referencing her country roots.

Said Resnick, “For the first concert, we decided to co-ordinate a group outfit based on the album Reputation. We started getting ready in the morning, doing our hair and makeup, drawing 13s on our hands, and covering our wrists in friendship bracelets.”

Similarly, Aires said, “I chose to dress up as a mirror ball, inspired by my favourite Taylor Swift song. During breaks at university, my friends and I made friendship bracelets for me to take to the concert.”

Lifschitz’s brother, El Broide, who works in entertainment, said he wasn’t expecting much from the concert as he had been to many in the past, but it was really unlike anything else he had seen before.

“It was crazy,” he said. “Everyone was dressing up, the camaraderie was palpable, and everyone was just there to have a good time, trading friendship bracelets. The whole city transformed for this concert – Stockholm became known as Swiftholm – and the government got involved in creating billboards and activations.”

Levi said that even in the lines to get merchandise, there was an exciting atmosphere filled with music. “When we were waiting in the merch queue, they were playing some of the Taylor songs, and I was singing to them, and then everyone was singing with me as well.”

Said Sevel, “The concert was just the best, most awesome experience of my life. When you know every single word to every single song, you cannot help but have the best time.”

Hayley Alexander, Levi’s mother agreed, saying, “Even if you aren’t a massive Swiftie, it’s hard not to get swept up in the infectious energy and sing and dance along.”

Once Swift came up onto the stage in Zurich in July, Levi just started crying. “It was one of the best experiences of my entire life,” he said. “It was unforgettable.”

His favourite part is when Swift performs a selection of songs from her newest album, The Tortured Poets Department, saying, “It was so much drama and theatre.”

Said Resnick, “It’s hard to describe the energy in that stadium but I felt more present and invigorated than I ever have before. There isn’t a moment of the show that isn’t completely captivating. Not only does she give her all to every single performance, but the stage design, outfits, band, and backup dancers all add to the amazing spectacle. Not even the hours of waiting to get back to the tube after the show could dampen our mood.”