(Paris) Sequined suits, heart-shaped glasses and nails in the colors of her albums, Taylor Swift’s admirers will meet Thursday evening in Paris, before Lyon, Madrid, London or Munich, for the launch of the megastar’s tour on the old continent.
At the foot of Paris La Défense Arena, the most diligent have been camping for several days in around twenty tents.
“It wasn’t planned, but I came to do some scouting and, when I saw the first tents, I panicked a little,” says Frenchwoman Chris, 30, met by AFP on Wednesday after- noon. “As we paid a certain price for the place (180 euros on average, depending on the concert hall), we don’t want to be badly placed. And the weather allows it too.”
Other admirers arrived in a continuous stream to collect the book intended for VIP seat holders or to buy souvenirs, t-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles or bracelets.
PHOTO MIGUEL MEDINA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Fans of the singer show off the VIP box.
Aware of the public’s impatience and its appetite for derivative products after attending Taylor Swift’s Japanese shows, Paris La Défense Arena will open its doors at 3:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. Eastern time) for VIPs and has doubled its points of sale, Bathilde Lorenzetti, vice-president of the precinct, told AFP. The concert starts at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern).
“Echo to our experience”
In the queues, young adults rub shoulders with fifty-something couples and children with their parents. Some exchange “friendship bracelets” made by themselves, a custom during this tour.
Languages mix, with 30% non-French, including 20% Americans, among the 42,000 spectators of each of the four concerts scheduled in Paris until Sunday, according to figures communicated by the venue.
The American Kelly Shrout, 40, and around ten of her university friends made the trip and will also visit Versailles and Disneyland Paris.
The common point of this crowd: having been touched by the texts of an artist who has been singing about her joys and sorrows for 17 years.
“We know his biggest hits which are super “catchy” (catchy, Editor’s note), very pop. But, when you look deeper into her discography, there are songs on which she opens up. Taylor Swift talks toxic relationships, impossible love, politics, mental health, and more I think we can all find a song that resonates with our experiences,” says Chris.
The sixth tour of the personality of the year 2023, according to the magazine Time, debuted in March of the same year in the United States. Baptized The Eras Tour, at the end of last year it became the first in history to sell more than a billion dollars in tickets. This figure is expected to more than double by the time it expires in Canada in December.
New album
The precise 3h20 show, which the singer presented across the Americas, Asia and Australia, retraced the ten albums up to that point (since Taylor Swift in 2006) which propelled her from a rising star in American country to the biggest international pop star, with 110 million monthly listeners on Spotify (compared to 70 for Beyoncé or Dua Lipa).
In mid-April, the 34-year-old singer released her 11e opus. Sold 1.4 million copies on the first day, The Tortured Poets Department became the most listened to when it was launched on the platform streaming musical, with a billion listens in five days. This despite mixed reviews, with British music magazine NME calling it a “rare misstep”.
“Maybe she’ll include this new album?” », asks Noah, a 20-year-old Frenchman. Images of rehearsals posted online by the artist to more than 500 million subscribers on all social networks gave a glimpse of new paintings.
After having registered with his friends “22 different emails” to obtain places, Noah will attend the four Parisian evenings. Chris had reserved a meeting room with colleagues to watch for the precious sesames. She will attend several European concerts.
Taylor Swift, former America’s Little Bride who took a stand against Trumpism in 2018, is scheduled to travel to Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Lyon (June 2-3), the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria.
Each time with a notable impact expected on the local economy.
reference: www.lapresse.ca