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Sophomore Addie Thompson is bouncing off the walls with nerves as she anxiously drums her fingers on her smooth tan school desk. She is waiting for one text. One text that she has been anticipating after more than 6 tireless hours of receiving update after update. Suddenly, her mom’s name pops up on her phone screen and her heart skips a beat. As she reads the words on the screen, excitement washes over her. She finally got Eras Tour tickets.
The process of getting tickets for Taylor Swift’s current tour, The Eras Tour, has so far proven itself to be unlike any other in history, which Thompson has referred to as Swiftagedon. After not coming to Indy for the first leg of the U.S. tour, Swift announced she will be performing in three U.S. cities, with three nights in Indianapolis. With these three cities and millions of fans attempting to buy tickets, the craziness increases and chances of securing tickets decrease. Ticketmaster, the source used to purchase tickets, was experiencing heavy traffic which led to the website crashing. The complicated general sale is not the only battle that Taylor Swift fans must face to obtain tickets. With pre-sale codes being sent out a few days prior to pre-sale, Swifties left waiting are on edge. The feeling of relief when tickets are finally secured for fans, though, is incomparable.
“My mom eventually got tickets in the first pre-sale, but it took six hours to get through the queue. It was insane,” Thompson said.
NHS math teacher Megan Oilar agrees that the process to secure Eras Tour tickets can be unfair and exhausting, especially after not receiving a code for both the upcoming Indianapolis shows and the first U.S. leg presale.
“For me, as a lifelong fan, it’s been super frustrating that even as a fan you don’t have access to the tickets,” Oilar said. “I feel like there has to be a better way.”
With these new dates in Indy comes a new wave of disappointment for Swift’s most dedicated fans who did not get the coveted email containing a pre-sale code. Another passionate Swiftie and NHS math teacher, Amanda Giordano, was one of these disappointed fans who at first had high hopes of seeing the Eras Tour in Indy.
“I was very excited. I’ve gone to a lot of concerts in my life, but I have never seen anything on that scale, and to be able to see that again would have been awesome,” Giordano said.
But that excitement and hopefulness was quickly crushed by the taxing path to obtain Eras Tour tickets, and at first she was completely unaware of the craziness fans have to go through to buy a seat.
“I’ve had other experiences with Ticketmaster, but it’s nothing like trying to get Eras Tour tickets,” Giordano said.
Wondering why fans would go through such an excruciating process, with a very slim chance of getting tickets? For Swifties the answer is simple. This tour is not just a concert for them, it’s a full blown experience.
“Just the anticipation, getting or making outfits, and the supportive Swiftie community,” Thompson said. “It makes the Eras Tour so amazing,” Thompson said.
But for many fans, the Eras Tour means more than just the outfits and sparkle; their desire to get tickets comes from a deep love and passion for Swift and her music. For some, this passion goes as far back as the beginning of Swift’s career.
“She’s been a constant since high school for me, since 2006. So it’s just been cool to be a fan of hers and see her evolve,” Oilar said.
Some fans are so adamant about going to this once in a lifetime tour and seeing Swift, it doesn’t matter where they are sitting in the stadium as long as they get to experience the Eras Tour with their own eyes.
“The thought of even sitting in the nosebleeds and being in the same place as Taylor, listening to her, is so crazy,” Thompson said.
And Oilar believes that the reason fans connect so much with this concert is because of Swift’s seventeen year music discography that spans anywhere from her 2006 debut country album “Taylor Swift”, to her most recent 2022 pop album “Midnights.”
“She has such a wide range of songs. She has your fun pop songs, she has your deep cuts. Any emotion that you’re feeling, you’re gonna be able to connect to it with any of her songs,” Oilar said.
And according to Thompson, Swift’s fans do not only connect with her music, but who she is as a person and what she represents. For many, Swift is an inspiring role model, whose music and inspiring words have gotten her fans through some of their toughest moments. Seeing the Eras Tour is more than listening to a concert, it’s connecting with someone who you have grown up with or looked up to for your entire life.
“[Taylor] means a lot to me, and she’s taught me more about myself. It’s weird not knowing a person, and they don’t know you, but you feel like you know them so well,” Thompson said. “She’s taught me to express myself, and be comfortable in my own skin.”
