Ready for it? Taylor Swift’s colossal Eras Tour is finally coming to Dublin. If you haven’t been planning your outfit like the rest of us for the past year, what have you been doing? It’s nearly time to break out the cowboy hats, boas and all things sparkly. More than any musical act before her, Swift – who jets around in a private aircraft – has somehow become the most relatable woman in pop by monetising her heartbreak with ridiculously catchy tunes. Since most of us were introduced to Swift with her 2008 hit Love Story, she’s had a chameleonic career. (It’s a little terrifying to think that there will be 16-year-olds at the concerts who weren’t even born when Love Story dropped.) She conquered pop with Red and 1989, took a badass turn in 2017′s Reputation and soothed us during the pandemic with her ethereal Folklore and Evermore albums. Her latest break-up album, The Tortured Poets Department, became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single week. With dozens of Grammy’s under her belt over the last 14 years, it was difficult to see how she could get any bigger. How about playing songs from every album – or “era” – at the one concert? It was bold, but it has paid off spectacularly. Last year’s US leg of the tour was the first in history to make more than $1 billion (€920,000). It is estimated the international stint of the tour will increase that figure to as much as $4 billion (€3.7 billion). Last year she was reportedly receiving $27 million per three-hour show. That’s $150,000 per minute or $2,500 per second. Love her or hate her, that’s impressive. And she’s the first musician to become a billionaire purely off her music alone, and all at the age of 34. [ Taylor Swift is back on tour. The first night, her three-hour set has 70,000 people rapt ] Few artists have the ability to alter the local economy when their show comes through town, but of course Swift can. It appears there’s nothing she can’t do when she sets her mind to it. If The Irish Times received reports she had floated off the Aviva Stadium stage and into the sky, we’d nearly believe it. Swiftonomics and levitating stars aside, playing live shows off the back of a hit record can be daunting for an artist. But there’s little doubt Swift will meet the exceedingly high expectations. So what can we expect for Swift’s first gig in Ireland since 2018? When does she play? The star will play three concerts at the Aviva Stadium on June 28th, 29th and 30th. Are tickets still available? Are you joking? If you’re reading this you’re probably still traumatised by The Great (Ticketmaster) War of 2023 – as dubbed by Swifties across the world. They fought tooth and nail to get to the front of a digital queue and secure coveted tickets for the Eras Tour. So yes, the concerts are sold out. However, the odd resale ticket has been surfacing on ticketmaster.ie – of course, for ludicrous prices – but keep an eye out there if the fomo gets too much. Buy tickets from accredited sources only. Who is the support act? American pop-punk icons Paramore will warm up the stadium for Swift. As if 50,000 screaming fans wasn’t enough. What time should I arrive? Doors open at 5pm before Paramore kicks things off. Swift is expected to grace the stage just after 8pm. How do I get there and home again? Organisers have said fans should allow for sufficient travel time to and from the venue. As traffic and parking delays are inevitable, you are encouraged to walk, cycle, use public transport and private coach services. By Luas: The stadium is a fair walk from the nearest Luas stop. It’s about a 30- 40-minute walk from Ranelagh, Charlemont, Harcourt, St Stephen’s Green, Dawson and Trinity on the Green Line. By train: Lansdowne Road Dart station is less than a minute’s walk from the southern end of the stadium. There will be large crowds entering and exiting the stadium at the same time, so plan accordingly. A spokesman for Irish Rail confirmed to The Irish Times that extra commuter and Dart services before and after Swift’s concerts will be in operation. He said the weekend of Taylor Swift’s concerts is likely to be the busiest of the summer, with a lot of people descending on the capital. Shania Twain is performing in Malahide on the Friday; Dublin Pride and Longitude take place on the Saturday; and Fairview Park concerts and All-Ireland football quarter finals in Croke Park will take place across the weekend. Irish Rail has advised those travelling to and from these events to plan carefully. Customers are urged to allow extra time for your journey, as high volumes of passengers will likely cause delays. And people not attending these events have been asked to avoid these routes during event times. As part of a Garda event plan for major events at the Aviva Stadium, Grand Canal Dock Station will be closed at the end of the concerts. Irish Rail events teams will be on-site at stations for all big events to assist customers travelling. For Intercity customers, there will be late-night services after each concert at 12.40am from Heuston to Cork, with a connection to Limerick. This service must be booked in advance. More information can be found at irishrail.ie. By bus: The Dublin Bus routes that serve the Aviva Stadium are the 1, 4, 7, 7a, 38, 38a, 47, C1 and C2. There are also plenty of commercial operators providing services to and from the concert, such as: Travel Master, Irish Concert Travel, Concertbus.ie, BusesToConcerts.com, JJ Kavanagh, Matthews Coaches, Halpenny Travel, East Coast Coaches. Even Belfast City Sightseeing is getting in on the action. Tickets on these services are booking out fast, so don’t waste time if you’re yet to book a seat. By car: There is no bike or car parking at the stadium on concert days for security reasons. There are, however, commercial car parks around the city, such as Claremont Parking or Q-Park, but spaces are limited. If you’re travelling from outside the county and have a friend with a space in their driveway within the M50, that could be a good shout. [ The Eras Tour movie review – Swifties lose all inhibitions during this spectacle like no other ] What will she play? The Eras Tour is a tightly choreographed show, and you can expect little change in her set list from previous concerts. Since the release of her Eras Tour movie, which grossed more than $260 million (€239 million) last year, she has included songs from The Tortured Poets Department to the set list. This is what she performed at a more than three-hour show in Lyons earlier this month, arranged by album: Lover Miss Americana & the Heartbreak PrinceCruel SummerThe ManYou Need to Calm DownLover Fearless FearlessYou Belong With MeLove Story Red Red22We Are Never Ever Getting Back TogetherI Knew You Were TroubleAll Too Well Speak Now Speak NowEnchanted Reputation … Ready For It?DelicateDon’t Blame MeLook What You Made Me Do Folklore/Evermore cardiganbettychampagne problemsaugustillicit affairsmy tears ricochetmarjoriewillow 1989 StyleBlank SpaceShake It OffWildest DreamsBad Blood 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 SchoolWho’s Afraid of Little Old Me?Down BadFortnightThe Smallest Man Who Ever LivedI Can Do It With a Broken Heart Surprise songs Glitch/Everything Has ChangedChloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus Midnights Lavender HazeAnti-HeroMidnight RainVigilante Sh*tBejewelledMastermindKarma As always, Swifties are an active fan base. If you’re a Spotify user you can listen to this fan-made playlist to get yourself hyped. It has a whopping 1.2 million likes on the platform. What’s the story with security? Don’t bring a bag unless absolutely necessary, as you’ll be patted down and searched while everyone else is fast-tracked through security. Any bag must be smaller than a sheet of A4 paper. Banned items include umbrellas, large-lens professional cameras, flagpoles, selfie sticks, sticks for banners, anything that could be used as a weapon, bottles, glass vessels, cans, flasks, frisbees, illegal substances, scooters, skateboards or other skates, laser devices, prams or pushchairs, inflatable or folding chairs, suitcases, laptops, illegal merchandise, hampers and cool boxes, air horns, and all animals except service dogs and guide dogs. What about disabled access? Contact MCD productions at [email protected] for accessible parking and information about wheelchair access to the venue and accessible seating. Can I take photographs at the concert? Yes, but only with a smartphone or small digital camera. Professional cameras with a detachable lens and any other recording equipment are banned. What’s the weather forecast? It’s a little far out from the concerts at the time of writing for accurate forecasts. But if you remember, last summer things took a turn following a pleasant May and June, the latter of which was the warmest on record. July was the wettest ever recorded amid 215 per cent expected rainfall. Let’s just hope it’s not another cruel summer. Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phoneFind The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to dateOur In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
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