These Taylor Swift megafans are watching all 6 shows in Singapore: 'The best time to just go all out'

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29 Feb 2024 01:07PM(Updated: 29 Feb 2024 02:24PM)BookmarkWhatsAppTelegramFacebookTwitterEmailLinkedIn

Money will come back, but the Eras Tour won’t. This seems to be the mantra held by many Swifties who are forking out big bucks to watch their favourite singer in action – some over multiple days.

With news of Taylor Swift dominating headlines, even casual fans know that she’s now in town to perform six sold-out shows in Singapore, the first of which is on Mar 2.

And as the concert draws near, fans are rushing to complete their elaborate Eras Tour outfits and stash of friendship bracelets.

While most fans only need enough for one or two nights, some have prepared almost a week’s worth. Armed with a closetful of outfits and hundreds of bracelets, these megaSwifties have spent thousands of dollars just to “fulfil (their) wildest dreams” by attending all six shows.

Who are these megafans and how have they managed to secure that many tickets? CNA Lifestyle speaks to four such Swifties.

WHY ARE THEY ATTENDING ALL SIX NIGHTS?

Older Swifties know that this isn’t the first time the Grammy-Award winning singer has made her way to our shores. In 2011, 2014 and 2015, Swift graced the stage at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

But to many fans’ dismay, the singer skipped Singapore during her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour.

“I haven’t seen her in nine years, and I felt like this is the best time to just go all out… I’ve been (watching the live streams) of the past shows in the Eras Tour, but it will definitely be something else to witness them in real life,” said Nat Jaafar, one of the Swifties who snagged tickets for all six shows.

The 27-year-old Singaporean shared that she became a Swiftie after listening to Teardrops On My Guitar when she was 10, and stayed a fan because she respected how Swift treated her fans.

“She goes beyond any other celebrity, I would say. I remember back in her Fearless era, she did a 13-hour meet-and-greet, where she didn’t stop to sit down as she met every single fan who showed up just to meet her,” said Nat.

Nat Jaafar at Swift’s 1989 World Tour in 2015. (Photo: Nat Jaafar)

Swift’s stage presence is also a major draw.

Cherry Naval and Rebecca shared that they became Swifties after watching the singer perform at her 2011 Speak Now World Tour, where they enjoyed her theatrics, costumes and stage set.

“This (Eras) Tour is really quite monumental,” said Rebecca.

“She’s performing songs from all her eras… So now we get to hear the songs we didn’t get to in the past,” the 29-year-old Singaporean said, adding that it feels surreal to be able to experience the music she listens to every day performed live.

Rebecca met Taylor Swift backstage at the 2014 Red Tour post-show meet-and-greet called Club Red. (Photo: Rebecca)

Likewise, Cherry said that she doesn’t want to miss any of Swift’s shows, citing the singer’s surprise songs as a factor.

For those who may be unfamiliar, a highlight of the Eras Tour is Swift’s surprise songs segment, where she sings two tracks that are unique to each concert’s setlist.

The 39-year-old Singapore-based Filipino, who has also attended the Eras Tour in Melbourne and Los Angeles, shared that Swift has yet to perform her top two songs – Clean and This Love from the 1989 album.

Cherry Naval at the Los Angeles Eras Tour in August 2023. (Photo: Cherry Naval)

Another fan, Malcolm, said it was Swift’s music that drew him in.

“The lyrics spoke to me but it was also how her entire (discography) was made, like the tune, the genre, the beat. Everything is very to my taste in music,” said the 25-year-old Singaporean, who has been a fan for over 11 years.

When asked why he wanted to attend all six shows, he said: “We never know when’s the next time we get to see her again, so we should get what we can now.”

Malcolm at Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour in 2015. (Photo: Malcolm)

HOW DID THEY SECURE THE COVETED TICKETS?

With Singapore being the only stop in the Southeast Asia leg, the Eras Tour ticket sales were dubbed “The Great War”, after one of Swift’s songs.

Given how coveted the Eras Tour is, even non-Swifties know how difficult it was to score just one ticket. Yet, these four were able to snag tickets for all six shows. So how did they achieve such a feat?

While they admitted that luck played a part, they also drew on their battle strategies.

Nat, Rebecca and Malcolm – who met through a local Taylor Swift fan club in 2014 and are now firm friends – revealed that they used an average of four devices each and had prepared spreadsheets detailing their desired seating plan.

They also enlisted the help of their friends and family members.

“We have about seven people in our group, and we got all of our relatives (and friends) to help us. It was a really huge deal because we got everyone involved,” said Nat, who even reached out to relatives she wasn’t close to.

Malcolm (top), Nat Jaafar (middle) and Rebecca (top) visiting the National Stadium to see where their seats might be. (Photo: Rebecca)

“I was already ready to travel out of Singapore just to watch the Eras Tour,” she added. “If I didn’t get tickets, I would’ve probably gotten them from a reseller. No matter what, I needed to be inside that stadium.”

They had intially planned to attend her shows in Australia but scrapped the idea once Swift announced the Singapore leg, explained Malcolm.

This Eras Tour will mark their friend group’s first Taylor Swift concert together.

Cherry, on the other hand, said she could only secure tickets for one night through the general sales, adding that she had queued overnight at SingPost for them.

For the five other nights, she got the tickets through the Klook packages she bought with her friend and two sisters.

WHAT ABOUT THE COST?

Concerts can be expensive and Eras Tour tickets are priced between S$88 and S$1,228. Multiply that by six, and even before accounting for merchandise, outfits and bracelets, the tickets alone add up to a hefty sum.

Knowing that, Nat, Rebecca and Malcolm were strategic with their ticket purchases. While they splurged on Cat 1 seats for the opening night, they chose more affordable options for the remaining five.

They shared that they spent about S$1,200 per person, just on tickets.

“It was a conscious decision to go for all (the shows) but not spend too much,” said Rebecca, who works in healthcare.

She explained that since one VIP ticket costs over S$1,000, it seemed more worthwhile to go for six nights for almost the same amount.

As for Cherry, given how the Eras Tour Klook packages start from S$542, it’s unsurprising that she forked out more money.

The senior finance manager shared that because she also covered the expenses for her two sisters, she spent over S$6,000 and used a credit card with an instalment plan to keep costs manageable.

And then there are the outfits.

For their six Eras Tour outfits, Rebecca, Malcolm and Cherry revealed that they kept costs low by buying from fast fashion sites like Taobao, Shein and AliExpress.

Meanwhile, Nat, who works as a pre-school teacher, made most of her outfits by upcycling the clothes she already owns.

The entire costume was made by upcycling clothes she already had. (Photo: Nat Jaafar)

Her take on the Karma jacket, for instance, was made using an old robe.

When asked how they felt about how much they spent, they said they didn’t mind as it’s for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“For me, price is not a question,” said Cherry, adding that she prioritises experiences and creating memories.

Sharing the same sentiment, Rebecca and Nat said they are in comfortable financial positions as they work full-time.

Malcolm, who is still in university, said: “The last time I saw her was almost 10 years ago so that gave me enough time to also save up.”

HOW ARE THEY FEELING NOW THAT THE CONCERTS ARE ALMOST HERE?

Excitement is clearly an understatement. With days leading up to the concert, Rebecca has already requested time off work.

Recounting her experience at the Eras Tour in the New Jersey last year, she said: “After concerts, you kind of have a bit of adrenaline left so it takes a while to go to sleep.” Still, she didn’t take the entire week off as she thought it would be “a bit much”.

Likewise, Nat has informed her colleagues that she’ll be on leave for the show days.

“They know how much of a fan I am and were quite understanding about it. Even my bosses were like, ‘Oh, she’s going for six days!’,” she said.

Cherry, who has also applied for annual leave, said that she expects every night to be a different experience. She shared that she enjoyed the second night at the Melbourne Eras Tour more as she barely interacted with any Swifties during the first.

“On night two, I wore a friendship bracelet costume so everyone was like, ‘Hey, let’s trade friendship bracelets! Your outfit is so cute, I want to take a picture with you!’,” she said.

“Even when I was on the tram and going home… (Swifties) would stop me to trade friendship bracelets with me, which was a very cool experience.”

Cherry Naval at the Melbourne Eras Tour in Feb 2024. (Photo: Cherry Naval)

Malcolm, who doesn’t have any classes scheduled during what is now known as Swift week, shared that he is most excited for the superstar to perform songs from her newer albums as he has never heard them live before.

And as he’s sitting in different sections every night, he’s looking forward to taking in the Eras Tour from six different perspectives.

WILL THEY BE DOING OTHER TAYLOR SWIFT-RELATED ACTIVITIES DURING THIS TIME?

Although they might attend some Taylor Swift-themed events, they affirmed that they would not be scouring the island for even a glimpse of the singer.

Nat explained that in Swift’s documentary Miss Americana, the singer had mentioned she was uncomfortable with people following her.

“We, as fans, should respect that. I, too, wouldn’t feel comfortable with people coming up to me when I’m having my own free time… So I’ll just see her during the show days,” she said.

Rebecca added: “She’s a celebrity but she’s still entitled to her privacy… If I happen to be out and about, and I see her then that’d be cool. But I don’t think I’m going to go out of my way to camp somewhere in hopes of finding her.”

Source: CNA/kt