No, Taylor Swift doesn’t own a time machine. So how on earth does she plan to play a concert in Tokyo on Saturday evening – and be in Las Vegas for the start of the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon? Well, that’s because of the time difference between the two cities: 17 hours. The performance should be over after three and a half hours at 9:30 p.m. Tokyo time; Experts estimate that their private jet Dassault Falcon 7X can take off two hours later from Haneda Airport, which is 30 minutes from Tokyo Dome. After a maximum of twelve hours of flight time, it should land in Vegas at 6 p.m. – Saturday evening local time. So Swift could still let it go, the game between the Kansas City Chiefs (where Swift’s partner Travis Kelce plays) and the San Francisco 49ers starts at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The journey of the entertainer, who has just made history with her fourth Grammy in the main category for her album “Midnights”, adds another layer to the logistical madness that accompanies this spectacle on the occasion of the final game of the American Football League NFL. The Super Bowl is a so-called National Security Special Event, i.e. on the same level as the inauguration of the US President. For the first time, the spectacle is taking place in the spectacle city of Las Vegas.
An event of this dimension (more than 115 million people watch live in the USA alone) poses challenges for cities, metropolises like Los Angeles (2022) and smaller cities like Phoenix (2023) or now the already sparkling and flashing paradise in the Desert; and no, no joke: the stadium is located on the west side of the legendary Strip and therefore officially in a city that is actually called “Paradise”.
“The city is used to spectacle; several events in different places at the same time; entertaining VIPs,” says organizing committee boss Sam Joffray to SZ. Usually 300,000 people come to the Super Bowl in Vegas every year: “We’re adding another 125,000 this year because the game is taking place here.”
Many things are there, others need to be brought. The turf, for example, which was transported to the desert in 30 refrigerated trucks last week and is now waiting outside the stadium to be driven in. Around 1,000 trucks full of equipment have rolled into Vegas since the beginning of the year; in the week before the game there should be another 300 per day; including 500 trucks for rapper Usher’s halftime show alone. Its stage must be designed in such a way that it does not damage the playing field – which is exactly why Rihanna was on seven hanging platforms last year. In addition, there are the 135 tons of equipment that both teams bring to Vegas in planes and trucks from their semifinal games.
All 400 aircraft parking spaces are taken, one is reserved for Taylor Swift.
(Photo: Julio Cortez/AP)
Speaking of airplanes. All 400 aircraft parking spaces are taken, says a spokesman for Vegas airports. There are still a few landing spots for private aircraft; a total of 1,000 private aircraft landings are expected in the 72 hours before the Super Bowl; for example, from 49ers billionaire fans from Silicon Valley. You can let people out, but then you have to fly off again and park the plane somewhere else, for example in Palm Springs, 350 kilometers away – and pick up the guests again after the game. Taylor Swift doesn’t need this; it has both landing spot and parking space safely.