A fan of the American pop star since 2020, Pauline, 24, will attend six of his concerts, from Paris to Stockholm.
In a home in the Paris suburbs, a few kilometers from the Arena de la Défense, Pauline is still struggling to recover from her emotions. “That was… Wow. » The 24-year-old Agenaise attended, this Thursday, May 9, the first of four concerts by American artist Taylor Swift scheduled in Paris. An almost global event, which brought together 42,000 people in the Nanterre stadium.
“It was crazy, everyone knew the words by heart,” says the young woman, stars still in her eyes. And this is only the beginning, since she will attend the three other concerts planned in the capital on May 10, 11 and 12, as well as those planned in Stockholm on May 19 and Lyon on June 2.
Several hundred euros of tickets
It was in 2020, after seeing the documentary Miss Americana on the singer’s career, that Pauline became a fan. “She writes, produces, sings… She is a complete artist, her lyrics are sought after. I have entire playlists with his music, I don’t listen to anything else. » So, when she received a notification last summer, announcing that the 34-year-old pop star was performing a series of four concerts in Paris as part of her The Eras Tour, she didn’t hesitate for a single second.
“It was hell to get places. There were 1 million people on the waiting list. You had to register just to have access to the ticket office. » She managed to get her places after several hours of waiting in front of the computer… And booked not one, but six dates. “I told myself that she wouldn’t come back for three or four years! »Several hundred euros for tickets in total, but no regrets for the “swiftie” (the name of Taylor Swift fans), who even managed to get her friends on board.
Every evening, a friend accompanies her
“We said to ourselves that we were going to support her so that she could live her dream,” says Elisa, present for the concert on May 9. And the least we can say is that she doesn’t regret the trip. ” It was magical. It’s not just a concert, it’s a world in its own right. It felt like we were in Disneyland, everyone was dressed, some dads even had “Dad of a Swiftie” t-shirts, the young woman still marvels, heart-shaped glasses on her head and glitter on her face. ” She [Taylor Swift] takes everyone into her world of girly but also strong women. Each album talks about a moment in her life, from her first love stories to now when she is more mature, through her more folklore period. It follows our own construction. »
This evening, Friday, it’s Anna who will take over and accompany Pauline. “I’m super excited!” I deleted all my apps so as not to have the concert spoiled for me. » This Agenaise has been following the American pop star for a long time. “I’ve been listening since I was in middle school. The first album I listened to was Red. Then 1989, until Reputation and I got back into it a year ago, when I took my tickets for the concert. » On Sunday, it will be Emma’s turn to complete the loop of concerts in Paris, before Pauline flies to Stockholm. “I’m mostly going there for the experience, but I’m really looking forward to it. We’ve been planning this together for months! »
An American show
“It’s a real American-style show lasting 3.5 hours,” says Elisa, one of the Agenaises who attended the Taylor Swift concert on Thursday May 9. It’s very ritualized, we all had outfits linked to her albums and bracelets that we exchanged between us. » The Eras Tour is broken down into ten tables which revisit ten of his albums. “I chose Reputation because it’s the one that speaks to me the most. »
As for the “friendship bracelets”, they were born from an initiative by the community of fans of the American singer, linked to one of her songs “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from her latest album Midnights. In it, the singer pronounces the phrase “Make the friendship bracelets/ Take the moment and taste it”.
A message taken seriously by the swifties, many of whom played the game and made their own bracelets before the concerts. “It was very caring, everyone smiled at each other,” says Elisa. On TikTok, the hashtag #friendshipbracelet has more than 370 million views.