Publications have analyzed the cultural, economic and sociopolitical influence of the Eras Tour, the 2023–2024 concert tour by the American musician Taylor Swift and the highest-grossing tour of all time. Driven by a fan frenzy called Swiftmania, the tour's impact is considered an outcome of Swift's wider influence on the 21st-century popular culture. Concert industry publication Pollstar called the tour "The Greatest Show on Earth".[1]
The Eras Tour, as Swift's first tour after the COVID-19 lockdowns, led an economic demand shock fueled by increased public affinity for entertainment. It recorded unprecedented ticket sale registrations across the globe, including a virtual queue of over 22 million customers for the Singapore tickets. The first sale in the United States crashed controversially, drawing censure from bipartisan lawmakers, who proposed implementation of price regulation and anti-scalping laws at state and federal levels. Legal scholar William Kovacic called it the "Taylor Swift policy adjustment".[2] Price gouging due to the tour was highlighted in the national legislatures of Brazil, Ireland, and the UK.
Characterized by inflation, trickle-down and multiplier effects, elevated commercial activity and economy were reported in the cities the Eras Tour visited, boosting local businesses, hospitality industry, clothing sales, public transport revenues, and tourism, more significantly than the Olympics and the Super Bowl. Cities such as Gelsenkirchen, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Santa Clara and Stockholm renamed themselves to honor Swift; a number of tourist attractions, including the Center Gai, Christ the Redeemer, Space Needle, Marina Bay Sands and Willis Tower, paid tributes and hosted special events. Politicians such as Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Chilean president Gabriel Boric petitioned Swift to tour their countries, whereas government executives in Indonesia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and some states of Australia were expressly disappointed at the tour not visiting their venues.
The Eras Tour attracted large crowds of ticketless spectators tailgating outside the sold-out stadiums, with several thousands gathering in Philadelphia, Melbourne and Munich, and was a ubiquitous topic in news cycles, social media content, and press coverage. Seismic activity was recorded in Edinburgh, Lisbon, Los Angeles and Seattle due to audience energy. Swift's discography experienced surges in album sales and streams, and achieved several all-time feats on record charts; her 2019 song "Cruel Summer" peaked in its popularity and became one of her most successful singles. The accompanying concert film of the tour featured an atypical film distribution bypassing major film studios and became the highest-grossing concert film in history. Journalists dubbed Swift one of the last remaining monocultural figures of the 21st-century; Time named Swift the Person of the Year, making her the first and only person in the arts to receive the honor.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Genslerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Tucker-Smith, Owen (June 15, 2023). "How Biden and Taylor Swift beat Ticketmaster". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.