Sequined costumes, heart-shaped glasses… We met Taylor Swift fans before her concert this Thursday evening in Paris

His concert is more than expected. Around fifty “Swifties” – fans of Taylor Swift – camped on Wednesday evening in front of La Défense Arena to ensure they had a front row seat to the first concert which is being held this Thursday, May 9 at La Défense Arena. Tents, sleeping bags, sweaters… the young people had everything planned so as not to feel cold. Videos shared on the networks by groups of fans show that some had even thought of taking something to occupy themselves: guitars, music speakers to practice singing Taylor’s hits, beads to make “friendship bracelets », the essential accessory of the tour.

This Thursday, May 9, part of Taylor Swift’s European tour begins. 42,000 people are expected every evening until Sunday at La Défense Arena. In total, more than 180,000 “Swifties” will attend the show lasting more than three hours, a first for the largest indoor concert hall in Europe.

Fans dressed to the nines

In the queues, the atmosphere is childish. Laughter and songs resonate in front of the Grande Arche de La Défense. Under the sun, fans apply makeup and accessorize each other’s outfits. Languages ​​mix, with 30% non-French, including 20% ​​Americans, among the spectators of the four concerts scheduled in Paris, according to figures communicated by the venue.

Beyond the joy of seeing their star sing, Swifties are also delighted to be able to wear an outfit from Taylor’s universe. Each fan chose one based on an album. A cowgirl outfit in reference to the singer’s country beginnings. Pink tutus for the album Lover…fans have redoubled their imagination, sometimes after several months of reflection. Some even spent several hundred euros on their costume.

A highly anticipated tour

Morgane and Marylène come from Metz. They left at 8 a.m. this morning and arrived at 12 p.m. Morgane has been a fan of Taylor for 15 years. “It’s thanks to her that I started playing guitar. Today I am a music teacher », she smiled. The two sisters gave each other Taylor Swift t-shirts. “It was war”explains Morgane after waiting in line for 20 minutes. “In the end it’s okay, it wasn’t too long”she continues. “Now we wait until 5 p.m., when the doors open”concludes Marylène.

Aware of the public’s impatience and its appetite for derivative products after attending Taylor Swift’s Japanese shows, Paris La Défense Arena opened its doors from 3:30 p.m. for VIPs and doubled its points of sale, the company said. ‘AFP Bathilde Lorenzetti, vice-president of the speaker. This tour was particularly awaited by fans of “Tay-Tay” since the star had to cancel her dates for her albums Lover, Folklore And Evermore due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Eras Tour, which looks back on his entire musical career, has already generated more than a billion dollars.