TORONTO — The long-awaited Canadian arrival of Taylor Swift came with glitter, velvet and buckets of beads — and that was just among the superfans who gathered all day outside the concert venue to proclaim their devotion to the pop megastar.
Giddy fans decked out in themed outfits transformed the grounds of the Rogers Centre into an outdoor party hours ahead of Thursday's sold-out stop, the first of six Toronto dates that served as the Eras Tour's Canadian debut.
Adorned in sparkles and wearing denim overalls hand-embroidered with the names of Swift's albums and imagery from her songs, Meagan Morin said she spent $600 on a last-minute ticket she scored from Ticketmaster just nine days ago.
The 27-year-old from Ottawa said she booked an Airbnb in July before knowing if she'd be able to see the "Fortnight" singer, intent on making the trip regardless.
“It feels like such a big family here right now, I'm so excited,” Morin said.
Friends Savannah Williams and Karenza Federinko of Niagara Falls, Ont., said they snagged tickets behind the stage for just $60 to $75 each — a relative bargain compared to the $2,357 cheapest resale ticket available Wednesday night on StubHub.
The 21-year-old Williams wore a T-shirt that said, “But Daddy I love Him,” a reference to a song on Swift's most recent album, "The Tortured Poets Department."
Federinko, 23, said her favourite Swift music was from her earlier albums, “Speak Now” and “Fearless.”
Thursday's show was the first of three back-to-back concerts that were expected to draw roughly 50,000 fans each.
Considered to be among the most passionate and influential fandoms, an army of Swifties converged on Toronto in glittered groups that could be spotted in train stations, cafes and downtown arteries.
They were welcomed by a massive sign in front of the Rogers Centre reading "Taylor Swift Eras Tour" and designed to look like a beaded bracelet in honour of a new Swiftie tradition.
The bracelets serve as a conversation starter for fans, many of whom mingled near the stadium Thursday and asked to trade. Some concertgoers spent months making the trinkets, carrying hundreds in clear plastic bags.
Eleven-year-old Lexi Pierce, who flew in from Colorado with her mom, said she made "over 102 bracelets" that she brought to the concert.
They were stacked high on her arms, complementing the purple dress with appliqued butterflies that she wore in honour of her favourite era, "Speak Now."
While many fans dressed up in outfits reminiscent of Swift's sequin-heavy concert looks, Hamilton resident Amy Ladouceur went in a different direction.
She dressed as Greek philosopher Aristotle, a sly nod to Swift’s “So High School” from her latest album “The Tortured Poets Department.”
In the song, Swift sings, “You know how to ball/I know Aristotle,” referring to the differing interests between her and her football player boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
"It’s the end of the tour so there’s been a lot of costumes so far," Ladouceur said. "We were just trying to wear costumes people haven’t worn."
She donned a toga, gold laurel wreath and grey fake beard. On her back it read: “I know Eras-totle.” She was confident that fellow Swifites would get the reference.
"These are my people," she said. "They know puns and they know all the lines."
Meanwhile, Boston resident Chad White had planned to wear a fully decked out Kansas City Chiefs football uniform in homage to Kelce, but he said he had to settle for the jersey, gloves and pads after security wouldn’t let him carry in his football helmet.
“All my buddies are going to hear (about) it and I’m a Patriots fan, so this is really a betrayal," he said.
Next door to the concert venue, more fans gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for Toronto's Version: Taylgate '24, billed as a place for ticket holders to hang out before the show, for ticketless Swifties to celebrate their fandom, and for parents of concertgoers to wait for their kids.
The playlist there was mostly Swift, but included songs by Ariana Grande and the Spice Girls. Fans danced at a “silent disco” in an old TTC subway car and renewed friendship vows at a "best friends chapel."
Even hours before the show, signs of Swiftmania were apparent throughout the downtown core: several blocks away, a steady stream of people in glitter, cowboy hats and heart-shaped sunglasses emerged from a King Street subway station, while bars along King and Adelaide streets blared Swift music, with two establishments featuring pink streamers in the window.
Thousands of fans and onlookers were expected to flood the concert zone for shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday, spurring the city to restrict traffic on a number of streets and close some roadways.
Dozens of buses and streetcars were added to transit routes around the stadium, and Metrolinx, the agency for Ontario’s GO Transit system, added extra trips and extended hours in some regions to accommodate fans travelling home.
As late as Thursday evening, some fans waited outside the Rogers Centre without a ticket, hoping for a last-minute miracle to see Swift and opener Gracie Abrams.
Among them was Marsha Stagg, who came from Stephenville, N.L., in hopes of getting tickets for one of the following two shows for her best friend, who she said has Stage 4 cancer and is flying in from Calgary.
"It's on her bucket list,” Stagg said. "She didn’t think she would make it to today."
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has warned eager fans to be alert to ticket scams run by "highly organized" fraudsters.
As of Tuesday they had received 184 reports of people losing money this year while trying to buy tickets to see the artist.
Spokesperson Lisanne Roy Beauchamp said most victims were solicited through compromised accounts. Victims believe they are buying the tickets from someone they know and trust, and are asked to send e-transfers for fake tickets.
Swift is scheduled to play six shows over 10 days including performances Friday and Saturday, and Nov. 21, 22 and 23. Next month she heads to Vancouver to close the tour.
— With files from David Friend, Rianna Lim and Cassandra Szklarski.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press