Taylor Swift dazzles on Eras tour in Dublin

Taylor Swift fans attend the sold-out Eras tour in Dublin this weekend.

The singer carried out her record-breaking three-night tour at the Irish capital’s Aviva Stadium, starting on Friday, in front of more than 150,000 Swifties.

By Friday, it had been six years since Swift last performed in Dublin.

The 152-date Eras Tour has become the highest-grossing concert series in history.

And her arrival in Dublin isn’t the only big event in the Irish capital this weekend – Pride, the Latitude Festival, the Northern Ireland Football Championship quarter-finals and Shania Twain are drawing their own crowds in the city.

Around 50,000 fans filled the Aviva Stadium to see the American musician on Friday evening.

Swift began his stay on the Emerald Isle by praising Ireland and its culture.

“Dublin, we’re here!” she said. “You’re making me feel so good, it’s gone straight to my head. I feel very, very powerful.”

The concert was filled with elaborate production, multiple costume changes and a setlist that spanned more than three hours and included dozens of songs, taking his fans on a chronological journey through his albums.

“Nobody does it like you.” You know that, don’t you? » she said, before describing the Irish as “outstanding storytellers”, with the “best accents”.

In a now-viral segment, Swift’s dancer adopted the Irish language by shouting “póg mo thóin” (meaning kiss my butt) during a rendition of We Are Never Getting Back Together.

Before the concert, Swift received a bouquet of flowers from Irish rock band U2, along with a welcome message.

It read: “Dear Taylor, welcome to our hometown…leave some standing?!!!! »

Taylor Swift’s concerts are so big that the Garda (Irish police) leadership declared the three days an “extraordinary event”.

Special measures are being implemented to ensure there are enough gardaí (officers) to police the city.

The police bill for five Garth Brooks concerts in Croke Park in 2022 has risen to €380,000 (£320,000), and police surveillance of Taylor Swift’s three nights is expected to cost around the same price.

In Belfast, around 300 supporters were preparing to travel to Dublin by bus on Friday morning.

Speaking to BBC News NI, Lucy Glover, 18, said she had been looking forward to the concert “for so long”.

“It was a milestone and now it’s here,” Glover said.

Lauren Shannon said it’s “like Christmas.”

Monique Uprichard, 23, who wore a dress inspired by the album Lover, said: “I had to plan the outfit, it’s Taylor Swift.”

The economic impact of this global superstar has come to be known as Swiftonomics.

Last year, the US leg of the Eras tour was the first in history to gross more than $1 billion (£792 million). The international tour is now estimated to increase that figure to $4 billion (£3.1 billion).

The highly anticipated UK leg could generate almost £1 billion for the economy and the only Irish city on the tour is also set to receive a boost.

The only similar world star to have raced in Dublin is Garth Brooks.

Around 400,000 fans attended his five-night stay in Croke Park.

The Dublin Chamber of Commerce estimates that tourists who attended these concerts stimulated the economy to the tune of €35 million. Could Swift do the same?

The Dublin Chamber said the real benefit comes from those traveling from abroad.

Aebhric McGibney, its director of public and international affairs, said tourism would be the biggest beneficiary of the Eras tour.

“You can see people coming from all over the country to visit Dublin and spend some time here, which is fantastic.

“But the real economic impact comes from those who have traveled from abroad and come from Britain, Northern Ireland and even the United States. In general, the longer a person has to travel, the more time they will spend here. »

Mr McGibney added that the 2,000 to 3,000 people visiting from the United States “could easily spend a few thousand” euros each on their visit.

There are still hotel rooms available, some reaching over €500 (£420) per night, but there are also more affordable rooms.

Businesses around Aviva and Dublin are planning a busy weekend with all-you-can-eat brunches, Taylor quizzes and mug making among the quirkiest offerings.

The Bridge, a popular bar near the Aviva Stadium, has developed a Taylor Swift-themed menu. Manager Colm Ryan said the bar was used to big events, but none as big as Taylor.

“We still have rugby games, Six Nations, things like that,” he said.

“And obviously a lot of concerts too. Pink and Rammstein both performed this past weekend. But Taylor, she’s on another level, the number of people who come to support her is enormous.

“She’s probably one of the biggest artists in the world right now.

“We’ve got some special cocktails this weekend that are named after a couple of his songs. So we have a Lavender Haze cocktail and an Enchanted cocktail, and some slushies, some frozen daiquiris, I thought we’d use the kind of stuff that, weather permitting, will sell out quickly.”

Dublin Pottery Studio is running a Taylor-themed mug-making class over two evenings, with both tickets sold out within an hour.

Manager Ciara Fullam said the idea came about when most of their customers were painting their own Taylor Swift pottery, independent of concerts.

“We noticed that every weekend people were painting Taylor Swift themes anyway,” she said.

If you were lucky enough to get tickets, there are additional public transportation services for the Taylor Swift concert.

Additional Dart train services, which run within the Dublin city area, are available every third evening.

Also 60 different bus routes from across the country which have been approved by the National Transport Authority to provide dedicated services to Aviva.

Translink is also operation of special return train services from Northern Ireland.

The concerts coincide with a number of other events in the Dublin area, such as Pride and Longitude, so public transport will be busy.

The Aviva Stadium is relatively close to the centre of Dublin and for those who can, it may be more sensible to walk this part of the journey.

Event promoter MCD said the gates for the Eras Tour would open at 17:00 local time. However, some fans with early entry passes may be allowed into the venue from 15:00.

The shows start at 6:00 p.m. with Paramore as the opening act.

Swift then begins her mammoth three-and-a-half hour set starting around 7:00 p.m.

MCD also warned that briefcases, bags, luggage or purses larger than a clutch are prohibited.

For those looking for merchandise, it is available at the 3Arena on North Wall Quay in Dublin until Sunday.

A number of other events will take place in the capital of the Republic of Ireland, including:

• Shania Twain, Malahide Castle – Friday 28th June
• Dublin Pride Parade, Dublin City Center – Saturday June 29
• Longitude Festival, Parc Marlay – Saturday June 29 and Sunday June 30
• GAA football All-Ireland quarter-finals, Croke Park – Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June