Tens of thousands of fans came to the Ruhr city for Swift’s first concert in Germany. In three weeks she will be in Vienna for three concerts. “Nice to see you,” she said at her first appearance in Germany, also in German. In English she said: “It won’t be that long until I come back.” Swift’s last tour of Germany was nine years ago. Her current world tour started in March 2023 and caused a stir around the world, with the shows selling out within minutes.
Fans waited for hours
Fans had waited for hours in front of the Veltins Arena, eagerly awaiting the US superstar. The first German show of Swift’s “Eras Tour” was a gigantic pop production for the “Swifties”. The set list includes 45 songs, and an “Eras” concert lasts three and a half hours. It is a musical journey through the singer’s creative phases (“Eras”).
Many people associate “Swiftie” fan culture with young women in glitter and sequin dresses – but not all of the singer’s fans are young and female. Gerrit Kludt and Denis Öhl from Hattingen, for example, wanted to be as close to the front as possible at the show.
The two are childhood friends and hardly ever listen to pop music. It was different with Taylor, Gerrit said before the concert. “Denis was patient zero. He infected me with it last summer and then one thing led to another,” he said. When they had the opportunity to buy tickets for the front standing area in front of the stage through fan sales at the beginning of the year, they jumped at the chance.
“Even if it’s very unusual, if you put it that way,” said Gerrit: “Two guys in their mid-30s who, if you think in classic terms, don’t necessarily belong to the target audience.”
Complex production
In addition to the music, he was particularly impressed by the elaborate production of the “Eras Tour,” said the 35-year-old. He saw the concert film of the same name twice in the cinema in the autumn. “Somehow you just got deeper and deeper into this universe.”
There are now various Taylor references in his apartment: framed tour posters, a sofa cushion with song lyrics and a coffee cup are among them. Gerrit has a song title whose meaning he likes tattooed on his upper arm: “Anti-Hero” is written there.
The two friends also put a lot of thought into their outfits for the concert. Since they wanted to avoid glitter, they both came to Gelsenkirchen wearing Travis Kelce’s football jersey. The Kansas City Chiefs player has been dating Swift since last year.
In the waiting area since 4.30 a.m.
Some fans had already gathered in the waiting area early in the morning to get a good view of the stage. “We’ve been here since 4:30 a.m.,” said Emily. The 18-year-old had brought along snacks and card games to pass the time.
The organizer FKP Scorpio pointed out on its website that camping on the grounds is not permitted. Nevertheless, some “Swifties” had spent the night near the grounds. Fans without tickets also gathered at the arena from midday onwards to listen to the concert from outside.
Image: (APA/DPA/OLIVER BERG)
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Image: (APA/DPA/OLIVER BERG)
“The bright cowboy hats are eye-catching. But the fans around the arena are behaving absolutely peacefully,” said a spokesman for the Gelsenkirchen police following taking a look at the situation on site.
Some fans also spent a lot of time in line at the merchandise stands. “We want to buy shirts for ourselves and for friends at home,” said Olivia. She had traveled from Michigan with her friend Meadow and her mother Kristina.
Gelsenkirchen is expecting around 200,000 fans for the three Swift concerts on July 17, 18 and 19. Further German shows will take place in Hamburg and Munich followingwards. Taylor Swift will sing in Vienna, the world capital of music, on August 8, 9 and 10.
