In November 2022, Taylor Swift announced The Eras Tour, which she described as “a journey through all of [the] musical eras of my career” in an interview on Good Morning America. Since then, the tour has gained immense popularity. Swift has put on 44 shows as of September 2023, and she will put on 102 more by the time the tour is over in November 2024, projecting to rake in around 2.2 billion dollars in ticket sales and making The Eras Tour the highest grossing concert tour of all time.
Industry experts estimate that the tour will generate a total of five billion dollars in consumer spending on tickets, transportation, costumes, merchandise and food.
Sophomore Lucy Goldring describes some of her expenses attending The Eras Tour in Seattle.
“We stayed in a hotel for two nights, and we had dinner out […] the whole time and we ate lunch and breakfast out [as well],” said Goldring.
While the tens of thousands of fans attending each show are causing a massive economic boom, it is also causing an environmental impact due to an increase in carbon emissions, consumerism and waste according to environmental experts.
Sophomore Katherine Warner-Frey attended the concert in Chicago and bought a new outfit for the show.
“I did purchase things that I probably won’t rewear,” said Warner-Frey. “I purchased a pink glitter skirt and a top with a big heart on it […], they were definitely on the cheaper side.”
Along with an outfit, she bought many plastic products in order to drink water during the concert.
“You had to get a plastic water bottle, but you weren’t allowed to actually bring the plastic water bottles down onto the floor, so then you had to use a plastic water bottle and a plastic cup, which is a lot of waste,” said Warner-Frey.
