Fans pack Soldier Field for first night of Taylor Swift Eras Tour concerts
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Swifties were out in full force Friday evening as Taylor Swift took the stage at Chicago's Soldier Field – for the first of three concerts for her Eras Tour this weekend.
More than 50,000 fans swarmed the lakefront stadium for the first of three sold-out shows. And of course, they were there well ahead of time.
As CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reported, some fans have been preparing for this night since November – and the night was a long one in a way fans were quite pleased with. Swift's set ran for three hours.
It paid off to arrive early. Fans didn't have too long to snag some Taylor Swift merchandise.
The lines looked much shorter than they did on Thursday morning, but they were steadily growing during the afternoon as concert time approached.
Liz Biely and Allison Voss traveled from the Milwaukee area. They've been best friends for the past four years and were proud to say they're in the top 0.1% of listeners to Swift on Spotify.
CBS 2's Noel Brennan caught up with them at Soldier Field six hours before Swift was expected to take the stage. They're such big fans that her music provides the soundtrack of their friendship.
"She's the reason that we're here tonight," said Voss, referring to Biely. "Even though I got the tickets, she's the reason that we're here."
"I've been obsessed with Taylor since kindergarten when her debut album came out and now, we are both 22," Biely said.
"We are," Voss said. "We're 22 and she's gonna sing '22.' We know that."
"We've been talking about this concern for like seven months, every single day," Biely said.
"She's not the reason we're friends, but…" Voss said.
"She adds to our friendship," Biely said.
CBS 2 caught up with them at Soldier Field six hours before Swift was expected to take the stage. They're such big fans that her music provides the soundtrack of their friendship.
"She's the reason that we're here tonight," said Voss, referring to Biely. "Even though I got the tickets, she's the reason that we're here."
"I've been obsessed with Taylor since kindergarten when her debut album came out and now, we are both 22," Biely said.
"We are," Voss said. "We're 22 and she's gonna sing '22.' We know that."
"We've been talking about this concern for like seven months, every single day," Biely said.
"She's not the reason we're friends, but…" Voss said.
"She adds to our friendship," Biely said.
For many fans CBS 2 spoke with, this was their first Taylor Swift concert. But one girl there said she had already been to four concerts and counting.
Another fan, Marley Bonarigo said, "I don't think there's many words that can actually describe how excited I really am. I've been looking forward to this forever."
"I'm excited! Can I tell you? My heart is racing!" said Jenna Piwowarczyk. "Like every moment in my life has come together to this exact day. It's perfect."
Later, fans screamed with exuberant joy as the doors flew open at Soldier Field. Before the show began, the fans flooded the stadium to get a glimpse of where Swift was set to take the stage.
"She's Taylor Swift – there's nothing more to say," a fan said.
The first rule of being a Swift fan is that if you can't get a ticket, you can just join in the fun from the parking lot.
"I'm more excited about this than my graduation," a fan said.
"She's just so sweet," another fan said. "She cares about her fans so much."
Getting tickets for these long-awaited concerts was a journey in and of itself. Some paid between $300 to $3,000 per ticket – with prices on the secondary market now running around $800.
"I got them. I was on Ticketmaster for eight hours," said Sam Roberson. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done."
"My mom was actually on like the website for I want to say like seven hours," said a fan. "When the website like broke down, she stayed on it."
Moms like Amy Veluz were the unsung heroes of getting young fans to see Swift up close and personal.
Veluz reported spending 10 hours online for tickets – with a laptop in the car at one point.
"I'm an original fan – before these ones came along," she said.
Plenty of dads were in the crowd too – many with young daughters in tow.
Some fans came from the suburbs, some from St. Louis, and some from even farther away than that. Erin McMaster and Daniel Anderson flew in from Nebraska and Oklahoma, respectively.
Was it worth it? McMaster spelled it out on in letters on a bracelet on her wrist.
Everyone at the concert – 50,000 Swifties strong – came out just to see one star shine.
"Every Swiftie is here in spirit," a fan said. "Every Swiftie is truly here in spirit."
Whether you were a fan or actively avoiding the crowds, the Swiftie city takeover in Chicago was hard to miss. But for anyone at home, the three-night tour came with a warning from the city – be ready for big delays and heavy traffic.
The Chicago Swiftie takeover is here for two more nights. May everyone enjoy the show.