Swifties line up day before concert at Soldier Field for merchandise
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hundreds of Swifties lined up outside Soldier Field on Thursday, some for more than eight hours, to score some swag ahead of Taylor Swift's three concerts this weekend.
Merchandise went on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday outside the stadium, nearly 36 hours before Swift takes the stage for the first Chicago show on her Eras tour.
Charlotte Fickes got in line around 3:15 a.m. after driving all the way from Mount Vernon, Illinois, more than 4 hours south of Chicago.
"We left our house about 11 o'clock last night," she said. "Drove straight here, and walked straight up to the line. We were like the third ones here."
By around 45 minutes before T-Swift merchandise started going on sale at Soldier Field, hundreds were lined up to get to the booths.
"I woke up like 2 a.m. in the morning, and I just did not want go get up, but then we got in the car, started listening to Taylor, and now I'm like so excited to be here. I talked to so many other Swifties," Savanna Love said.
The merchandise wasn't cheap. Showing your Taylor style will set you back $30 for a poster, $45 for a t-shirt, or $. Our crews heard one person order 10 sweatshirts. Fans told us it wasn't just about the merch, but they also bonded with other Swifties while waiting.
If only Swifties were economic indicators; no sign of recession fears at Soldier Field.
"We never went to bed. We came here, we got here at like 2, and we camped out in the parking garage," Crystal Nelson said.
Most of those camping out for merchandise were younger than 22, mostly female, although we did chat with one guy in the crowd.
"My first concert. First time being on one of these. A very surreal experience. I mean, I didn't understand what these Swifties that they call themselves go through, and now I got a little taste of it," Zachary Sietmann said.
Like treasure chests, the merch sellers opened their prized boxes as the magic 10 a.m. sales hour arrived. Then Swifties opened their wallets, ready to express their love with Visa and Mastercard.
Charlotte scored a blue crew neck and one of Swift's CDs.
If you thought $75 for a sweatshirt is a lot, think of the cost of tickets. We looked at the verified resale sites. Stub Hub tickets started at $1,900 per ticket. It was a little better on Vivid Seats starting at $1,600. The best deal was on SeatGeek, where a pair is listed for $1,400 a ticket.
Kind of makes the merch look like a bargain.
