Yes, it was possible to find the occasional person who professed not to know the world’s biggest pop star was in town, or the odd venue that was not playing songs from the 10 albums she has released since 2006 (four of which have been re-recorded and re-released under the rubric of “Taylor’s Version”, as part of her audacious and ongoing campaign to regain control of her back catalogue).
But for the most part, Melbourne had been dealt a Swift hard kick to every part of its civic body, and it appeared to be loving it.
Taylor Swift’s image is being projected onto Flinders Street Station throughout the weekend.
At Yarra Park, fans had turned up late on Thursday to start buying merchandise, and they were back again on Friday morning. In the CBD, Swift T-shirts and tote bags were common sights on streets, trams, and shop windows.
Venues all over town were staging Swift-themed events, many of them featuring drag artists, for those who missed out, or those who didn’t and for whom too much Taylor is barely enough.
In Carlton, people were spending three hours or more in line to get one of the 23 limited-edition Swift-themed designs on offer at tattoo parlour Fineline.
“We saw a bit of a spike in bookings last year when it was announced Taylor was coming, so we thought, ‘Why not create an event?’” said Shay Caracciolo, who owns the business with their husband Cholo.
Why not indeed. Within 10 minutes of going on sale, they had sold out the initial allocation of 300 spots, at $200 per tattoo.
“We were blown away by that, so we opened it up to walk-ins,” she says. Her prediction for the weekend? “Close to 1000.”
At Federation Square, Jacinta Parsons was hosting the Afternoons program for ABC Radio in a sequin dress and boots, the costume of attire for so many Swifties, even though she wasn’t actually going to the show.
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But Eaglemont mother Sandra Delaney was, with her daughters Sidney and Allie.
She started listening to Swift when Sidney was four years old. “She’s 20 now.”
So, long-time listener, first-time concertgoer?
“No,” she said. “Fifth.”
Her friend Mandy Macinkovic, from Northcote, was taking daughter Tayla, who picked 1989 as her defining era.
Phoebe Billing, 20; Sidney Delaney, 20; Sandra Delaney; Annabel Billing, 17; Allie Delaney, 16; Tayla Macinkovic, 16; and Mandy Macinkovic embraced the opportunity to dress up.Credit: Karl Quinn
“During Year 7 and 8, in COVID, her music kept her alive, so we’re grateful for Taylor Swift,” said Macinkovic. “If the music was on and Tayla was singing Taylor, we knew she was OK. She was a lifesaver.”
But Swiftonomics isn’t all sunshine and roses. Fans from interstate and overseas had to brave flight delays and cancellations, and the fear they wouldn’t make it in time for the show they had waited months – and paid small fortunes – to see.
There were reneged accommodation bookings on Airbnb, too, after some operators decided they had let their properties out too cheaply and thus created some pretext to cancel at the last minute. Heartbreak might be a crucial part of the Swift songbook, but not like this.
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Sixty years ago, a crowd of 15,000 people flooded Swanston Street to get a glimpse of The Beatles on the balcony of Melbourne Town Hall, in what remains a defining moment in the pop-cultural life of this city.
The tightly controlled nature of all things Taylor meant there was no public appearance until she took the stage at the MCG. But walking the streets of the CBD on Friday, it was hard not to sense that the city was in the grip of another defining moment all the same.
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Source Agencies
