Die-hard Taylor Swift fans are spending thousands of dollars to see her in concert – splashing out on everything from high-priced flights and hotels to themed outfits and merchandise.
Some of the 33-year-old singer’s most dedicated fans have spoken exclusively to DailyMail.com about the colossal expenses that they have racked up to attend Taylor’s Eras Tour – revealing that they had to spend on a lot more than just the tickets, which already cost hundreds of dollars.
They also dished on the extreme measures that they took to ensure that they saw their idol – driving hundreds of miles, flying across the globe, standing in the pouring rain, and waiting for hours upon end just to get an Uber.
Michael Nunez, 27, from Atlanta, Georgia, has been a fan of Taylor’s for as long as he can remember – which is why he has no regrets about paying nearly $5,000 to see her in concert.
Die-hard Taylor Swift fans are spending thousands so that they could see her in concert – splashing out on everything from high-priced flights and hotels to themed outfits and merch
Some of the 33-year-old singer’s most dedicated fans have spoken exclusively to DailyMail.com about the colossal expenses that they racked up to attend her Eras Tour
Michael Nunez, 27, from Atlanta, Georgia, has been a fan of Taylor’s for as long as he can remember – which is why he has no regrets about paying nearly $5,000 to see her in concert
So far, he has gone to six of her shows – including her opening two in Glendale, Arizona. He flew all the way across the country for those shows, and forked over $2,559 on that trip alone
So far, he has gone to six of her shows, and he has plans to travel to see her in two more cities.
He was there for her opening two shows in Glendale, Arizona, flying all the way across the country and forking over a whopping $2,559 on that trip alone.
According to Michael, who broke down the costs of the endeavor to DailyMail.com, he spent $800 on a VIP ticket for the first night – which was located near the back of the floor and came with an Eras Tour VIP tote bag, pin, sticker, postcard set, and tour laminate – and another $450 on a lower bowl seat for the second show.
He added that food for the weekend cost him roughly $130, while he spent another $65 on drinks.
When it came to his flight and hotel, he said he paid $550 for a round-trip airline ticket and $244 for a room at the Holiday Inn. He was with two other people, so they were able to split the cost of the hotel – which totaled $732 for three nights.
He, of course, wanted to dress up for the occasion, and paid another $55 on his first outfit – which included a white button-down shirt with the names of her albums etched across it, leather pants, and a cowboy hat.
He revealed that he made the shirt himself, using a top from H&M and craft tools from Michaels. For the second show, he opted for merch that he had purchased the night before, which added another $165 to his expenses.
While Michael said seeing Taylor at her opening show was a dream, there was one ‘horror story’ that came from the trip.
According to Michael, he spent $800 on a VIP ticket for the first night (his view is seen left) and another $450 on a lower bowl seat for the second show (his view is seen right)
He added that food for the weekend cost him roughly $130, while he spent another $65 on drinks
When it came to his flight and hotel, he said he paid $550 for a round-trip airline ticket and $244 for a three-night room at the Holiday Inn. He’s pictured during his flight back to Atlanta
He paid another $55 on his first outfit – which included a white button-down shirt with the names of her albums etched across it, leather pants, and a cowboy hat
He recalled being stranded at the venue for hours after the concert came to an end, and then being struck with excessive fees when he was finally able to book an Uber.
Michael was also present for Taylor’s three sold-out shows in his home-city of Atlanta
‘There weren’t enough drivers after the show, so the surge pricing was high and it took us three hours to get connected to a driver so we could get home,’ he shared.
‘After that show, I made sure I only drove to my future shows so I could sit in my car after the show instead of standing outside while waiting for an Uber.’
In the end, he said he and his two friends had to pay about $100 each for Ubers throughout the entire weekend.
Michael was also present for Taylor’s three sold-out shows in his home-city of Atlanta. And while he didn’t have to pay for hotels or flights for those, they still cost him a bucket load of money.
He said he paid $1,040 for his three tickets, $7 for parking, $96 on drinks, $47 on food, $35 on gas, and $105 on some more merch.
He also dished out $248 on his three different looks – which included a bejeweled pink cape, rhinestone-encrusted pants, and a starry pajama set that resembled the dress Taylor wore to the VMAs afterparty last year. The total for the weekend was $1,578.
He said he paid $1,040 for his three tickets, $7 for parking, $96 on drinks, $47 on food, $35 on gas, and $105 on some more merch. The total for the weekend was $1,578
He then made the four-and-a-half hour drive from Atlanta to Nashville to see one more show. This time, he paid $344 for his ticket, $53 for parking, $26 for food, and $56 for drinks
He then made the four-and-a-half hour drive from Atlanta to Nashville to see one more show.
In addition, he dished out $53 for a one-night stay at the Wyndham Hotel, $72 on gas, and $56 on an oil change that was needed for his car. He repeated some of his past outfits so he saved a little money on that – which brought his total to $660. He’s seen at the Nashville show
This time, he paid $344 for his ticket, $53 for parking, $26 for food, $56 for drinks, $53 for a one-night stay at the Wyndham Hotel, $72 on gas, and $56 on an oil change that was needed for his car. He repeated some of his past outfits so he saved a little money on that – which brought his total to $660.
Unfortunately, an intense rainstorm hit Nashville just before the show was set to start, which meant it got delayed by hours and left Michael – and the other 69,000 people – drenched. But Michael said he still had the best time.
‘We were scared the show would get cut short [since it started late], but not a single song was taken out if the set,’ he recalled.
‘As the show progressed, it began to rain during her Red set but it did not stop Taylor from performing.’
The show ended at 1:30 in the morning, which meant that he didn’t get back to his hotel until almost 3.
Across the six shows, Michael spent $4,797 – with two more trips to Detroit and Seattle still planned. And he has no regrets.
Across the six shows, Michael (seen in Nashville) spent $4,797 – with two more trips to Detroit and Seattle still planned
He told DailyMail.com: ‘I am experiencing the greatest tour of our generation and I don’t regret any of the money I’ve spent because I will cherish these moments forever’
Another Swiftie, named Grace Friedl (seen left), 24, traveled from her home in Richmond, Virginia, to Atlanta so that she too could see the Blank Space songstress live
He told DailyMail.com: ‘I knew I had to travel from the moment tour dates were announced.
‘I am experiencing the greatest tour of our generation several times and I don’t regret any of the money I’ve spent because I will cherish these moments forever.
While chatting to DailyMail.com, she admitted that she ‘spent a ton of money,’ but insisted that she’d ‘do it again’ in a heartbeat
‘Also, Taylor makes every show unique by performing two surprise songs every night and I’ve loved all 12 surprise songs I’ve heard so far. I’m hoping I get more of my favorite songs at my future shows.’
Another Swiftie Grace Friedl, 24, traveled from her home in Richmond, Virginia, to Atlanta so that she too could see the Blank Space songstress live.
While chatting to DailyMail.com, she admitted that she ‘spent a ton of money,’ but insisted that she’d ‘do it again’ in a heartbeat.
She explained that there were ‘no affordable flights’ directly from Richmond to Atlanta, so she ‘had to get creative.’
‘I flew from Richmond to Orlando, Florida, where my mom lives, and then my mom drove me to Jacksonville,’ she revealed.
‘My sister (who I was going to the concert with) drove to Jacksonville from Tallahassee to meet up with me, and then we together drove to Atlanta.’
She said there were ‘no affordable flights’ directly from Richmond to Atlanta, so she ‘had to get creative.’ She flew into Orlando, Florida, instead, and then drove the rest of the way
In the end, she spent $1,580 on her one concert – which included $200 on her ticket, $250 on the flights, $400 for her hotel, and ‘at least’ $100 on gas. Her view at the concert is seen above
She also paid $230 on ‘two new dresses,’ $50 on accessories, $200 on food, and $150 on merch. ‘I would definitely do it all again,’ she said
In the end, she spent $1,580 on her one concert – which included $200 on her ticket, $250 on the flights, $400 for her hotel, ‘at least’ $100 on gas, $230 on ‘two new dresses,’ $50 on accessories, $200 on food, and $150 on merch.
‘I would definitely do it all again,’ she said.
‘The only bummer about the concert was that our view of the diamond and main stage (where she spent majority of the time during the concert) was completely blocked due to the giant tower that blows out smoke.
‘Our tickets weren’t listed as obstructed view so this was just a bummer, but it was still a great concert even just being able to watch the screens for most of it.
‘We were still lucky to be able to have gotten tickets for face value since many other Swifties had to pay crazy resale prices.’
Since the moment the popstar announced that she was going back on the road following a five-year hiatus, there has been an immense buzz surrounding her highly-anticipate Eras Tour.
Before the singer even stepped on stage, the tour had already gone down in history – breaking the record for the most tickets sold in one day when nearly 2.4 million seats were purchased during the pre-sale – and experts now say that it may become the highest grossing tour of all time.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk