Taylor Swift”s Eras Tour in Singapore: A celebration of girlhood and more

Taylor Swift just finished her first weekend in Singapore with a lot of fan fare.

As politicians from the Philippines and Thailand made noise about an alleged deal between Swift’s management and Singapore, Swifties across the region paid good money to fly to the Little Red Dot and catch the American super star live in action.

Even South Korean celebrity Lisa of Blackpink was spotted in the crowd during Sunday’s show and made sure to swing by backstage to greet Taylor after her spectacular three-hour show.

Taylor will be performing her last three days in the coming weekend, and if you’re among those planning to catch her on her closing dates, below are a few things you can expect.

A celebration of girlhood.

The unofficial assignment was to go in an OOTD inspired by their favorite Taylor era, but at the concert, fans brought out all the glitter and all the pink, the florals and the sparkles, their tulle, nail art, and various accessories.

All the things that girls — and let’s admit it, the gays — have had to “tone down” lest they judged as maarte, frivolous, they unapologetically showed up in up at the Era’s Tour show. 

While there were some people who clearly came in shy in half-baked outfits, the night was easily a lesson in owning up to yourself and taking pride in who you are and enjoying yourself. 

If you are attending the last three days, don’t be shy about it. There isn’t such a thing as being overdressed. Just be mindful of the humid weather. We mean, no harm in your pink faux fur coat but make sure you stay hydrated all evening.   

A cathartic purge of secret crushes and secret heartbreaks. One thing about Taylor Swift is how relatable she is. Her lyrics echo a thousand journal entires and diary pages about crushes and heart breaks and secret wishes and even illicit affairs.

While listening to her in the privacy of your bedroom is exorcism in itself, singing along with thousands of others — with Taylor herself in the flesh! — is cathartic. 

Yes girl, don’t say sorry about not being 100% over that guy. Maybe admitting to it and singing along with Taylor will finally, finally do the trick. 

That said: Review those lyrics, if you don’t know them by heart already. Listen to Eras Tour playlists and get acquainted with the songs. It will be so much fun.   

A preview of what good infrastructure can do. Some 60K fans attended Taylor’s second night in Singapore, and they’re not just from the Little Red Dot.

Fans flew in from the Philippines, from Indonesia, from Malaysia, Thailand, and even Lisa of Blackpink flew in from South Korea to enjoy the show. 

The influx of travelers didn’t make a dent on Singapore’s airport operations, train lines were BAU and on time, so much so that attendees were safely back home just 30 minutes after the show. 

Imagine if the Philippines had the same infrastructure. If we had the same public transportation, then we wouldn’t have to pay the extra cost of shuttle bus tickets that thoughtful organizers have started offering. We wouldn’t have to endure hours-long traffic to and from the venue.  

If our airports functioned a little better, then we can accommodate tourists flying in to watch a concert, too.

If we had more and better venues to choose from, then perhaps we’d be on the concert map of someone like Taylor Swift — then we wouldn’t have to fly out of the Philippines to catch them in concert.

But our infrastructure is not quite there yet. So if you’re flying to catch the last weekend of Taylor Swift in Singapore, make sure to get to our airport early. Immigration lines can still be a blockbuster even in the wee hours of the morning. Check in online to save time. Pay your travel tax online too and save yet another kilometric line.

A case study on marketing. We all heard about that flight renamed to 1989 and that airline handing out friendship bracelets in Singapore-bound flights. 

Klook successfully made tourists out of Singaporeans, who were unable to score tickets the traditional way, by getting them to buy entire packages that came with hotel rooms. 

Meanwhile, Marina Bay Sands became a Taylor Wonderland with installations, light and sound shows, as well as a merch pop-up for fans to really get into the mood.

Taylor Swift-inspired promos are a usual sight at the malls at this time – along with music being played in speakers. 

Even SMEs benefitted from the hype. Neighborhood bars for instance would hold friendship making bracelets nights, catering to the demand. 

All of these will make your travel to Singapore go beyond than just catching a concert. Do yourselves a favor and don’t be too cool for them. If you chance upon an installation while looking for the toilet, get a photo by all means. Go ahead and enjoy yourself!

A demonstration of sisterhood. It’s become an Eras Tour tradition for people to attend the concert carrying lots of bracelets only to exchange them with fellow fans inside the train, while waiting in line, with the person seated next to you. The same is true in Singapore, but the cameradie — the sisterhood — went over and beyond.

When people ask for help — for direction, for tips — they are gladly given. Even those who’ve seen the Japan and Australia show would happily pipe in with their resources like tip sheets and set lists of lyrics. These helpful acts give the experience the warm glow of safety and sisterhood that trouble or hurt feel so impossible. Everybody is looking out for each other, and that’s a relief.

— GMA Integrated News