Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Philly (Taylor’s Version) — Here’s all of our Taylor Swift coverage in one place

Welcome to Swiftadelphia. We’ll be updating this list throughout the week with our ongoing Taylor content.

Taylor Swift begins her show on a platform rising up from the stage during the first of three Eras Tour performances at Lincoln Financial Field in Phila., Pa. on May 12, 2023.
Taylor Swift begins her show on a platform rising up from the stage during the first of three Eras Tour performances at Lincoln Financial Field in Phila., Pa. on May 12, 2023. Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Update: Swift’s local performances have officially wrapped. In the first section of this list, you’ll find coverage from during and after her performances.

It’s officially Taylor Swift week and The Philadelphia Inquirer has you covered on the details.

Swift’s Eras tour stops at Lincoln Financial Field — the same sports complex she first performed at age 12 — Friday through Sunday. It marks only the stadium’s second three-night residency; the first was Bruce Springsteen, naturally (and his dates weren’t even consecutive).

Across the country, the Eras tour has become a cultural phenomenon — with fan outfits worthy of their own red carpet, TikTok livestream sessions, and days-long merch sales. It makes sense, seeing how sales for Swift’s tour effectively broke Ticketmaster’s website and prompted a reckoning with the ticket sales platform.

At The Inquirer, our team has been working to cover all things Swiftie — from the listening parties and friendship-bracelet sessions, to what you can and can’t bring inside the stadium. We’ll be updating this page throughout the week as more coverage rolls in, so make sure you bookmark it now.

Here’s everything we’ve written about Swift’s Eras Tour so far:

The Eras Tour is LIVE

What do I need to know if I’m going (or am trying to go) to the show?

When do pre-show merch sales start? If it rains like it did in Nashville, are umbrellas allowed? Can you bring a camera? And most importantly: what should you wear and when should you pee?

For local and out-of-town fans alike, we have a guide to everything you need to know about Swift’s Eras tour stop at Lincoln Financial Field, including details on public transportation — which will be running with extended Eras-friendly hours — and nearby food options.

Separately, reporter Beatrice Forman spoke with local Swifties — some who have attended other Eras tour stops — about how to best prepare for the concert. Meanwhile, Anthony Wood asked a meteorologist if fans should expect to drop everything now ... in the pouring rain.

And for those who are trying to snag last-minute tix, you’re not alone. Business reporter Erin McCarthy spoke with locals who are still on the hunt. Experts say fans’ eagerness makes them susceptible to scams.

Full story: Are you ready for it? Everything you need to know about Taylor Swift at the Linc

Full story: Know your Swift openers, Philly

Full story: Here’s how to do Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour like a pro, according to Philly Swifties

Full story: Taylor Swift concerts at the Linc may be rain-free, and definitely nothing like the Nashville ordeal

Full story: Taylor Swift tickets start at $1,300 on StubHub. Some Philly Swifties are desperately strategizing to get cheaper seats.

What’s going on around town?

Not everyone was lucky enough to score tickets to the sold-out Swift shows, which caused fans to withstand a crashing Ticketmaster site for hours in November when tickets went on sale.

Still, Philly’s celebration of the Eras tour stop is widespread, with ongoing events throughout the week including a drag brunch, a SoulCycle class, and dance parties. Local Etsy sellers and creators say they’re benefiting from Swift’s tour stop, experiencing a major boost in sales.

Service desk reporter Hira Qureshi has a list of all the Swiftie events she could find while national news reporter Emily Bloch spoke with local sellers. Katie Krzaczek spoke with the artist behind the new Taylor Swift mural on South Street.

Full story: Missing Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ in Philly? Shake it off at these parties around town.

Full story: ‘It’s been insane:’ Swift’s Philly tour stops are giving local Etsy sellers a sales boost

Full story: There’s a Taylor Swift mural on South Street

Background: It’s Swift’s first time performing in Philly since 2018

Growing up in Berks County and summering in Stone Harbor, the pop star’s Pennsylvania roots run deep, notes Inquirer music critic Dan DeLuca. In past local performances, Swift has recalled her dad watching Eagles games on TV. Katie Krzaczek even penned a full-throated defence of why she thinks the lyrics to gold rush refer to Eagles, the team and not the band. After all in Swift’s 2011 Speak Now tour stop, Swift and the entire band rocked team jerseys during their encore performance. DeLuca also wrote a guide on the three (maybe four if boygenius does a surprise mini-set) acts leading up to Swift’s throughout the weekend.

Before Swift even lands in Philly, her merch got a head start. Beatrice Forman gave her dispatch from day one of merch truck madness Thursday.

Full story: The wait is almost over, Swifties. Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ arrival in South Philly is just days away

Full story: Why that one Taylor Swift lyric is (probably) about the Eagles (this has since been confirmed!)

Full story: Stay, Stay Stay in line: Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans fill a Lincoln Financial Field parking lot in hopes of securing Eras Tour merch

Everything else

Swift’s three-night Eras tour stop will be her first time playing South Philly since 2018. She’s been pretty busy since she was last in town. But one thing she probably hasn’t been up to? Writing a memoir. We break down the recent TikTok theory.

Another TikTok theory making the rounds locally is a campaign for Gritty to join Swift on stage. That’s probably not going to happen. But it got us thinking... What Swift song would soundtrack our Philly mascots’ lives? We investigate.

Full story: Rumors of a Taylor Swift memoir put a mystery book on top of pre-sale charts. But new reports say the book isn’t hers.

Full story: What would every Philly mascot’s Taylor Swift theme song be?