What to know before seeing Taylor Swift

👋 Hi, Swifties. It's Nicole Cobler with Axios Austin.

My bestie and I made the three-hour trek to Arlington Friday to catch Taylor Swift's first of three shows at AT&T Stadium.

🎶 State of play: We somehow scored VIP floor seats during pre-sale.

• Fine, not my wisest financial decision, but it was truly the best night of my life.

Details: It was so fun to see fans recreate Swift's most iconic outfits and others decked out in sequins, fringe, cowboy boots, feathers and so many hair gems.

• I watched women sprint in heels to catch the first glimpse of the stage when they entered the venue.
• Strangers exchanged friendship bracelets and snapped photos of each other.
• We screamed all the words and cried. It felt like we were making up for lost time, singing along to songs from every era and finally hearing live performances of the four albums released since her last tour.

What's next: Swift's Eras Tour heads to Tampa next before criss-crossing the country to conclude in Los Angeles in August.

• She returns to Texas later this month to perform three shows in Houston.

The big picture: Before the concert, I studied all of the articles and TikTok videos with advice and still left with tips I wish I had taken seriously:

1. Plan travel beforehand

• We took an Uber to the stadium around 3pm for VIP entry, so our Uber was around $12.
• Getting home was rough without a ride. We walked about a mile away from the stadium and called a rideshare from a Wendy's parking lot. Our four mile ride was about $35.

2. Consider ordering merch online

• Unless you’re on the floor, which has separate shopping options, it's not worth the frenzy to wait for stuff you can find online.
• About the famous blue crewneck: An AT&T employee told me it was only available at the merch stands outside the stadium and sold out almost immediately.

3. Bring these items

• Wear comfortable shoes. She started the first Arlington show just before 8pm and performed for about three hours. Expect to be on your feet the entire time.

• Pack earplugs. Even the crowd noise is painfully loud. You'll still be able to hear her well and can take them out during more quiet moments.
• Bring a large clear bag to store merch and everything else during the show. Check your stadium website for bag requirements.

4. Other takeaways

• Drink water and eat dinner. I barely ate or drank because I was so excited. Shocker: I got lightheaded and had to sit down for a second toward the end of her show.
• Be prepared for tricks! You can study the lineup, but Swift is likely to switch some things up.
• You can save your light-up wristband by reinserting the tab into the bracelet at the end of the night.

🪩 The bottom line: Soak it up! Wherever you're sitting, you'll have a great view and you're in for an incredible night.