Taylor Swift takes to the stage in first of Vancouver concert series

Superstar Taylor Swift has taken to the stage Friday evening for the first of three shows in Vancouver.

The shows wrap up a world tour, bringing thousands of fans and millions of dollars in economic benefits to the city.

Here are some facts about Swift’s record-breaking tour.

A Place in This World

The Eras Tour began almost 21 months ago, on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz., and has covered 19 countries on five continents over a 149-show schedule that included North American cities as well as London, Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney.

Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

The number of total countries visited and concert dates would have been even higher, but three shows scheduled in Vienna, Austria, in August were cancelled after police foiled an alleged terrorist plot.

Everything Has Changed

According to music industry publication Pollstar, The Eras Tour is the first ever to break the billion-dollar mark after bringing in US$1.04 billion in revenue up to Nov. 15, 2023. The publication says about 4.35 million tickets were sold for the first 60 dates on the tour, and Swift will likely gross more than US$2 billion after the Vancouver shows are finished.

If This Was a Movie

Swift’s success has not been limited to concerts. The movie, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” became the highest-grossing concert documentary film in history, taking in more than US$261 million at the box office worldwide – about US$180 million from North America alone.

Long Story Short

The records extend into the literary market, where Swift’s “Eras Tour Book” sold about 814,000 copies over the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, all exclusively through retailer Target. It was the biggest publishing launch of 2024 so far.

Shake It Off

Swift’s concerts have also been compared in scale to natural phenomena, with seismologists in the U.S. Pacific Northwest detecting signals equal to a 2.3-magnitude earthquake for a July 2023 concert that drew more than 70,000 fans to Seattle’s Lumen Field.

The Last Time

At the Eras Tour’s only other Canadian stop in Toronto last month, tourism industry estimates put the six-concert slate’s anticipated economic impact at $282 million. That includes $152 million of direct spending during the 10 days the tour was in the city.

You Need to Calm Down

Telecom giant Rogers Communications says Toronto concert goers shattered the single-event data usage record for Rogers Centre where the shows were held. The company says fans at the Nov. 21 show used 7.4 terabytes of mobile data – the equivalent of the storage capacity of about 10,000 CDs.

End Game

Vancouver tourism officials say the final three shows of The Eras Tour will generate an estimated $157 million in economic impact for the city, including $97 million in direct spending on accommodations, food, retail and transportation. More than 70 per cent of that will be coming from visitors outside of the city, translating into more than $27 million in tax revenue.

Is It Over Now?

Swifties at the shows this weekend might break BC Place’s attendance record of 65,061, set in September 2023 by singer Ed Sheeran. Before that, the attendance record was held by U2, who drew 63,802 fans in 2009.

The Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver are presented by Rogers, the parent company of 1130 NewsRadio and The Leader Spirit.