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Taylor Swift fans wait in 90-degree temperatures for doors to open in Madrid
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Date:2025-04-13 13:25:53
MADRID — Temperatures in the mid-90s beat down on Taylor Swift fans waiting hours ahead of doors opening to her first night of the Eras Tour in the city. Luckily for many in line, the stadium's curvy upper lip provided shade.
"We've been here more than 24 hours," says Belen Falla, who sat at the very front of the VIP line in a purple "Speak Now" dress with butterfly wings. "I'm coming from Peru, and this is my dream. I've always dreamed of coming half my life to see Taylor Swift."
Falla brought a blanket to sit on, an umbrella to provide shade and friendship bracelets to trade.
"The shade is so nice," she says. "I've seen a lot of people pass out at concerts. I think we're quite lucky."
Behind Falla, Sofia Lopez wore a "Folklore" inspired green dress.
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"I am worried about the heat," Lopez says. "I brought a lot of gummies for the sugar to give me fuel. I've drank water this whole morning, and I'm going to try and finish before 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. so that I'm hydrated and then I'll just go to the bathroom before going in."
The Last Tour is the company tasked as the event producer for Madrid. Its website said opening act Paramore will take the stage at 6:45 p.m. with Swift performing at 8 p.m. Security on-site said portable chargers are not allowed inside. With the heat, fans can bring in a plastic bottle 50 cL's or less. There are a list of forbidden items on the Last Tour website.
Hayley Groff came from Washington, D.C., with her sister. You could see her custom friendship bracelet jacket shine in screaming color.
"It is every single song beaded in the different eras," she says, spinning around to show the hard work that took weeks. "I love friendship bracelets. 'You're On Your Own Kid' is my favorite song. I feel like she wrote it for me."
"Last night at dinner we had a family debate," her sister, Stephanie, chimes in. "I'm the planner, and I mentioned it was going to be in the 90s. I definitely want us to be safe. Somehow I convinced her to go with shorts."
Stephanie's bag contained water bottles and sunscreen among Swift merchandise.
"Health comes first," Stephanie says. "That's why I'm happy there's two of us, because if one needs to use the bathroom, the other can stay put and so on."
Swift sold out two nights at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, home of the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. She announced a second performance at the beginning of the year after Spanish Swifties pushed for an additional night. More than 450,000 requests to obtain a ticket flooded the Ticketmaster system last summer. The Santiago Bernabéu stadium sold 85,000 tickets each night, according to Seat Pick.
Madrid is nicknamed "el foro," which means the forum or a place where matters of economic, political and historical significance are discussed. Swift's tour has an interest in all three of those sectors. Swift will head next to Lyon, France, and perform on Sunday and Monday.
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
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