Ticketless Taylor Swift fans told no 'Taylor-gating' at Levi's
While the cities of San Francisco and Santa Clara tried to outdo each other for pop superstar Taylor Swift’s welcome ahead of her Eras Tour visit to the Bay Area, unlucky fans without tickets won’t be getting the same treatment.
“Tailgating is prohibited for the Taylor Swift concerts and there will be no designated viewing areas outside of Levi’s Stadium,” Levi’s Stadium officials said in a statement. “Fans without event tickets will not be permitted to congregate in parking areas or on the streets.”
Swift is scheduled to play at Levi’s Stadium on Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29.
“While we appreciate the enthusiasm of Taylor Swift’s fans, there are no authorized external standing or sitting areas and request that fans only come to Levi’s Stadium if they have a ticket,” Santa Clara Police Department Lt. Cuong Phan said in a statement to the San Jose Mercury News. “We have seen thousands of fans come to other stadiums across the country, in hopes to enjoy the concert from outside the stadium. When this happens, the large crowds significantly impact traffic. This impacts the Taylor Swift concert experience for all fans.”
Other venues, such as Arrowhead Stadium and Soldier Field, have tried to keep ticketless fans from gathering in parking lots to little effect. Tailgating, or “Taylor-gating” or “Taygating,” has become a phenomenon among fans during Swift’s Eras Tour after Ticketmaster’s debacle when tickets went on sale last November.
Swift’s tour has even created a stir outside the pop star’s fan base, with government officials from San Francisco and Santa Clara competing for her attention.
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor submitted a proclamation declaring Swift the honorary mayor and renaming the city “Swiftie Clara” for Swift’s July 28 and 29 concert dates. The proclamation was approved at a City Council meeting on Tuesday night.
Not wanting to be outdone, San Francisco moved to declare July 28 and 29 “Taylor Swift Weekend.” San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey announced the resolution at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting in a statement peppered with Swift song references.
“I must ‘Speak Now’ on this resolution declaring July 28 and 29 Taylor Swift Weekend in the city and County of San Francisco,” Dorsey said. “As you may know ‘All Too Well,’ Taylor Swift is a music industry icon and an advocate for change. A once-in-a-generation talent who has captivated people like a fireworks show, she is setting records to the moon and to Saturn.”
“‘Don’t Blame Me,’” he added. “This is a work of four passionate Swifties in my office to whom I committed to be ‘Fearless.’”
Dorsey even worked references to Swift’s music into a description of San Francisco’s struggling pandemic recovery, while pointing out that Swift’s Eras Tour has had economic impacts on the cities it has already visited.
SFGATE writer Gabriel Lehman contributed to this report.
Source: SFGATE
