Swifties take photos in front of the Rogers Center in Toronto before the singer’s sold-out show.

Taylor Swift to Tour in Canada After Trudeau Issues Plea on Social Media

Ms. Swift is performing six shows in Toronto before heading to Vancouver, the final stop in her blockbuster Eras Tour.

by · NY Times

It began with a polite plea on social media from the leader of Canada.

“It’s me, hi,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote to Taylor Swift on X, using a reference to her lyrics. “I know places in Canada would love to have you. So, don’t make it another cruel summer. We hope to see you soon.”

Canada was not on Ms. Swift’s list of concert destinations last summer when she announced a batch of new shows for her tour. Or maybe she was just saving the best news — at least for Canadian fans — for last.

Now, Ms. Swift is wrapping up her blockbuster Eras Tour in Canada, sending Toronto into a glittery frenzy. Her shows have become cultural events in every city she plays, jolting local economies, uniting legions of fans and mobilizing cities around her star power.

“The Eras Tour is kind of the Woodstock of our generation,” said Jasmeet Sidhu, a Canadian photographer and director who was showcasing her images of Ms. Swift’s past performances.

Ms. Swift’s version of Woodstock, while more commercial than activist, has certainly delivered on unity: Witness the multicolored friendship bracelets that her fans — who call themselves Swifties — have taken to making, wearing and trading.

Ms. Swift is scheduled to perform six shows in Toronto, which are expected to draw 240,000 concertgoers, before heading to Vancouver for three shows, ending the tour on Dec. 8.

Many people are desperate to catch a final glimpse.

They include Stephanie Jenkins of Charlotte, N.C., and her 12-year-old daughter, Ellen, who had been en route to Vienna when news broke that Ms. Swift’s show there had been canceled following a foiled terrorism attack.

Earlier shows in the United States were sold out, Ms. Jenkins said. She hadn’t been able to get tickets for the Toronto concerts, but she and her daughter decided to go anyway, driving 12 hours from home.

On Thursday, they were outside the Rogers Center, the concert venue, with Ms. Jenkins holding a sign describing their quest to see Ms. Swift and frantically hitting refresh on her cellphone, trying to find tickets that were close to her $600-a-ticket budget.

“She’s the only person I know who would do this for me,” said Ellen, 12.

Mission accomplished: mother and daughter triumphantly entered the stadium before Ms. Swift took the stage.

Outside, a daunting line of ticket holders had formed hours before the show. Fans wore enough glitter and sparkles to compensate for overcast and eventually rainy skies.

Evidence of hours of careful costume planning abounded: shimmery tinsel woven into hair, opalescent eye shadow, shiny gemstone stickers configured into face tattoos.

Even the Toronto Police, while mobilizing a major show of force, contributed some Swiftie love. Police horses wore giant friendship bracelets around their necks, while officers collected and traded the human-sized versions.

And Myron Demkiw, the chief of police, photobombed into some of the selfies being taken in front of a tour sign.

“Everybody’s in a great mood,” said Sgt. Stephen Hammond, a police spokesman.

Of course, on social media, the mood also swung the other way, with complaints that a main highway had been cleared for a police motorcade to escort Ms. Swift to the stadium.

There was more irritation when the city temporarily mounted 22 ceremonial street signs in Ms. Swift’s honor, having to clarify that it did not use any tax dollars. The Rogers Center footed the bill.

As Ms. Swift’s shows have done in other places, the event will boost the economy, with more than 152 million in Canadian dollars (about $108 million) in direct spending, mostly by visitors from outside Toronto, according to Destination Toronto, a tourism organization.

Brian Dagg of Winnipeg wore a T-shirt proclaiming his financial contribution to Swiftmania: “Spending a Lot of Money at the Moment,” it said. He had flown in with his wife and daughter, spending about 3,500 in Canadian dollars (roughly $2,500) on flights and tickets alone.

Silver lining: They were saving money on high hotel prices by staying with family, and it was a worthy Christmas gift for his daughter, Maddyn, 12, who would be attending her first concert.

People of all ages were in the audience, but for the generation of women around Ms. Swift’s age, 34, her music heralded them into womanhood.

For Stacy Wetmore, 31, Ms. Swift’s earlier hits, like “Teardrops On My Guitar,” would be on repeat in the mornings when she got ready for school. She and her friends Kyra Clark and Taylor Fischer had traveled from Columbia, Md., with tickets for Saturday’s show.

“Listening to these songs, you’re like, wow, I’ve been through something like that,” Ms. Fischer said. “It feels good to be seen.”

As Jenny Palmiotto and her daughter, Grace, prepared to enter the stadium on Thursday, they reflected on how the tour had prompted them to visit new places to see her perform, far from their home in San Diego.

“We’ve never been to Poland or Sweden, and now, Canada,” said Ms. Palmiotto. There is an energy that keeps drawing them back, she explained. “It’s the best part of humanity here at this show.”

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