Taylor Swift - 48 hours enduring: Swifties before Arena in Gelsenkirchen
Before Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, the first fans are already waiting for US megastar Taylor Swift. The first of three concerts in the Ruhrgebiet city takes place on Wednesday for the singer, but they want to see the venue and secure the best possible spots. Around a dozen people ran around the entrances on Monday or sat in the shade under the trees.
Brian Wood had a particularly long journey. The 56-year-old comes from New York and spent the entire summer following Swift. He has seen many performances with his daughter and is currently traveling alone. At the end of Swift's "Eras Tour," he will have attended 17 shows, he says. He was in Milan over the weekend, and in Gelsenkirchen he has tickets for two of the three concerts.
""Swifties" are the best people"
"My daughter has been listening to her for five or six years now. And every time I turned around, she was on the radio, in the car, at home," he says about his first encounters with Taylor Swift's music. "At some point, I started to like the music myself. Some people say they are a Swift-father or Swift-mother. I consider myself just a 'Swiftie,' because I like the music from my perspective." He spends around 25,000 Euros on the "Eras Tour," according to his own words.
"The 'Swifties' are the best people I know," gushes Wood. "It might sound like a cliche, but I think their music, what the mood and messages are about, really attracts good people. And my daughter and I have made friends that we will probably have for the rest of our lives."
Camping is not allowed
Ronja (27) and Lisa (25) had a significantly shorter journey - they come from North Rhine-Westphalia. They wanted to sleep overnight near the arena but were not allowed to. Instead, they slept in Lisa's Bochum apartment and plan to try camping again the next day.
The goal is to stand as close as possible to the stage at the concert. "Standing close to Taylor is worth it because the show is amazing. And she is one of my absolute favorite artists and gives me a lot," says Lisa.
The promoter FKP Scorpio notes on its website that camping on the grounds is not permitted. Fans without tickets are asked to please not come to the arena at all.
Approximately 200,000 fans are expected to attend the three Swift concerts in Gelsenkirchen on July 17, 18, and 19. Further shows in Germany take place in Hamburg and Munich afterwards.
- Brian Wood, a self-proclaimed "Swiftie" from New York, is currently in Gelsenkirchen, having traveled from Milan over the weekend, where he also attended one of Taylor Swift's concerts.
- Wood has been following Swift's career since his daughter became a fan, and he has now attended 17 shows during Swift's "Eras Tour."
- Despite the long journey and the expense of around 25,000 Euros, Wood says that the "Swifties" are the best people he knows and that their music attracts good people.
- Ronja (27) and Lisa (25) from North Rhine-Westphalia wanted to camp near the Veltins-Arena to secure the best spots for Swift's concert, but they were not allowed to do so and instead slept in Lisa's Bochum apartment.
- The promoter FKP Scorpio has noted on its website that camping on the grounds of the Veltins-Arena is not permitted, and fans without tickets are asked not to come to the arena at all.
- Approximately 200,000 fans are expected to attend Swift's three concerts in Gelsenkirchen on July 17, 18, and 19, with further shows scheduled in Hamburg and Munich.
