Taylor Swift Aims to Topple Ed Sheeran’s Australian Concert Record

Taylor Swift’s two gigs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground immediately stood out when Australians learned that her The Eras Tour would stop in their country next February.

Swift’s tour begins with performances on 16th February at the MCG. Then Swift will perform in Sydney’s Accor Stadium.

The massive stadium, which has more history than a National Geographic subscription, is the largest of its kind in this region. The arena, which was built in 1853 and is still in use today, held the 1956 Olympic Games. Cricket is played in the summer while AFL and football are played in the winter. Sometimes the place also hosts concerts.

Image Courtesy: Instagram

Only a few acts can fill the MCG in the entire world. When Ed Sheeran performed it twice during his ‘The Mathematics’ Tour stop in the Victorian capital in March, he broke a number of national records. With the first of those appearances, the English pop icon shattered Australia’s record for concert attendance with over 105,000 tickets sold. When 109,500 Sheerios filled the stadium the following night, he raised the benchmark once more. The cumulative attendance for those two events, at approximately 215,000, will be difficult to top. Swift has the potential to break Sheeran’s record for most consecutive nights of concerts in the same location. Swift’s upcoming tour is being organised by Frontier Touring, who also organised Sheeran’s recent local tour. 

The two-city plan is a departure from Swift’s normal trips to Australia. In 2018, her last lengthy tour, the ‘Reputation’ Tour organised by Live Nation, stopped at stadiums in five Australian and New Zealand cities, including Brisbane, Perth and Auckland. TayTay breaks records all the time, so her comeback is sure to be a hit.

Image Courtesy: The New Yorker

Along the way, she made history by becoming the first artist to hold the No. 1 ARIA album, single and national airplay at the same time. Additionally, with 9 of the top 10 debuts on the ARIA Singles Chart, she holds the record for most debuts in the top 10. ‘Midnights’, Swift’s most recent album, became the 10th No. 1 album in Australia. ‘Midnights’ release in October of last year led to it becoming the ARIA’s most streamed album in a single week and recording the highest vinyl sales debut ever with over 10,000 units sold in the first week.

Sabrina Carpenter, an American singer and actress, is a special guest performer on Taylor Swift’s Australian tour.

– Riya Sohini

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