VANCOUVER — Pop megastar Taylor Swift said there was a reason she chose Vancouver and Canada as the final stop of her 149-show Eras Tour, a sequin-sparkled cultural juggernaut that has spanned five continents.
The fans don't just know the lyrics, she told the first-night audience at a sold-out BC Place stadium on Friday, "they scream them."
Excitement in Vancouver over the shows had been building for more than a year since the city became a late addition to the tour, which is the first to make more than US$1 billion in revenue.
As the clock ticked down toward T-minus-zero, the city embraced all things Swift, draping giant friendship bracelets over landmarks, changing the city's sign on the waterfront to "Swiftcouver," and even retuning the iconic Gastown steam clock to play "Shake It Off."
Police said an estimated 160,000 fans were expected in downtown Vancouver for the three shows that conclude Sunday, and in the hours before Friday's concert, streets were thronged with Swifties, many in dazzling themed outfits.
The rapturous welcome the "Cruel Summer" singer received when she finally made it onto the stage proved her point about the fandom.
After the ballad "Champagne Problems," she was met with a ritualistic standing ovation that has become a staple of the tour. It lasted three minutes, and the applause shook the stadium.
Swift took out her ear monitors, and laughed as she looked around in seeming disbelief.
"Right now, honestly, I am just feeling so overjoyed that we decided to spend our last several shows in Vancouver," she said.
"You are unbelievable. I love you so much. My face hurts from grinning. Thank you so much," she added, letting out a squeal.
The pop star had made her entrance on the BC Place stage in a shimmering blue-and-gold bodysuit, kicking off the show around 7:50 p.m. with her usual "Lover" era set to the tune of "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince."
A two-man film crew could be seen following her around the stage.
"Where have the crowds been so generous, so welcoming, so warm-hearted? Where do they know every single word? And they not only sing them, but they scream them?" she asked the audience after her opening numbers.
"Oh, we've got to go back to Canada, and so here we are in beautiful Vancouver."
She also struck a wistful note, reflecting on the end of a tour that has lasted almost two years.
"This has been a tour of many traditions. It's been a tour of many, many Friday nights. But this will be the last Friday night that we ever play on the Eras Tour."
She later called it "the greatest last Friday night" she could imagine.
Outside, crowds of ticketless fans were also enjoying the show, cheering and singing along under steady rain and the watchful eye of police — and undeterred by warnings from stadium officials that those without tickets should stay away.
Security was tight, with street barricades cutting off some of the downtown core's busiest streets, including West Georgia, Smithe, Beatty and Robson. The closures had snarled traffic in the afternoon.
Ajeet Brar from Penticton, B.C., was leading some of the singalongs, determined to help share "the love and the energy" of the tour.
"That's what this is all about. It's not about getting that ticket. It's about the people,” said Brar.
Huge numbers of Swifties were also watching the show online, via multiple fan livestreams. Some had viewerships bigger then the 60,000-plus capacity of BC Place.
Swift performed almost non-stop for more than three hours, with the show broken into 10 mini sets representing the eras of her 11 studio albums.
Each era of the show is marked by set and outfit changes that reflect the albums. For instance, Swift wore a glittery ball gown for the "Speak Now" section and a golden and black snake jumpsuit during her "Reputation" set on Friday.
Before the 10-minute version of "All Too Well" — a fan favourite — she told the crowd why the tour has been the longest of her career, both in terms of show time and number of performances.
"It's felt like this escape to a planet where nothing but joy, and passion and togetherness and camaraderie exists. It's also a chance to relive some of my favourite memories from tours we've done in the past."
The set list of almost 50 songs included well-known hits like "Delicate" and "Bejewelled" as well as surprise acoustic songs that change each night.
Swift called it the section she "gets nervous" about. She played a mash-up of "Haunted" and "Wonderland" on guitar followed by a mix of "Never Grow Up" and "The Best Day" on piano.
After the concert, fans poured onto the streets and were met with pelting rain. A ban on umbrellas in the stadium left many unprotected in their finery.
But they weren't about to let running mascara and soaked faux fur jackets ruin the night.
Kara Merik, a "forever Swiftie" from Prince George, B.C., said the night couldn't have gone better. "I waited for it for so long and it blew me away," she said, calling the night "electric, joyous, amazing."
It had been a long and fraught road to see Swift for Americans Nikki Solemsaas and Emily Wisser, who had travelled to Vienna in August for a show that was cancelled by a terrorist plot.
"We didn't think we were going to be able to go again, and then her husband surprised us with tickets," Solemsaas said, gesturing to Wisser.
Shannon Harvey will have been to 11 Eras Tour shows by the time Swift takes her final bow on Sunday. That includes all three shows in Vancouver.
"It's electric," she said of the mood inside BC Place.
Harvey, who flew to Vancouver from Long Island, N.Y., said the end of the tour will be "bittersweet."
"I think this is going to be goodbye for a little bit," she said of seeing Swift. "But she deserves it more than anyone."
— with files by Nono Shen in Vancouver
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.
Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press