Vancouver came alive Friday evening for the first of Taylor Swift’s three concerts at BC Place to end her wildly successful Eras Tour.
Swifties decked out in their sparkliest outfits and shiniest cowboy boots headed downtown to make up the 250,000 people expected to pass through Stadium District this weekend.
Keen fans filmed what they claimed was Taylor’s motorcade leaving a downtown hotel and arriving at BC Place before the show.
@croccstar Taylor leaving for the concert 😭💝 #taylorswift #swiftok #tiktokvancouver ♬ original sound – grace
@empresstravelclub Touchdown Taylor Swift! Night 1 Vancouver! #erastour #swiftie #taylorswift #vancouver ♬ …Ready For It? – Taylor Swift
Inside, some concertgoers who snagged cheap last-minute view-only seats were surprised to find they could see Taylor as she strutted on her T-shaped catwalk.
“My ‘no stage view seats’ for $16,” one fan captioned a TikTok, revealing how much of the stage she could see.
@liesbetoldimtruthing Section 222 for anyone wondering! #tstheerastour #vancouver ♬ original sound – Kachow
@kristinlaser Those $16 no view seats really came through. Don’t mind me bawling my eyes out. Thank you @Dan Shapiro⸆⸉ for the tips to get these seats. #taylorswifterastour #swiftcouver #erastour @Taylor Nation @Taylor Swift ♬ original sound – Kristin Laser
Fans scream Taylor Swift lyrics outside stadium
For some, the most heartwarming moment of the night was witnessing dedicated fans belt out Swift’s lyrics in the pouring rain outside BC Place.
One TikToker shared footage of fans singing “Champagne Problems” beneath their umbrellas under the set of giant friendship bracelets as Swift’s own muffled music came from the stadium.
@w4terinyourh4nds this lasted the whole 3 and a half hour set.. literal magic ⭐️ #vancouvern1 #erastourcanada #erastour #taylorswift #swifttok ♬ original sound – kayla
“This lasted the whole three hour set,” the TikToker captioned their video.
Commenters called the curbside singers true fans and expressed sorrow that they couldn’t get tickets.
“See, these are the fans that really deserve those tickets,” one commenter said. “If I could, I would buy all of them tickets.”
“Imagine a world where someone says ‘let anyone who is still standing outside — let them in,’” said another.
Another TikToker shared footage of the crowd near the Red sign in front of BC Place singing “22.”
@tygkyle This is outside the eras tour in Vancouver. #Swiftcouver #Vancouver #erastour #taylorswift ♬ original sound – Kyle Tayag
“I assume all of these people wish they were inside, but they still experience what live music can do and how it can bring people together,” one commenter said. “Incredible.”
Concert-goers deal with post-concert crowds getting home from concert
All the fans, both inside and outside the stadium, had to leave the downtown core somehow, and they had to deal with a slow journey onto the SkyTrain at Stadium-Chinatown station.
And that’s just the crowd for the Beatty St entrance, probably another crowd down below at the Expo Blvd entrance. It might be worth the short walk to board the train at Granville Station. https://t.co/KZMdp0qWtP
— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) December 7, 2024
“I’d be going to waterfront for an empty train! That looks terrible,” Jill Drews replied on X.
The Vancouver Police Department’s Sgt. Steve Addison shared a video among the crowd encouraging folks to find an officer if they encountered any trouble.
“The first night of Taylor Swift has come to an end. Thank you for making this such a success. We want everyone to get home safely,” he said.
We hope your Taylor Swift concert experience was a night to remember! There are thousands of people leaving the stadium, but our officers are easy to spot in their high visibility vests. Please reach out if you need us. #ErasTourVancouver #EndOfEras pic.twitter.com/2mBaKhM7r1
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) December 7, 2024
The force didn’t notify the media of any major issues during the concert.