Who would imagine that a musical concert could get reflected on a Richter scale, used for measuring earthquakes! But so it did recently at a California concert by the reigning pop diva, Taylor Swift.
She literally created a seismic impact, performing in front of a mind-boggling crowd of over 100,000 fans at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The ‘Swifties’ (Taylor fans, for those not initiated into fandom terminology) let their feet speak their approbation in a high octane/octave participation.
Such Taylor-mania harks back to a similar frenzied following of the Beatles though they never did a global tour. Michael Jackson a.k.a MJ will remain a legend and a GOAT (Greats of all times). He did it by performing at 82 concerts in 35 countries on five continents. Rightfully called the King of Pop, having gone viral when there was no Internet and Instagram!
Elvis Presley with his golden voice, good looks and a gyrating pelvis also had a cult following. Madonna too unleashed an adrenaline -high in her concerts. And there is Beyoncé as competition.
With an awesome legacy like this, Taylor has gone on from a teenager singing country songs to reach a musical stratosphere. She is the Queen of Pop, barring none. Swifties would vociferously concur.
She is the only living artist to have simultaneously four albums in the Billboard Top 10 since Herb Alpert in 1966. She has many more firsts and enviable statistics to cement her musical prowess.
Such is her musical heft that some newspapers in California made it a QR for hiring music reporters to be fully up to speed in all Taylor lore and trivia. To detail some trivia here, Taylor, unlike most, doesn't suffer from Triskaidekaphobia.
You would be familiar with this word if you’ve read Shashi Tharoor’s book ‘Tharoorosaurus’. It is the fear of number 13! It is a lucky number for her, having been born on the 13th and turning 13 on Friday the 13th! Her Twitter/X handle is @taylorswift13.
Rihanna like Taylor is a songwriter and singer with charisma and Beyoncé (Bey for her fans) whose musical genius attracts the likes of Michelle Obama and other celebs are sizzling favourites. Taylor Swift too has a bunch of A-list Hollywood actors mesmerised by her melodies.
She has a younger fan base of Gen Z where obliging Dads chaperon their wards. Mark Zuckerberg recently took his young lasses to a Taylor Swift concert in California with a sweet tweet: “Life of a girl Dad”, a sentiment shared by many reluctant or happy paterfamilias.
But a larger millennial fan base is also in Taylor Swift’s thrall since they look at her as an aspirational role model, a self-made woman with business savvy. The Eras Tour may make upwards of $1.4 billion.
Closer home in Bharat, this kind of crazy fandom plus lucre generated is strictly for celluloid stars or cricketing heroes. But celluloid doesn’t test you as a live concert does. Taylor has an amazing ability to connect with the fans through lyrics that seem to mirror their feelings and this immersive experience at her electrifying live concerts ends up getting them hooked.
The songstress has such a magnetic pull that the fanatic-fans are zipping across cities and continents to attend Swift’s Eras global tour concerts that began in March 23 and will end in November 2024. With sold out concerts , air tickets rocketing sky high and hotel accommodation costing a king’s ransom and Swift merchandise to boot, the cash registers are ringing rapturously.
A Biblical saying in the Ecclesiastes states , “ The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happeneth to them all.” Taylor Swift is certainly taking her music swiftly across the globe mesmerising her fans and this epic following has no element of chance.
With her singing talent and savvy marketing, time is certainly ripe for her to sweep fans off their feet. Mostly, they speak with their feet. No mean feat that!