Thousands of Swifties have to wait more than an hour to enter the Estadio da Luz stadium as the much-anticipated concert featuring opening act Paramore was delayed.
- May 25, 2024
AceShowbiz - Night one of Taylor Swift's highly anticipated "Eras Tour" in Lisbon faced a delay of over an hour as thousands of fans struggled to enter Estadio da Luz. Originally scheduled for a 6 P.M. start, the show featuring opening act Paramore kicked off at 7:05 P.M., with temperatures hovering in 40 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit). Despite the hiccup, fans celebrated a last-minute policy change allowing clear, soft plastic water bottles up to 50 cl inside the stadium.
The initial ban on water bottles raised significant health concerns, especially given the show's length - over three and a half hours. The situation was further exacerbated by past events, notably the tragic death of a fan from heat exhaustion at one of Swift's Brazilian concerts in November 2023. Fans flooded the "Eras Tour" Twitter account (@tswifterastour) with urgent pleas to overturn the ban, fearing a repeat of the Brazilian tragedy.
"Many of you have dmed/tagged me everywhere explaining that it has been newly announced that water bottles of any kind are banned from the stadium for the Eras Tour in Lisbon, Portugal," the fan account wrote. "For a 3.5 hour long show where people are going to be queueing up hours before and crammed in packed and tight spaces standing most of the time... not allowing water bottles is just really not wise."
The plea quickly went viral, garnering over 568,000 views and prompting fans to tag tour promoters Last Tour (@lasttourint), Swift's marketing team Taylor Nation (@taylornation13), and Taylor Swift herself. In an unexpected twist, the Estadio da Luz soon reversed its decision, allowing fans to bring in 50cl plastic water bottles.
"The policy has been changed and water bottles are now allowed to be brought into the stadium for 'The Eras Tour' in Lisbon, Portugal!" announced @tswifterastour, along with a screenshot of the updated rules.
Many speculated that Swift herself intervened to ensure the safety of her fans. "I have to believe Taylor's team was involved in this after what happened to Ana," commented one fan. Other attendees praised the change, calling it the "Swift effect" and lauding the singer for protecting her audience.
Taylor Swift will perform one more night in Lisbon before heading to Madrid, leaving fans in Portugal relieved and ready to enjoy the show safely.
