Nashville is no stranger to snarled-up traffic ahead of big concerts, but this weekend could take that to a whole new level. The city is preparing for a fan takeover, as three nights of Taylor Swift concerts are prompting a slew of road closures in East Nashville and downtown around the Nissan Stadium venue.
The Eras Tour shows have been a talking point since the initial ticket sales sparked controversy late last year. As millions of fans went to buy pre-sale tickets via Ticketmaster, the website crashed, leaving fans empty-handed and frustrated.
In response, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti launched a consumer protection investigation into the incident, looking into whether or not Ticketmaster had violated anti-trust laws. The American ticket sales and distribution company also faced lawsuits from fans, who alleged that Ticketmaster controls the primary ticket market while expanding into the secondary market, getting additional fees every time a ticket is resold.
Ticketmaster did publicly apologize to Swift and her fans in a statement in the aftermath of the incident. And the debacle didn’t seem to derail fans from showing up: This weekend’s three shows are expected to have a combined audience of 180,000 — about the size as the entire city of Chattanooga.
Cynthia Abrams WPLN NewsTaylor Swift fans gather outside of Nissan Stadium ahead of the first night of her Eras Tour concerts in Nashville.
In the days preceding the show, hundreds of fans lined up outside the stadium to purchase merchandise. And in the hours leading up to Friday’s show, thousands swarmed the stadium.
Many had travelled far across the country to attend, like Brandon Ledbetter, who was visiting from Johnson City for the first time.
“It’s my first time here,” Ledbetter said. “It’s a lot bigger than stuff that I’m used to.”
Another Swiftie, Nicole Peebles, travelled from Pensacola, Florida. She said that she was excited to be in the Eras Tour environment. “I’m really excited to be here with her and the other Swifties,” Peebles said.
Mackenzie Cavallero, another Floridian, flew in from Tampa. She said she loves so many Taylor Swift lyrics, but a particular line seemed especially resonant for the occasion.
“I have a lot of favorite lyrics, but the one that’s been my thing today is ‘It’s a long time coming,’” Cavallero said. “I just feel like we’ve waiting a long time for this concert, and it’s been, like, my bucket list thing.”
The Taylor Swift fervor is in addition to several college graduation ceremonies taking place. Belmont, Middle Tennessee State University, Lipscomb and Tennessee State University — which is set to feature alumna Oprah Winfrey as commencement speaker — all have graduation ceremonies planned for this weekend.
The Department of Transportation is encouraging Nashvillians to use the Waze app to help get around. Rideshare lanes will also be available in parts of East Nashville for drop-offs and pick-ups.
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