Taylor Swift has arrived at the MCG in Melbourne to kick off the very first show in her hotly-anticipated Eras tour Down Under.
The global megastar, 34, was seen being chauffeured FBI-style to the stadium on Friday afternoon, just hours before taking to the stage.
A cavalcade of blacked out Land Rovers were seen driving down Brunton Ave and into the underground carpark of the venue, with one carrying the Shake It Off star.
Fans have been eagerly waiting for Taylor to take to the stage in her first Australian tour since 2018, and flocked to the venue early amid the Swiftie mania.
Thousands of the popstar’s fans swarmed the arena two hours before the show’s start time of 6.30pm in an attempt to avoid the long lines to get in.
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Taylor Swift has arrived at the MCG in Melbourne to kick off the very first show in her hotly-anticipated Eras tour Down Under
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The global megastar, 34, was seen being chauffeured FBI-style to the stadium on Friday afternoon
Several excited attendees were dressed in the theme of each of Taylor’s ‘Eras’.
Fans typically pick their favourite album and dress according to that ‘era’ and colour – be it with the classic Fearless cowboy boots or the Folklore cottage core dresses.
Taylor is expected to pull out all the stops for her Australian tour and has had just two days to get over her jet leg before taking to the stage for her first show.
Taylor mania began when she touched down in Melbourne early Thursday morning at approximately 12.40am and was greeted by a legion of die-hard Swifties.
The Cruel Summer singer travelled in style on board a Bombardier Global 6000, a luxurious private jet that can carry up to 17 passengers.
Taylor was promptly escorted to her accommodation after her 12 hour flight where she will rest until she takes to the stage in front of 85,000 screaming fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.The performance will kick off the first of Taylor’s seven sold out shows in Australia.
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The huge line of cars were seen driving up to the venue as the global megastar made her hotly-anticipated debut
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Though the singer was not seen, her line of vehicles arrived at the venue ahead of her on-stage debut
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The line-up of vehicles was seen turning into the venue ahead of Taylor’s first show
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The organised convoy of vehicles drew up to the venue ahead of the singer’s tour kicking off
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Taylor made her low-key arrival at the venue just hours ahead of taking to the stage
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Huge crowds were seen lining up outside the venue as Swiftie mania kicked off
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Crowds were seen queuing up outside the venue as the mania began ahead of the show
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Crowds were seen excitedly heading towards the MCG for the epic show
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Meanwhile, thousands of the popstar’s fans swarmed the arena two hours before the show’s start time of 6.30pm in an attempt to avoid the long lines to get in
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Several women were dressed in the theme of each of Taylor’s ‘Eras’
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After fans were told they couldn’t bring extra friendship bracelets on d-rings into the venues, they wore them stacked up their arms in tradition
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Fans pulled out all the stops with their incredible outfits as they marked the tour’s start in style
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Fans eagerly posed for snaps as they watched to watch the global superstar on stage
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Fans flocked into the venue early in a bid to avoid any long lines, despite organisers asking them not to arrive too early in the day
Taylor’s flight (VJT993) from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Melbourne became the globe’s most-tracked flight with almost 1,500 of her eager fans watching its trek across the Pacific.
Taylor – who is dating Kansas Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce – completely missed out on Valentine’s Day due to her travels, being airborne for the entire romantic day.
She took off in Hawaii at 4.52pm local time on February 13, and didn’t land until the early hours on February 15 AEDT due to the 21-hour time difference, meaning she missed the big day.
But she had just spent a few days with her boyfriend Travis in Los Angeles as she celebrated with him after he won the NFL Super Bowl, before jetting off Down Under.
Excitement is already building for her Australian Eras tour as thousands of Swifties are ready to crowd into the Melbourne Cricket Ground from February 16 to 18 and the Accor Stadium in Sydney from February 23 to 26 for her shows.
More than 600,000 tickets have been sold for her performances, and some fans are going to the desperate measure of chartering their own flights to get to her shows, according to travel agency Flight Centre.
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Groups of Swifties were seen travelling to the venue on public transport as it became overrun with fans
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Huge lines formed outside the venue as 85,000 fans packed in to watch Taylor’s first Australia show on the tour
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Groups of friends all arrived in their Eras themed outfits as they watched to watch the superstar
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The cricket ground became completely overrun by eager fans who had been counting down until the big day
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Taylor mania has swept Australia, as Swifties have been eagerly waiting for the show
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Fans were seen decorating their homes with Taylor-themed displays as they marked her arrival
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Melbourne went full swing into Swiftie mania amid the star’s arrival in the city
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With a venue capacity of 100,000, the masses descended on Melbourne for the first Eras show
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Australian fans have been eagerly awaiting Taylor to return to tour since her 2018 Reputation tour
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Groups of fans were seen grinning for selfies as they commemorated the occasion
‘Commercial flights and accommodation are at a premium and we’ve even seen some travellers opting for a private charter flight to get to the concert as a result,’ Flight Centre Travel Group global leisure CEO James Kavanagh told news.com.au.
‘While it may seem extreme, we’re not surprised to see people opting for private flights through our charter aircraft company AVMIN and we’ve had bookings for both Taylor’s Sydney and Melbourne shows.’
Flight Centre have revealed commercial flights from Brisbane to Melbourne cost approximately $569 for the February 16 show. The following week, the same route drops dramatically to $118.
Organisers of the tour are also concerned about the 15,000 fans who are estimated to arrive at the pop star’s sold-out shows despite not having tickets.
Venues NSW has warned ticketless fanatics to stay away from Accor Stadium to prevent crowd management issues, The Daily Telegraph reported on Sunday.
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Fans pulled out all the stops as they dressed to the nines in sequins and flashy outfits for the occasion
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Swifties looked overjoyed to be at the hotly-anticipated show as they smiled for the cameras
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Swifties dressed in full Eras garb as they channeled the star’s glitzy fashion sense
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Fans made the most of the balmy day as they gathered outside in huge crowds outside the venue
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Fans dressed in glitzy pink glasses and cowboy hats as they brought their Swiftie game to the show
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Families eagerly gathered at the MCG dressed up in their pink glittery outfits for the concert
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After fans were told they had to wear their friendship bracelets or pack them in a bag – rather than on D-rings, Swifties were seen with them stacked up their arms
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Huge crowds had gathered outside the venue ahead of the hotly-anticipated show
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Fans were seen sporting their iconic friendship bracelets as they descended on the MCG
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Taylor mania began when she touched down in Melbourne early Thursday morning at approximately 12.40am and was greeted by a legion of die-hard Swifties
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The Cruel Summer singer travelled in style on board a Bombardier Global 6000, a luxurious private jet that can carry up to 17 passengers
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Taylor was greeted by Swifties wrapped in blankets
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Her flight (VJT993) from Honolulu, Hawaii , to Melbourne became the globe’s most-tracked flight with almost 1,500 of her eager fans watching its trek across the Pacific
A spokesperson said fans who missed out on tickets should not try to ‘soak up the atmosphere’ outside, as they likely won’t hear any songs anyway.
Meanwhile, Transport NSW coordinator-general Howard Collins said the city was ‘preparing for the inevitable’.
‘What we found with other popular music venues where people can’t get tickets, people do just turn up to sort of soak up the atmosphere, and you can’t stop them other than to manage crowds,’ he said.
‘We are not encouraging ticketless fans to attend, but part of our contingency plan is allowing for extra people who may be travelling who haven’t got tickets.’
But despite warnings from the NSW government, businesses are said to be rolling out the welcome mat for all of Taylor’s fans regardless of whether they have tickets.
Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said: ‘Irrespective of their ticket status, Sydney must put up the welcome sign for the Swifties because they will all make a contribution to our city in some way.’
