As Taylor Swift brings her Eras Tour to its conclusion in Vancouver with shows on Dec. 6, 7, and 8, the plight of the ticket-less has never seemed so dire.
Tickets to her three concerts at BC Place went on sale in November 2023, with access to the infamous Ticketmaster "queue" going to people who registered for "verified fan" status.
The initial sale is often jokingly referred to by Swift's fans as "The Great War," which is a nod to her song of the same name off her 2022 Midnights album.
The Vancouver shows were the last announced and the last sold, and Swift made it crystal clear that they will be the last ever Eras Tour shows (despite fan theories swirling online about surprise "one more time" shows in U.S. cities like Los Angeles or Nashville).
Fans coming from (at least) 49 countries and territories to see Swift in Vancouver
All eyes are on Vancouver and ticket resale platforms, like StubHub, as prices soared to astronomical heights.
The ticketing resale platform tells V.I.A. that "the Taylor Swift Eras Tour is StubHub’s best-selling tour ever, with demand reaching unprecedented levels."
Approximately 70 per cent of the ticket holders coming to Vancouver to see Swift are from outside the Lower Mainland, said a BC Place representative.
As of Thursday (Dec. 5) StubHub's data shows that buyers for the Vancouver shows are coming from 49 countries and territories. Outside of North America, buyers from Australia have purchased the most tickets across the three shows in Vancouver.
The final night of the tour is now the best-selling show in Vancouver and is tracking to be the best-selling Eras Tour show of 2024, outside of shows in the U.S., shares a StubHub representative.
Nearly 40 per cent of all sales for shows in Vancouver have occurred in the last eight weeks on the reseller platform.
Over the past few months, fans eager to get a seat have scrambled to find tickets. Facebook groups for the Vancouver shows have countless posts of locals offering to trade accommodations, rides, or even a wedding dress for an extra ticket.
Countless contests, auctions, raffles, and even the BC Lottery Corporation, had tickets to give away for the "concert of a lifetime."
Rogers offering one last giveaway including 'street-level ticket blitz' on Thursday
While most contests have closed, presenting sponsor Rogers is now amping up its giveaways. The comms giant will have daily giveaways, "giving Swifties multiple ways to score tickets to the sold-out Vancouver shows, including a social media contest and Taylor-themed trivia challenges in search of her biggest fans," according to a Rogers rep.
On Thursday, Rogers was out a few Vancouver landmarks to engage fans to compete in Taylor-themed trivia to win concert tickets to the Eras Tour.
Surprise behind the stage ticket drop last week
Last week, in an unprecedented move, the tour opened up about seven thousand seats (over the three nights) located behind the stage, listing them for $16 and indicating they were "video view," only. These no-view "listening only" tickets were sold on Ticketmaster quickly, as the queue was open to some (but not all).
While many fans scooped them up (including several who did so from the U.S. or other countries with no plans in place for flights or hotels), many seats were immediately listed on StubHub by resellers looking to make hundreds - or thousands - of dollars in profit.
As the show dates near, many ticket-less fans are wondering if there will be any last-minute opportunity to buy tickets.
The logistics of the last-minute Eras Tour ticket drops
As precedent shows, fans often have one final chance to nab tickets from Ticketmaster before show day.
That's because as the massive Eras Tour stage is built on the stadium floor and the chairs are lined up, the tour organizers can determine if more seats can feasibly be added. They may also take a look at sight lines and open up spaces that may have been left out of ticket sales due to potential obstruction.
The decision to release additional seats is between the tour organizers and Ticketmaster, said Chris May, the general manager of BC Place.
A fan with a condo overlooking BC Place has shared their view of some of the action through stadium windows.
@avishsood5 #theerastour stage is getting set up in Vancouver… lets get it. #swifttok ♬ original sound - avishsood5
One TikTok user, Dan Shapiro, has been sharing insight into ticket sales and last-minute "drops" online.
In this video, he explains the stage build timeline for Vancouver:
@danshapiro97 Perspective on the remaining Vancouver drops and stage timing from the brand new behind the scenes photos in the Eras Tour book! #erastourvancouver #erastourtickets #tickets #erastourbook #erastour #TSTheErasTour #taylorswift #swiftie #swifttok ♬ original sound - Dan Shapiro⸆⸉
He also explains what tickets and sections could be put on sale after the stage is built:
@danshapiro97 Replying to @champagnetroubles Speculation on what seats may still be held back and available to be dropped during the final production hold drops in Vancouver. #erastourvancouver #erastourtickets #tickets #TSTheErasTour #erastour #taylorswift #swifttok #swiftie ♬ original sound - Dan Shapiro⸆⸉
And Shapiro was right. Stage construction was completed on Wednesday, giving the tour the chance to see where seats could be sold.
On Wednesday night, ticket queues opened up on Ticketmaster for all three nights, with lower bowl seats up for grabs for those verified fans who could get into the waiting line and make the purchase.
It remains to be seen if the tour will find more seats to make available, and, if so, when.
How do fans know that tickets are on sale for additional seats?
In the past, some "verified fans" have received notification that a show they registered for is open for buying.
Otherwise, fans have gone to X/Twitter to find accounts that focus on sharing news of ticket availability, like @swiftieswanttix. Fans may wish to turn notifications on for those accounts so that they receive an alert when a new tweet goes out that may be about ticket drops for the Vancouver shows.
Word spreads quickly on TikTok and in Facebook groups about the last-minute ticket sales, however, the algorithms aren't chronological, so you may have to search.
Buying last-minute resale tickets: Will prices go down?
One option is to wait until the very last minute to purchase from resellers, as sometimes the prices will go down as the start time nears (or passes).
This was the case for the first three of six nights Swift was in Toronto.
"On StubHub, across all three shows, we saw an average ticket price drop of 21 per cent on the day of the show," the reseller tells V.I.A.
Given that there are just three shows in Vancouver and they are the last of the entire tour, it's unclear how significant of a price drop fans can expect on the day of the show.
StubHub suggests fans look for single tickets, as those searches "may yield better prices than searching for group tickets."
Those who wish to wait until the very last moment, as in right before the show starts or even after the first couple of songs, will need to consider where they can wait and do so, as BC Place will not permit anyone without a ticket to access the stadium property.
"If you don't have a ticket, don't come to the stadium district," May cautioned.
Whether you're someone looking to buy a ticket as the show begins or simply listen from outside the venue, BC Place is not permitting what's become known as "Tay-gating."
BC Place will have a fenced perimeter around its property which will be accessible for ticket-holders only. Line-ups will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the venue opening at 4:30 p.m.
Fans may also find that sponsor Rogers may be inclined to reward some fans with tickets outside the perimeter ahead of showtime.
There will be no opportunity to purchase tickets directly from the venue.
This article was originally published on Dec. 2 and has been updated.
