This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bianca Capazorio, a 41-year-old Swiftie based in Cape Town, South Africa. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her expenses.
I became a Swiftie the way a lot of Swifties became Swifties — through heartbreak.
The first album that introduced me to Taylor Swift was the album “Red.” The song “All Too Well” came out during a time when I was going through a massive breakup.
Her lyrics resonated with me so much.
But as much as I was a fan, I’ve never had the opportunity to go to a concert before. She’s never been to South Africa, where I’m from.
So when she announced the Eras Tour, I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Not only would I get to see her perform so many old songs, I’d get to hear her new stuff, too.
My friends and I decided to try to get tickets for the European concerts
My friend and I decided we would go to the first European country where we could score tickets.
A few different sales went live on the same day, and I ended up taking that day off work so I could focus on getting the tickets.
In the end, the day off wasn’t necessary. My friend had secured tickets to the Vienna show the day before. It took her less than five minutes to buy the tickets, and we even got great seats in the front standing section.
We were surprised, but it was that quick.
We had a budget in mind that we didn’t want to go over. For me, my budget was between 5,000 and 6,000 South African Rand, or about $270 to $326, for a ticket. In the end, each ticket was about $197.
My flight ticket cost 14,828 Rand, or about $800. Since it’s a long-haul flight — about 15 hours, including a three-hour stopover in Dubai — my friends and I decided to make a trip out of it. We’ll be traveling around Austria for two weeks.
One of my friends made her own outfit, while the other had one made. I, too, bought an outfit for the concert — one of those tassel dresses that looks a lot like the ones Taylor wore in her “Fearless” era. It’s blue and sparkly.
Together, the three of us made a whole bunch of friendship bracelets to trade at the show, too.
We heard the news last night
My friend and I were out at dinner when our third friend, who stayed behind in the hotel, called us to say that she saw chatter online about how the concert might be canceled.
Barracuda Music, an Austrian event organizer, had posted a notice about it. We hoped that it was just fake news but when we saw that Taylor Nation, the official social-media account for Taylor’s team, reposting it, our hearts sank.
I was devastated. It’s been a year in the planning, and I’ve been looking forward to it for so long.
Additionally, I feel like it’s our only chance to see this show because the tour is finishing soon.
At the same time, I accept that the decision was probably not taken lightly. I would rather just be a little bit heartbroken today than be in the stadium if something happened.
We did a few touristy things the past few days, and we ran into a bunch of Swifties around Vienna. We managed to trade a few bracelets, so at least we’ve had that experience. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to meet more Swifties while we’re out and about over the next couple of days.
My friend, because she booked the tickets, received an official email from the ticketing agency saying that our tickets would be fully refunded within 10 days.
Our tickets were for the first show tonight, and although we haven’t made any plans yet, we’ve decided to do something today because we don’t want to mope around in a beautiful country.
