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FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Taylor Swift fans turned out on Thursday, gathering in large numbers to stock up on merchandise ahead of the star’s three shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro this weekend.
Roughly 24 hours before the first of Swift’s upcoming shows, fans were already lined up in the cold for merch Thursday morning, with some wrapped in blankets as temps tumbled overnight.
By noontime, merch sales were in full-swing after a tractor-trailer loaded with gear opened up shop to the sound of fans cheering.
Some shoppers told 7NEWS they had been waiting anywhere from eight to ten hours for a chance to grab a shirt or sweater from the mobile outlet.
“Oh, yeah it was – 100 percent,” Michaela Griffiths said when asked if it was worth the wait. “I pulled an all-nighter. I got here at like five in the morning, so I’m really excited that I got my stuff that I wanted.”
“Now I don’t have to wait in a line on the day of the show – I can relax a little bit and yeah, I’m very happy,” another fan told 7NEWS while holding up an Eras Tour sweater.
Cold or not, the stakeout was a preamble for the upcoming concerts at Gillette, with those in line saying they were stoked to see Swift take the stage.
“Everything is so well-choreographed and so well-thought through – everything about it, a Taylor Swift show, is incredible and I don’t want to miss a second of it,” said Jackie Prew.
“I think the demand right now is super-high, so, I’m like, forever grateful for my mom paying for me to let me go,” said Emily Randall.
It wasn’t just Swifties waiting Thursday morning either – Dave Randlett was also waiting bright and early to get his hands on something for his daughter, saying it’s worth it to make her happy with a Swifty gift.
“I’m here getting merch for my daughter – that’s the game plan,” Randlett said. “She’s gonna come down and bring me coffee.”
Altogether, officials anticipate 200,000 Taylor Swift fans will come to Gillette Stadium across Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
“As an organization, we are thrilled to have Taylor back here,” said Kraft Sports + Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Jim Nolan.
Fans, indeed, remember past visits all too well, as Gillette was the first NFL stadium where Swift performed back in 2010.
Since then, everything has changed, including the addition of new bathrooms.
“We really pushed to have two new bathrooms on the 100 level inside the Bank of America gate ready to go,” Nolan said. “One is an extra large women’s bathroom.”
In Gillette’s parking lots, there will be no blank spaces available. Instead, only prepaid passes will be accepted.
MBTA train tickets to get to Foxboro for Swift’s shows are sold out. And drivers are asked to take I-95 or I-495 to Route 1 as officials expect high traffic volume around the concerts.
For those not lucky enough to get seats, Nolan had a message Thursday.
“If you don’t have a ticket, we ask you not to come to Gillette,” he said.
All three Swift concerts, featuring Phoebe Bridgers and GAYLE for two shows and Bridgers and Gracie Abrams on Sunday, are set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. each night from May 19 through May 21.
Parking lots open at 2:30 p.m. before each show. Gates to the stadium itself open at 4:30 p.m. Officials have advised anyone coming to upcoming shows to arrive early.
The Foxboro Police Department has released a full traffic advisory regarding upcoming Taylor Swift shows that includes information on pickup and drop-off locations for concert attendees. See the advisory here.
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