Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at Caesars Superdome. Photos courtesy of Caesars Superdome.
No one can deny the impact that Taylor Swift has had on the world, let alone on the venue industry. By the end of her Eras Tour, Swift will have performed 149 shows across 54 cities worldwide — an estimated total economic impact that will likely surpass $10 billion, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
Fans spend hundreds of dollars on merchandise, travel, and food as part of their pilgrimages to see the musician.
“Between the two of us, we are traveling over 1,000 miles one way to see this show!” said Rachel Daugherty, a self-identified Swiftie.
“I’m headed to the Indianapolis Eras Tour with my best friend who I met in Girl Scouts as a kindergartener. We are thrilled to spend the weekend empowering women, cheering on the iconic Taylor Swift, and trading friendship bracelets with friends and strangers!” said Daugherty.
Friendship Bracelets
The trend of wearing friendship bracelets to a Taylor Swift concert began with lyrics in her song “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from the album “Midnights”:
This October, Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) took this trend to the next level when they enlisted artist and sculptor Shawn Kolodny to construct giant friendship bracelets to festoon the outside of their venue.
Concertgoers attending the Eras Tour at the Superdome were greeted by the incredible sight of seven feet tall inflatable “beads” on 140 feet long “bracelets”.
“Originally, the idea was to try to figure out a way to make a friendship bracelet that would go around the circumference of the Superdome. I was doing research online trying to figure out what the best way to create a bracelet that would be able to withstand unknown weather conditions and would not cause any damage to the building,” said Abby Jones, ASM New Orleans Director of Sales & Marketing.
“I found bigshinyballs.com, and thought their product would be perfect.” She explained, “Once we received approval to move forward with the art installation, I was able to get a meeting with Big Shiny Balls’ owner, Shawn Kolodny. Through this design process, he suggested that we go with the inflatable nylon material that was used. Working within the restrictions of lead-time to create the bracelets and budget, we were able to decide on the final project. Sadly, one large bracelet to go all the way around the Superdome was not realistic, but I was more than thrilled with the final project.”
The friendship bracelet installation at Caesars Superdome. Photos courtesy of Caesars Superdome.
Taylor Swift herself spoke about the friendship bracelets while on stage at the Superdome, saying to her fans, “You’ve turned this into such a fun thing. And now I roll into New Orleans and there’s a giant friendship bracelet on the outside of the stadium — you did that.”
When asked how it felt to hear such praise, Jones said, “It was incredible! The bracelets were created to be experienced by the fans and show all of the Swifites coming to New Orleans how excited we were to have them. When she acknowledged them from the stage and knew they were a celebration of her fan’s traditions, it was the best feeling in the world.”
Adding to that feeling, Jones said, “The reaction from the fans was more than I could have ever expected. My favorite part of each night was standing out on the Plaza, watching our guests gather and take pictures underneath them.”
It was the fans who encouraged offering the giant friendship bracelets to the next stop on the tour, Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I loved that they asked us about sharing them, it got us moving on how to make it happen. The fact that we get to share this experience with the other venues and the fans attending those concerts is just the cherry on top of an amazing experience,” said Jones.
A Symbol
Lucas Oil Stadium Director Eric Neuburger said, “We were delighted and honestly, a little giddy,” to receive the bracelet installation.
“Among venues, we share ideas and best practices, and we do a lot of commiserating. While we’re technically competitors, it’s really a friendly competition, and we always cheer one another on and are pleased to see each other succeed,” he continued. “I remember when I saw the bracelets go up on the Caesars Superdome, I wished we’d thought of it, but I mostly thought, ‘Well done New Orleans!’”
“Then, when we got the call offering us the friendship bracelets, it was completely in keeping with the way venues work together and share our successes and genius ideas,” he said. “We’re profoundly thankful that Caesars Superdome reached out with this symbol of friendship and camaraderie.”
The feeling of friendship and camaraderie reached the entire city of Indianapolis — the last U.S. city on the Eras Tour — with Mayor Joe Hogsett proclaiming the first weekend of November 2024 as ‘Taylor Swift Weekend’.
When asked what that meant to Lucas Oil Stadium, Neuberger said, “It’s awesome, and it goes to show the collaborative way we do big events. Our entire city and civic organizations come out to create an ecosystem for the events we host in our buildings. We did it most recently of course with the Eras Tour, but also other big events like the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, NBA All-Stars, March Madness.”
Neuberger explained that the bracelets have since come down from the exterior of their venue, saying, “We had some heavy winds on the north side of Lucas Oil Stadium where the bracelets were hung, and they were getting pretty banged up. To be respectful of this beacon of our relationship, the decision was made to bring them in from the elements.” However, he reassured everyone, “The Lucas Oil Stadium friendship with the Caesar’s Superdome remains strong and undamaged.”
Typically, Swifties trade friendship bracelets at her concerts, which made me wonder: did Lucas Oil Stadium give Caesars Superdome something in return?
According to Neuberger, “We haven’t yet, but we’re keeping our radar attuned for good opportunities to show our thanks! Unfortunately, it’s going to be REALLY hard to top the giant friendship bracelets.”
International Reach
The installation arrived at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, the week of November 11 ahead of Swift’s sold-out run at the venue, proving that venue camaraderie crosses international borders.
It seems likely that Swifties will get to see the now famous giant friendship bracelets travel to the next and final stop on the Eras tour, BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. Where they go from there remains to be seen, but I have no doubt that the joy they have brought to fans will be remembered, and I bet we can look forward to other exciting ideas from venues to come.
The lesson: make the friendship bracelets, but, unlike the song, you’re not on your own, kid — at least not in the venue industry.
