SYDNEY, Australia — Natasha Rochfort stood in a sea of thousands of Swifties Wednesday afternoon outside of Accord Stadium planning to get Eras Tour merchandise. With her laptop perched on top of a rolling suitcase, the tax accountant used her phone as a hot spot during the three and a half hour wait.
“I’m literally just doing tax returns as I’m standing here waiting,” laughed Rochfort. Her shirt read “Betty’s Garden,” a reference to track 14 on Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” album.
“It’s a once in a lifetime office,” she joked. “I won’t have the stress of missing out on the merch for the rest of the week, and I can work from anywhere, so why not work from probably the busiest place in Sydney.”
Thousands waited hours outside of three tents in lines that moved at a snail’s pace. Some sat on the ground, others ran back-and-forth from parking meters to add time, but all were excited to get their hands on Swift merch.
Swift is expected to sell $66 million (that’s $43.3 in American currency) worth of merchandise, according to Amanda White, who is working toward her doctorate in accounting at the University of Technology Sydney.
“I’m going to get two of the hoodies, two T-shirts and a bunch of other stuff for other people,” said Kiki Liu while waiting in line with her 3-year-old corgi Bao. “I may get Bao a water bottle.”
One blue hoodie is going for $120 Australian ($78.80 U.S.). Liu spent more time waiting in line than she will watching Swift’s show.
“I’ve never been to her concert, and it’s worth it,” she said, “and I’ll look cute.”
The pop star will play Accord Stadium for four nights, Friday to Monday, before heading to Singapore. The stadium holds about 75,000 fans, meaning 300,000 tickets for the Sydney shows. More fans are expected to “Taylor-gate” outside the open-roofed stadium.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network’s Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
