Amid soaring ticket prices and backlash against Ticketmaster, some enterprising Taylor Swift fans have come up with a practical workaround: Just watch the show from the parking lot.
The view may be a little restricted, but you can still hear the songs and see Taylor on the big screen. And if tickets are unaffordable and/or unavailable, then why not give it a try? Judging by TikTok, a lot of Swifties have opted for the parking lot trick—particularly at her Tampa show last week, where an impromptu party broke out.
“Dancing right there in the middle of the parking lot :’)” wrote TikToker @lizabethvictor earlier this week, attracting more than 1.9 million views. Her TikTok shows Swift performing on a distant screen while fans dance along to “You Belong With Me” in the foreground.
@lizabethvictor Dancing right there in the middle of the parking lot :’) @taylorswift @taylornation #tampatstheerastour #theerastour #taylorswift #taylorsversion #fearless ♬ original sound – elizabeth victor
Other Tampa TikToks show Swifties sitting on blankets, singing along to other songs, or watching from their cars. “Lot more people out here than when she first started!” wrote one.
@mysterygrl__ The parking lot girlies were holding it DOWN in Tampa Night 3. There were well over 100 people singing and dancing together all night and never missed a beat🥰 @taylorswift #taylorswift #tstheerastour #tstheerastourtampa ♬ original sound – user965476883710
@ashleytravels715 The parking lot it the spot #erastour #taylorswift #swiftie #tamp ♬ original sound – Ashley S
@where_is_boskey Lot more people out here than when she first started! #parkinglotfans #taylorswift #erastourtampa #taylorswifttampa #parkinglot #couldntgettickets ♬ original sound – Lisa Boskey
While Tampa is the main location for outside-the-venue TikToks, some commenters mentioned doing the same thing at other locations, or said they were planning to try when Swift came to their city in the future. That being said, this only works for outdoor venues where fans can actually hear the music from outside.
@halesvictoria Didnt have tickets but theres truly not a bad seat at the eras tour, I hopped on the bandwagon and tailgated to see the show and had so much fun! Im obsessed with this tour ❤️ #taylorswift #erastour #swifttok #theerastour #tampa ♬ original sound – Haley Victoria
Taylor Swift’s combination of a loyal fanbase and extremely expensive tickets is the perfect recipe for this kind of thing to happen. However, it obviously isn’t a new phenomenon.
In addition to the long history of fans organizing tailgate parties before concerts, people have been watching shows from outside the venue since time immemorial. Olivia Rodrigo and Phoebe Bridgers have both shouted out to fans watching their Austin, Texas shows from a nearby parking garage, and certain venues have a reputation for “concert eavesdropping” no matter who happens to be onstage.
Now these Tampa TikToks have gone viral in Swiftie fandom though, we can expect to see this at a lot more stops on the Eras tour.
