It’s a love story, fans just say yes: How Taylormania took over the world
LOS ANGELES — Last year, Madeline Sabatoni scored an improbable treasure for her family: three tickets to see Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras tour at SoFi Stadium for $100 apiece.
“We got lucky in so many ways,” the 41-year-old from Sacramento says. “I put every single California date in the presale. There were 2,000 people ahead of me in the queue, but by the end of the day I bought the first three tickets offered. I didn’t even question where they were.”
On Aug. 8, Sabatoni, her husband and their 8-year-old daughter will be in the nosebleeds at Inglewood’s gleaming NFL palace. In lieu of an expensive hotel, they plan to stay with relatives in Pasadena, which will free up funds for the merch counter. The show will be Sabatoni’s daughter’s first-ever live concert.
“She’s definitely making friendship bracelets,” Sabatoni says — one of the many communal rituals that bond members of Swift’s gargantuan fan base. “Everyone remembers their first concert. But seeing Taylor at the height of her career, on her biggest tour? I still get anxious and check my Ticketmaster account to make sure the tickets are in there.”
The Sabatoni family are three of the nearly half a million Swifties set to make the pilgrimage to SoFi starting Thursday.
