FROM March up to December, Taylor Swift is performing in several different countries for “The Eras Tour.” She was set to visit parts of Asia for the tour as well, such as Japan and Singapore. Sadly, the Philippines didn’t make it to her list despite the thousands of devout Swifties leaving here.

Nonetheless, Filipinos still found ways to see the artist live. How? By flying out to her concert, of course.

Many Filipino celebrities such as Andrea Brillantes, Anne Curtis, and Kathryn Bernardo were quick to head out to see Swift, posting their fit pics and concert videos to their respective Instagram stories. 

A number of Filipinos did the same, as well. It was even found by Klook that 10 million users globally were queued online for tickets to Taylor Swift’s concert, with Filipinos accounting for 10 to 15% of the ticket bundles sold in Singapore. 

On Klook, the cheapest bundle for Taylor Swift’s concert – inclusive of two concert tickets and a one-night stay at a four-star hotel – was priced at PHP 30, 000.

Isy’s experience

For her stay, 21-year-old student Isy Velasco spent an estimated total of PHP56,000. After spending a total of four days in Singapore, breakdown for her spending is as follows: 

• Ticket – PHP 33, 000
• Airline ticket – PHP 18, 000
• Pasalubong – PHP 5, 000

Luckily, Velasco didn’t have to worry about accommodation expenses because she was able to stay at her relatives for free. 

She says that she wouldn’t have done it for any other artist – only because it was Taylor Swift. And yes, the money spent was all worth it. If she were given another chance to see the artist live, she’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

Velasco has been a fan of Taylor Swift practically her entire life; she’s been listening to the artist since she was in elementary, through every era she’s been through.

“Ever since I was a child, it’s been a dream of mine to see Taylor Swift live, [but] every time she goes to the Philippines for a concert, wala akong chance because I was still young,” Velasco explained.

“So I had this promise to myself na once magkaroon ng chance na makita ko yung mga favorite artists ko when I get older, I’ll definitely grab [it.]”

The first song she ever heard from the artist was “Love Story.” At the time, she and her family didn’t have internet yet, so her father burned it onto a CD along with a few other songs just so she could listen to it. 

Immediately, she was hooked, even writing down the lyrics word for word just so she could memorize them.

As she grew older, the artist’s lyrics continued to resonate with her.

She stated: “She’s a really great storyteller; iba na yung resonance ko with her songs [now] dahil kino-consider ko na yung emotional depth. When you listen to her songs kasi, it feels like she cries with you, laughs with you, loves with you. Her songs make me feel things.” 

Velasco’s trip to Singapore, however, was out of complete impulse. She admits that she forgot to set a budget because, in the first place, she wasn’t even sure if she was gonna be able to grab a ticket. 

“Sabi ko nalang sa sarili ko: this is a once in a lifetime experience, so ikeri na,” she recounted.

“But full disclosure: may savings [ako] from my business na nakatabi [na] allotted for traveling talaga this year, and wala pa akong plan that time kung saan ako pupunta, so might as well hit two birds [with] one stone.”

This was also Velasco’s first time out of the country, and she was all on her own on the way to Singapore. 

On the day of the concert, Velasco admits that she was surprised she even made it 30 minutes before the gates were opened. She commented that everything – from arriving at the MRT station to entering the venue – was a breeze. 

There were no issues of waiting in line or sitting out in the heat; they were let in on time, with food and water readily available inside the venue. Taylor Swift’s show then proceeded to start on time, with Ssabrina Carpenter opening for her. Overall, Velasco described the experience to be magical.

“I felt like nag-meet lahat ng eras ng sarili ko during the concert, and it was a life-changing experience,” she explained.

“Masaya sa feeling na nabigyan ko na ng chance [yung] inner child and inner teen self [ko] na maka-attend ng concert sa ibang bansa.”

Christina’s experience

20-year-old student Christina Margaret Mendoza, like Velasco, has been a fan of Taylor Swift since she was a kid. For her trip, she spent a total of PHP 20, 000.

“It’s always been my childhood dream to see her live,” Mendoza shared. 

Singapore was relatively easy for her to travel to, and she was drawn in by the setlist – a mix of songs from all her albums, with each set arranged according to each era of her life, unlike in other concerts that just play songs from whatever album they’re promoting. 

She added: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime event that I couldn’t miss.”

When she was young, Mendoza would often watch MYX and MTV before school, and whenever she found a song she liked, she’d rewatch its music video over and over on YouTube while singing along to it. On top of her list of bangers were “You Belong With Me” and, of course, the iconic “Love Story.”

For her trip, Mendoza only had to allot her allowance toward food, transportation, as well as pocket money. Her accommodations and concert ticket were taken care of by her family. In total she spent about ten days in Singapore, allotting about SGD 50 for her daily budget.

On the day of the concert, she was a few minutes late, so she missed Sabrina Carpenter’s opening. Added to that is the fact that as someone rather petite, she didn’t have the best view from where she was seated. And to top it all off, it started raining right after the concert.

Despite these hiccups, though, the whole concert felt like she’d been sucked into the Eras Tour movie. 

She shared: “We got the mashups [of] “Foolish One” with “Tell Me Why” and “This Love” with “Call It What You Want” as our surprise songs. The energy of the crowd was highest when she performed her hit songs, but it got a bit quiet during the pandemic albums like “Folklore.””

She continued on to talk about her experience; people dancing all throughout Folklore, exchanging friendship bracelets with one another, recording themselves singing, and overall just having a fun time because of how well-organized the entire event was. 

Mendoza adds, though, that she sacrificed a lot just to be able to see the artist, and we aren’t just talking about money. 

“I initially regretted it because the timing of the concert was so bad [because] it coincided with my exams, but I pushed through,” she explained.

“I went through all the hassle, cried a lot of tears, and stressed myself to the max, [but] looking back, I can say it was worth it, [and] I’m really glad I went. All that money can be replaced, but I’ll never have that opportunity again.”