Swifties ready to make the whole place shimmer

TONIGHT, the biggest pop star in the world will play her first Australian The Eras Tour concert in Melbourne, and Bendigo fans have been getting excited.

The global phenomenon that is Taylor Swift has never been more celebrated, and several of Swift’s albums took all top five spots this week on the Australian Recording Industry Association’s list of Top 50 Albums.

Donna Bridgeman said the star has been a topic her family has bonded over for more than a decade, starting with her going to Swift’s Fearless tour in 2010 with her then 10-year-old daughter and her daughter’s best friend.

“The two of them just screamed along with 2000 other girls at the first concert,” said Ms Bridgeman.

“We’ve been to every concert since. It’s been a long drought, over five years waiting for the next tour, so many albums released and no tour.”

Ms Bridgeman said it was a battle to get tickets.

“It’s sort of been the hardest work we’ve ever had to do to get tickets. For the other five shows it definitely wasn’t as contested,” she said.

“Very lucky to be going to a number of shows in Melbourne and Sydney which is pretty fantastic, one of them being on my birthday.”

Ms Bridgeman said she was a big admirer largely due to a combination of Swift’s engagement with fans and “incredible” shows.

“They’re just an absolute spectacle,” she said. “She’ll go through the crowd, and she’ll be hugging people, which is like a total security nightmare I’m sure, but she’s just a really giving sort of person.”

Another local fan, Mary Rose, said she wasn’t able to get a ticket through Ticketek but was lucky enough to get one another way.

“One of my friend’s mums got through and then decided she didn’t want to go anymore, so I just have her ticket now,” said Ms Rose.

Rose said her adoration for Swift started when she was a young child.

“I was obsessed with the song Love Story when I was really little, I didn’t know the actual name of the song, so I would always be like ‘Mum, put on the Romeo and Juliet song’,” she said.

“Also I grew up being a dancer, so Taylor Swift was very much included in some dances we did. I pretty much grew up with her in a way.”

Ms Rose said she believes Swift’s remarkable success comes down to the lyrics and meaning in her songs.

“I think it kind of sticks out because a lot of people can relate to the things she sings about,” she said.