“I’m here for the music, not the politics,” said one former fan. “I used to love Taylor, but this is too much. I don’t need her telling me who to vote for.”
Swift’s team had anticipated some backlash but had no idea it would impact ticket sales to such an extent. “Sure, we thought a few fans might be upset,”
her manager said. “But we never expected them to stop buying tickets altogether. We’ve had venues calling us asking if the tour is still happening because sales have completely dried up.”
In some cities, the numbers are truly dire. A venue in Dallas, Texas, which was expected to sell out in minutes, has reportedly only sold 1,500 tickets out of a capacity of 60,000.
In Los Angeles, ticket sales for Swift’s three-night engagement at the SoFi Stadium were slashed from a sold-out show to just a few thousand, leaving Swift’s team scrambling to fill seats.
“We might have to start offering free tickets just to avoid the embarrassment of performing to an empty stadium,”
Swift’s manager said, half-jokingly. “At this rate, we might have to rename the tour ‘The Empty Seats Tour.’”
