Thousands of Taylor Swift fans showed up early to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday, Aug. 3 for the singer-songwriter’s first of six sold-out shows. Many donned outfits that resembled the wardrobe featured in Swift’s music videos and mimicked her onstage costuming and their wrists were hidden by rows of friendship bracelets.
It’s become a rite of passage along The Eras Tour to come with arms loaded up with the multi-colored, beaded bracelets that have silly things Swift has said, song lyrics or little inside jokes spelled out in beads on them. Fans also have plastic baggies filled with these bracelets — like the kind you learn to make in Girl Scouts, during art class in elementary school or while hanging out with friends at a sleepover.
Before the show, fans handed out the bracelets to each other, sometimes swapping, oftentimes providing some those that either didn’t know about the bracelets or couldn’t afford to make or purchase any after shelling out hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for tickets to these shows. It’s all done with a lot of smiles, hugs and this palpable sense of community — here, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, you’re automatically a part of this experience.
“It’s just such a great community of fans and it’s like we’re all best friends,” Lexi Omlor of Corona said as she stood outside of the stadium taking photos with her two sisters, Sadie and DJ. “I was in tears earlier this week and not because I was sad … this just all feels unreal. It’s so fun and I’m so happy to be here.”
Sadie Omlor said the bracelets are also a pretty good icebreaker.
“It’s a fun way to meet people,” she said. “We’re all here for the same thing and it’s fun to see how creative people get with them and see all of their ideas.”
Several famous faces have gotten in on the action during the course of The Eras Tour, too. Actresses Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lawrence were spotted on tour…
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