"I’d Sell a Kidney" Meet the Girl So Desperate for Eras Tickets She Got a Stadium Job

Unless you're under a rock, you'll notice that Taylor Swift's Era's tour has landed in the UK. How many British Swifties are there? Well, let's just say that in her 15 nights over four stadiums, Swift will have sold 1.2 million tickets.

But still, playing to 1.2 million fans still isn't enough to quench the Swift thirst. Because as anyone who has social media knows, tickets were like gold dust. There were pre-sales, codes, a complicated system many of us gave up on - and then posts of people attempting to get in line using every device in their home. And still, even with just days before the concerts, there are requests flying around from everyone and their mother (actually, there a lot of desperate mothers) for tickets. Some social media posts have seen resale tickets starting at several thousand pounds.

So, you're a Swiftie and you just can't pass up the opportunity to see your hero bring her monster-hit world tour to your hometown. What do you do?

Well, for one anonymous fan who spoke to PS UK, there is no barrier too big to seeing Taylor - and given that she wanted to see her hero multiple times, she went the extra mile and landed jobs at the stadiums that allowed her to watch part of the show.

"I've worked in various capacities in the music industry for 10 years now, and I've always loved it, seeing artists I love and getting paid for the pleasure is the ultimate win-win for me," she says. "I've been obsessed with Taylor since her first album in a borderline inappropriate way. I've seen her three times before (1989 once and Reputation twice) and had tickets for Loverfest before the pandemic. Taylor Swift shows are the best concert experience I've ever had, hearing 80,000 people singing the same song that you've loved your whole life is a truly transcendent experience.

"Taylor Swift has always seemed to be the soundtrack to my life, it's like reading a diary I never wrote. When I was 13 and had an unrequited crush, I was listening to You Belong With Me, when the boy everyone said would break my heart did, I cried to I Knew You Were Trouble, and when I finally got into a healthy relationship, Cardigan was on repeat."

But while many fans are having to come to terms with the fact that they're just going to have to see the Eras Tour on streaming services (and see our advice from an expert about how to speak to your kids if you didn't manage to get a ticket for them to go), this fan took no chances.

"When the Eras tour was announced I knew that I was absolutely going to go without a doubt, the question was how many times. In the past I've always paid for Taylor, not wanting to take the risk of missing a second and not getting the full experience."

The fact is, it's not just a question of method for Swifties, there's the issue of money too. Many have complained about the expense of the tickets both at face value and the extortionate resale price.

"When she released all the dates I realised that unless I was willing to take out a bank loan or marry a millionaire, the likelihood of seeing her every time was slim," says the Swiftie. "I've been getting all of my family and close friends to sign up for any and every presale since the beginning of time, so they were expecting it. Through a combination of meticulously planned scheduling (at one point I had six computers on in the office) and pure luck, I managed to get tickets to two of the shows and I was delighted.

"Then more were announced and I realised that I needed to diversify my options. Whilst I always want to be in the thick of it soaking it in, any Taylor is better than no Taylor. So I signed up to work at as many shows as possible. I also managed to get some extra tickets (looking at roughly £400 spent on my tickets alone) and now will be at seven of her shows."

It's probably too late now for most Swifties to take this ... innovative option, but maybe next time it's worth bearing in mind. Though remember, you're probably not in it for the money.

"Realistically I'm going to spend all the money I get paid for working on merch, but I'm hoping to come out somewhere in the realm of breaking even," she says. "But I'd sell a kidney for a ticket if I knew a reputable trader so it's all in a day's work."

Rhiannon Evans is the interim content director at PS UK. Rhiannon has been a journalist for 17 years, starting at local newspapers before moving to work for Heat magazine and Grazia. As a senior editor at Grazia, she helped launch parenting brand The Juggle, worked across brand partnerships, and launched the "Grazia Life Advice" podcast. An NCE-qualified journalist (yes, with a 120-words-per-minute shorthand), she has written for The Guardian, Vice and Refinery29.