“We stayed in this tent for five months”. In an interview given to Pitchfork a 21-year-old Taylor Swift fan, who prefers to remain anonymous to prevent her father from discovering the initiative, said she had camped for a long time outside the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires to make sure a front row seat at the concert of the pop star in the Argentine capital. In the spring and summer the Eras Tour dominated the United States and in the fall the concert film achieved the highest grossing of all time with over $200 million at the global box office, and now Swift will replicate the success in Buenos Aires in the three stages of 9, 10 and 11 November. Since June, some avid Swifties, equipped with general admission tickets, have been pitching tents outside the stadium that will host the concerts in the hope of gaining seats as close to the stage as possible. “I usually tell my father that I’m in the park drinking mate with someone, or visiting a friend of mine who lives near the stadium” said the girl with the mysterious identity.
THE RULES
There are precise rules and rigorous organization among the fans. The kids were “busy four tents outside the stadium, taking turns in carefully planned rotations” and using “an internal spreadsheet, created by two organizers and updated by designated administrators,” which “tracks approximately 60 people per tent. Most of them are young women, but no one under 18 is admitted. Based on a ranking system that collects everyone’s total time, the longer you stayed in a tent, the higher your chances of being one of the first in line”. According to the general code of conduct, people should only spend time in the tent when they are free, and no one is forced to give up their responsibilities entirely. “The fact that there are so many people here makes things easier,” explained Irina, 20, who got permission from her mother to camp as long as she ensures good grades at university. “We all have different schedules, and you fit yours in.” However, camping during a storm (rain and drizzle don’t count) is worth double the hours, as is spending an entire night in a tent. To keep your job, sleepovers are mandatory at least once a month, along with a minimum of 60 hours per month.
A NEW ROUTINE
The fan initiative attracted several criticisms. “People are very angry with us at camp for some reason,” said a fan named Carmen. “Sometimes you’re lying down and you hear someone screaming.”go to work!” at two in the morning. He’s like, “You’re the one who’s outside a tent yelling at two in the morning – shouldn’t you be working tomorrow? Does he really affect you that much? I’m the one sleeping on the streets, not you.'” In terms of safetythe police protect the tents with fences and monitor the Swifties, who can thus devote themselves to the new routine made up of breaks in the bathrooms of convenience stores and service stations, refills of hot water and quick snacks. In their free time, the kids study, make friendship bracelets and chat. “I don’t like the idea of there being little time left,” said Carmen. “The day will come so what? What will I do at home for so much time now that I don’t have to make friendship bracelets all day inside a tent? Go back to being a normal person?”.
Source-tg24.sky.it