Beth Ray Writes

Taylor Swift has finally landed in the UK after playing Edinburgh last weekend and now this weekend she has arrived in Liverpool.
Last night I went to the first night of three concert’s she is playing in the North West and I thought I’d tell you about what I took to the gig, what things I did and hopefully answer any questions you may have before you go.

This is my experience from going to Anfield, Liverpool however I’m sure it’ll be a very similar set up in other venues across Europe too.

Getting There

Me and my friends had ‘VIP early entry general admission standing’. In Liverpool this meant we got entry at 3pm, so we got there at 2pm to give us plenty of time to find the venue and the entrance. It was really easy to get an uber at this time although a lot of the roads are blocked off near Anfield stadium so the taxi driver dropped me and my friends a 5 minute walk away from the stadium. It was really easy to walk to and as you approach the stadium there are LOADS of stewards everywhere. They were helping with any questions, directing people where to go and welcoming fans into the arena.

Arriving Into The Stadium

When you find your queue for entry (definitely ask the stewards to help if you’re not sure) then you have your bags checked, a label to go on your bag to say it has been checked and then you get scanned. After that you are given a wrist band and shown into an inside area for more queueing.
You’re allowed to bring 500ml of water in a sealed bottle however this is the moment you have to decant the water into a plastic bottle as you’re queuing to get inside the arena as it’s not allowed onto the pitch area.

Once you’re inside the queueing area for VIP there are two queues as they have split the VIP’s into two sections (one arriving on the left side and one on the right). At 3pm they were letting in groups of 20 at a time to walk into the stadium to avoid people rushing in and falling over. As you walk in you’re also handed your flashing LED bracelet which made it all seem real that we were finally going to see the stage.

Again at this point there are plenty of stewards and medics if you have any questions.

Finding A Spot

When we got inside the arena we ended up near the diamond as that’s where my friends wanted to stand and we were around 5 rows behind people when it came to showtime.
You could get nearer to the stage then that, the end of the runway was only a few rows of people deep when we got into the arena and at the front of the main stage there’s hardly anyone (that’s because Taylor doesn’t spend a lot of time there compared to other areas) so you can get a good spot when you go in.
Remember I arrived much later than most people too as me and my group of friends were pretty relaxed about where we were stood.

For me and my group of friends we watched Taylor near the diamond for the Lover era and then we moved back as it was too crowded for some of us and we wanted to dance and go to the toilet without worrying about losing each other. For me personally I loved watching further away as I could see the whole stage, there were less phones in the way of my eyesight for Taylor and you can dance.

Food

Before we headed out to the arena at 12 we made a big brunch to keep us going until we got inside the stadium which i’d really recommend doing as it is a very long day.
I took mini Haribo snack packs, Smarties and mini popcorn bags inside my handbag to give me energy throughout queueing and it was the best decision. There are food stalls inside the arena but I didn’t want to lose my spot before the gig so I decided to get food when Taylor was changing eras so I didn’t miss to much of the concert (there wasn’t a queue when I went).
The food I saw people get were burgers, chips, crisps, chocolate and hot dogs. I got one hot dog and paid £6. It wasn’t great, the bread was stale but I was just wanting to eat so I didn’t feel faint and it did the job. I had wanted to get chips but be aware not every food vendor serves all food options, some you might have to walk to other points of the arena to get what you want.

Water & Drinks

You’re allowed to take in with you a 500ml sealed bottle of water into the stadium however when you go onto the pitch they ask you decant it into a plastic cup.

There were lots of stewards walking around offering people tap water and there were water stations around the pitch if you needed a drink. There were also stewards selling cider and lager on the pitch floor and there were also access to bars, so you don’t go without wanting a drink the whole show.

I was really impressed with how it was all ran to be honest and there were hardly any queues to get drinks or food during the show.

Toilets & When to Go Before The Show

I’ve seen a lot of people worrying on social media about going to the toilet and if there are queues or wondering if you won’t get back to your spot etc.
Personally where I was it wasn’t an issue if you went to the loo just before Paramore. Lot’s of people in front of me had left their spot to get snacks and went for toilet breaks and everyone was very understanding and friendly. I would be aware that after Paramore when it started to fill with more people and there were more queues, it became harder to find your friends and for people to be as polite letting people cut in front of them.

What I did was watched Taylor throughout the Lover era and then I wanted to see the concert from further out and it meant I could go the loo whenever and take away the worry of if i’d be able to get back to my spot.

There were lots of toilets with extra portaloos and hardly any queues during the concert, you could go and get back before a song finished at certain points so don’t worry about missing the whole gig.
I went during the folklore intro (after Reputation) as it’s a bit longer than the others and I only missed a bit of Cardigan.

What I Took In My Bag

Ok so here is what I brought with me:
-Phone
-Phone Charger (I have an Iphone SE so it’s a must for me as my battery life is non-existent)
-Haribo, popcorn and Smarties
-Paracetamol
-Ponchos (It was predicted rain for our show and i’m glad I had a poncho as it rained the whole time we were waiting for the show to start
– Concealer
-Tissues
-Cards and ID
-Friendship Bracelets to trade and give out to people

What to Wear

It’s important to note for my show we were predicted rain and it did end up heavily raining before the show started. So I knew it was going to be cold and I wanted to be comfortable so along with my outfit I wore a fleece I could zip up, tights and trainers as after the show we were going to be walking far to get our Uber back home. My friends had cowboy boots on and it worked for them, but I’m getting of an age where comfort rules all so i’m glad I wore my trainers as it’s a long night of standing on your feet.

Getting Home

Getting home wasn’t too bad, outside of Anfield there were loads of cars everywhere and it seemed pretty much gridlocked so we decided to walk as much as we could towards Liverpool City Centre until we knew we could get an Uber home. There were lots of fans doing the same thing so it felt safe and it was only about 30 minutes (I know it sounds long but it went quickly) and we got an Uber within 7 minutes when we’d stopped.
I think this was the best thing for us as if we had waited near the stadium it would have taken ages for a taxi to get out of the traffic and would have cost a lot.

Stage Times

Paramore came on at 18:30
Taylor came on at 19:45
Concert ended at 23:10

These times are different then when she played at Edinburgh so make sure you check your times on your day as it could be earlier when Taylor comes on.

Summary

I hope this post has helped answer any questions you had before you go to your ERAs show.

What I will say is ENJOY IT. There are staff everywhere and everyone was super friendly. I had the best time close up, chatting to fans and trading bracelets and then moving away and having a dance. It was the best night and it was everything I had hoped for.

There are lots of people saying what to take and what to bring, but do whatever makes you happy and comfortable as everyone is different and you’re there to have the most amazing experience.

I hope you have the best time at yours and if there’s any questions drop a comment below!