Loving concerts can make you go through infinite ends in order to have the time of your lives. When the tickets get released, the tension rises, you get the chills and you cannot feel your legs (or your fingers for that matter). This situation often messes with your common sense. Indeed, who has never thought to themselves: I do not care how much I have to pay or how far I will need to go to see them as long as I secure a seat. As much as this behavior is understandable, it is questionable in today’s environmental and economic context.
The Swifties and their unwavering determination
The Swifties (Taylor Swift’s fans) are well-known to be, well, absolute fanatics. Taylor Swift has managed to build a strong community around her, all the while presenting herself as someone reachable and close to her fans. In fact, lots of fans consider her a friend because everyone can easily connect to her lyrics. This is characteristic of parasocial relationships. Indeed, over time, so many experiences are shared with the celebrity that one develops an intimacy and friendship with the ‘media user’ and feels that they know and understand us.
Taylor Swift’s fanbase has grown exponentially and, at every concert, the goal is to make as many friendship bracelets as possible and exchange them with other fans, creating a feeling of belonging. This fandom, as psychologist Michele Teno stated, brings a “sense of belonging and identity affirmation, where individuals find validation and acceptance within a community that values their dedication and creativity.” The only drawback to this fairytale is that her fans would do anything to have the opportunity to see The Taylor Swift in real life.
For instance, in The Traveling Swifties blog, Priscila and her friends explained that they wanted to go to her concert so badly that they decided to travel all the way from Brazil to Miami. This might seem crazy to some, and it may very well be. Not only because it has a huge impact on their carbon footprint (a roundtrip for 2 persons from Mexico to Miami represents 1.5t of CO2 emissions), but also because they are not the only ones doing this; far from it.
The general craze in figures
A recent study published by Price 4 Charter revealed that one out of ten fans travels more than 500 miles to attend concerts. Surprisingly, the music genres for which people travel most are Blues, Indie Rock and Folk music. Indeed, they are not the concerts that make the most noise in the public sphere. There is hardly ever any mass communication about them. For instance, on social media, you have to be integrated within a fandom to hear about them, contrary to Pop music concerts which are the talk of the town.
Meanwhile, when considering the cities to which people travel most for a concert or festival, the ones that come out most are New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. This, as well as the Swifties phenomenon, show us one thing: no matter the political, environmental or even economic situation the world goes through, the United States remains a huge music hub that, still up to this day, attracts people from all around the globe. Another important fact is that, on average, pop music fans tend to travel further to see their idols, like The Weeknd, Dua Lipa or even Ariana Grande. This may explain the phenomenon of Pop concerts causing a larger stir in the general media.
The problems and questions this devotion raises
Having a passion for music or being in total awe for a singer is common and even quite normal. Kei Aoki demonstrated in a 2022 study called The Relationship between Fandom and Well-Being that “fandom participants showed significantly higher levels of well-being”. Nonetheless, the environmental issues this fandom causes should not be ignored. Indeed, in today’s world, it is crucial to think beyond the end of one’s nose. Because when the planet is dying, everyone is dying.
Sources
1st picture : https://fr.concerty.com/festival/coachella-music-festival-136
1st paragraph on the Swifties: https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/zoom-zoom-zen/zoom-zoom-zen-du-mardi-27-fevrier-2024-9584991 + https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-matters/202407/the-healing-power-of-pop-culture-communities
2nd picture: https://ifstudies.org/blog/what-swifties-can-learn-from-taylors-engagement
1st paragraph on general craze: https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/music-fans-traveling-for-concerts-data-price4limo
3rd picture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPKT4P5UyKI
Co2 emission from Mexico to Brazil: https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=8453245&localized_currency=EUR
Last paragraph: https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/83242
Image 1 Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella
Image 2 Credit: Scassoff/Shutterstock
Image 3 Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPKT4P5UyKI
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