Getty Image / Aldara Zarraoa
The entire nation of The Philippines was down bad after Taylor Swift snubbed them with the Eras Tour. They rank 38th in the world in GDP after all and lesser countries got Tay to book the Eras Tour.
Instead of just crying about it and moving on with their lives, The Philippines decided to take action into their own hands and build an entirely new state of the art stadium just to get Taylor Swift‘s attention, in hopes of being considered the next time she announces a world tour.
Officials from The Philippines announced the stadium this week which they believe will be ready by 2028. And just to be explicitly clear that this stadium is 100% being built with hopes of luring Taylor Swift to perform there, they announced it with a big ol’ sign reading ‘Commencement of Project Development Taylor Swift Concert Ready By 2028.’
The Philippines is building a stadium just to accommodate Taylor Swift’s tour😭
Her impact is insane and this is the proof that stan twitter is an echo chamber! pic.twitter.com/BheEpQS0aL— Dhanush (@reputanush13) July 11, 2024
The 99 acre complex at Clark aviation center is set to be completed by 2028 according to a release from the government. Clark International Airport and Corp. President and CEO Arrey Perez said “It will take time, if you give us about six to nine months to process any proposal, and if the signing of that contract happens definitely next year and then the construction immediately starts by 2025, then you have two to three years to build this entertainment complex.”
The proposed stadium will only have a seating capacity of between 25,000 to 35,000 which they believe is better than an arena with 50,000+ seats. And that right there tells me everything I need to know. Taylor Swift isn’t wasting her time playing lil old coffee shops like this.
The average seating capacity of the stadiums she’s playing during the Eras Tour is 72,000. Someone needs to tell The Philippines they gotta PUMP THOSE NUMBERS if they want Tay to show up.
Their press release concludes by saying the country has its eyes on Taylor for the grand opening 4 years from now. It reads “Asked if Swift will be the one to perform in its inauguration in 2028, the CIAC President said: ‘We will court her.’”
Funnily enough, Taylor Swift has performed in The Philippines twice before, once during the Speak Now World Tour and once during her Red Tour, but it’s been 10+ years since Taylor has brought her show to Manila and they’re hungry for the biggest act the world has ever seen.
I get it. It stinks being left on the bench. I’d feel like a loser too if I couldn’t make it to Eras Tour but I was able to see her on Sunday in Atlanta from the comfort of a private box while downing Whistle Pig and corndogs all night. It was wonderful. But not everyone in life is cut out for varsity. Building a flashy new stadium that will only make her half the money she makes elsewhere is going to be a tough sell to the most successful artist of her generation.