Houston Swifties band together to welcome Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
A Taylor Swift fan — a Swiftie, to be exact — is not your average admirer.
Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters. Beyoncé has the BeyHive. BTS leads its A.R.M.Y. They’re all ferociously loyal. Sometimes to a fault.
Swifties, however, are a different breed. They're earnest and crafty and just so friendly — with others and each other. It’s no surprise, then, that Swift’s upcoming three-show stint at NRG Stadium will serve as a massive meet-and-greet for Houston fans.
How, exactly? Like so many Swiftie moments, it was inspired by a song lyric:
“So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it/ You’ve got no reason to be afraid…"
The line is from “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” a track on Swift’s “Midnights” album. And it has motivated fans to make their own bracelets featuring Swift song and album titles and related phrases. They’ll trade them with Swiftie friends old and new during the shows.
Pinspiration, a DIY craft studio and wine bar in the Heights, hosted a bracelet-making party ahead of this weekend’s shows. Owner Kimi Wimberly has been a Swift fan since she was 12 years old. She’s now 29 and was inspired to create the event as a longtime Swiftie.
“The cool thing about Swifties is we don’t have to know each other super well to love and support each other, and that bond made me want to put something together,” Wimberly says. “I wanted to have something fun and relaxing for those of us that dealt with a lot of stress over tickets.”
Remember that catastrophe? When tickets for Swift’s Eras Tour went on sale late last year, it crashed the Ticketmaster site “due to extraordinarily high demands” and left many fans in tears. Tickets immediately began showing up on resale sites for thousands of dollars.
That’s where Swifties stepped in, working together to secure tickets for themselves and others in the midst of so much chaos. Nitza Vite, who runs the Houston Swifties Facebook group, is attending two local shows and one in Seattle, thanks in part to fellow fans. She started the Houston Swifties group in January as a way to talk all things Taylor, all the time, with others. It has since climbed to almost 1,000 members.
“Knowing that there are other people in your city that share the same interest makes me feel excited, not only for the Houston shows but for any upcoming events that can be created though our group,” Vite says.
Adrienne Hinojosa from Spring has made 30 bracelets so far, 15 for each arm, to take with her to the Sunday show in Houston. One of the phrases she chose — “My mind is alive” — is a reference to a 2019, post-Lasik surgery video of Swift crying over a banana.
She’s drawn to Swift’s “genuine soul” and appreciates the singer’s closeness to family. Swift’s mother, Andrea Swift, attended Memorial High School and graduated from the University of Houston.
“As a Latina, I relate to this on a very personal level,” Hinojosa, 37, says. “Her lyrics masterfully describe almost every emotion you feel in life. Listening to her feels like a powerful therapy session at a disco glitter party.”
Hinojosa’s identification with Swift belies the idea that some have of the pop superstar’s fan base: young, female and white. She’s not alone. Vite and Johanna Atilano, who helps run the Houston Swifties group, are also Mexican American.
“The Swiftie community is always so welcoming and kind,” Atilano says.
Valeria Peña moved to Houston three years ago from Monterrey, Mexico, and calls Swift “a clever woman and a true model.” Though she’s considered herself a Swiftie since 2008, this will be her first time seeing her idol live.
“Being from Mexico always made it hard for me to travel to the U.S. to see her,” Peña says.
Her plans to attend the Lover Fest in 2020 were sidelined by COVID-19. She’s making up for it with tickets to the Saturday show in Houston and next month in New Jersey.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for half my life,” Peña says.
Taylor Porter is equally excited. She’s traveling to Houston from Overland Park, Kan., to see Swift for the first time and can trace some of her biggest life moments back to specific albums.
“Her debut album was the first CD I bought with my own money, and I played it until it stopped working. ‘Fearless’ got me through middle school, and ‘Speak Now’ came out around the time I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was 14 and spent a lot of time listening to that album in the hospital,” Porter says.
Porter is 26 now and has been in remission for more than a decade. Swift has continued to soundtrack her life.
It’s a sentiment that will carry Houston Swifties through the weekend and long past the final explosion of glitter.