There was no “Midnight Rain,” but a fan arrived early to claim the #1 spot for Swiftie Official Merchandise.
Taylor Swift fans began lining up Thursday to pick up merchandise at Swift’s official trailer parked outside Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
Madison, 11, arrived with a loved one at 1 a.m. and waited in the car, then walked over to be the first in line around 5 a.m.
But she gave up her place to Butler’s Kathy Acquavita, because she didn’t want to be the first person ever.
Madison flew in from North Carolina to visit family and see her first Swift show with three other family members.
Acquavita said other fans started to clear up around 7 a.m.
By 10:30 a.m., there were about 400 people in line at the main trailer. But the other two trailers, the typical stadium trailer without the Taylor Swift branding, had far fewer people in line. The trailer directly across the street from the main trailer along Art Rooney Boulevard had about 50 people in the queue, while the third trailer near Gate C of the stadium held about 60 people.
Trailers opened early and started selling out around 11:30 am
Rachel Snopes of Bridgeport, VA, rode from her home Thursday morning and arrived around 7 a.m. at her Gate C trailer. She’s spending the weekend in Pittsburgh, as she’s going to the Saturday night show. It will be Swift’s first show, and it comes with a heavy price tag. After not getting the tickets, she paid over $1,000 for a ticket on an aftermarket website. But it is, she says, a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
She said she would probably spend $300 on merchandise after waiting in line.
Kelsey Mayhood and Felicity Agostino didn’t have to travel far to get the merchandise trailer or to go to the show this weekend. The Pittsburghs said they would drop between $200 and $300 on T-shirts and stickers. This will be their first Swift show.
Another fan who makes the weekend a birthday celebration. Ashley Desjardins, of Barrie, Ontario, accompanied by her husband, crossed the border and drove six hours to Pittsburgh to see the show. The couple scored tickets, but said they spend more on a hotel room on the weekends.
There are two Swift merchandise vans along Art Rooney Street and one at Heinz Gate C and Gate A-East at the stadium.
If you can’t make it on a Thursday, merchandise locations outside Acrisure Playground will be open at noon on Friday and Saturday.
Frank Carnevale is an associate digital editor at Tribune-Review. You can contact Frank at 412-380-8511, [email protected], or via Twitter .
