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MIAMI — Swifties sparkled their way by the thousands from airports, hotels and short-term rentals to Hard Rock Stadium to watch Taylor Swift’s return to North America for the final leg of the Eras Tour.
The droves of fans traveled with their friendship bracelets and mile-wide smiles by planes, trains and automobiles.
Swift said 61,000 concertgoers packed inside the open-roofed arena, meaning more than 180,000 tickets made their way into the hands of fans and through the metal detector lined doors. Although traffic bottlenecked on Interstate 95 in the hours proceeding and succeeding the three-hour show, nothing could wipe the contagious excitement off fans’ faces.
Remember this moment:Celebrate Taylor Swift’s unprecedented Eras Tour with USA TODAY’s enchanting book
Planes: Flight No. 1989
Southwest Airlines added Flight No. 1989 from Nashville to Miami on Thursday night. The two-hour jaunt was not just packed to the brim with fans on their way to Florida, but songwriter and early eras collaborator Liz Rose.
Rose mentored and co-wrote many tracks on Swift’s debut, “Fearless” and “Red” albums. With a microphone in hand and guitarist by her side, Rose sang songs including fan favorite “All Too Well.” The Nashvillian attended Saturday night’s show.
“Everybody sang, and it was really amazing,” Rose tells USA TODAY. “My daughter was on the flight, and I saw her and another girl start crying, and I was trying really hard not to cry.”
Southwest handed out friendship bracelets to everyone onboard, and Rose thanked every single person who got off the plane. Rose says she is in awe of how explosive Swift’s career has been.
“I’m proud of her,” she says. “I still look at her and go, ‘Wow!'”
Trains: the Brightline Swift Rail
All aboard the Swiftie train! Railway company Brightline ran a Swift-themed train from Orlando through West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale to Miami.
The singer’s music pumped through the train. Each railcar donned a different era. Quotes and lyrics lined the walls and backs of seats. Faux purple flowers and disco moons lit up the “Speak Now” car. Bright red lips and vibrant iridescent fringe curtains hung from the roof in the “Red” section.
“We got on at Fort Lauderdale,” says Sarah Stubblefield roaming the cars with her friend Taelor Cravey. “Everyone is singing and trading bracelets.”
“We got emotional looking at all of it,” Cravey adds. “It just kicks off our trip to the show in a great way.”
The car pulled up to the Aventura station about 20 minutes from the stadium. Shuttles took everyone on board to the arena on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Automobiles: In my Uber Shuttle Era
Uber launched Uber Shuttle as a test to take travelers to New York’s LaGuardia airport. Users would reserve a seat in advance and ride from Manhattan. The ride-share app used the Swifties shuttle to take fans to and from the concert for $20 (cheaper than taking an Uber car).
The shuttles displayed a massive black banner with white text, “In my Uber era.” Fans loaded to find shiny tinsel hanging from the ceiling. Butterfly decals lined the windows. Swift songs played above.
After the concert, shuttles took fans to drop-off points in the Brickell, Bayfront and Fontainebleau neighborhoods of Miami.
Although the method of transportation was different for every fan, the final destination was the same.
