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Photos show Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is proving too much for Aussie kids

Taylor Swift has legions of young fans, but some Aussie parents have learned the hard way it doesn’t necessarily equate to an amazing night out.

Taylor Swift's 22 hat goes to Lily

Taylor Swift might have legions of young fans, but some Australian parents are finding out the hard way that that doesn’t necessarily equate to an amazing night out for their junior Swifties.

Radio host Michael ‘Wippa” Wipfli is the latest parent to share his experience, posting a photo on social media of himself at the show with his youngest child, three-year-old daughter Francesca, fast asleep in his arms.

Not everyone saw the lighter side of the post, some Swifties taking issue with a sleeping child taking a true fan’s seat (not for the first time today, let me say: Swifties... You Need To Calm Down.)

“All these little kids with tickets and falling asleep kills me!! The hardest concert in the world to get tickets too and soooo many fans missing out for kids to sleep through it,” one woman complained.

Wippa and young daughter Francesca were ready for bed.
Wippa and young daughter Francesca were ready for bed.

“If only her ticket could have gone to someone who would have LOVED to see the WHOLE show,” wrote another.

Last week, Carrie Bickmore revealed on-air that her youngest daughter, five-year-old Adelaide, fell asleep around halfway through one of Swift’s Melbourne concerts when they attended alongside Bickmore’s friend Fifi Box and her two daughters, 11-year-old Trixie and Daisy, 4.

“I still haven’t worked out if taking the five-year-old was a smart idea or not,” she said on 2DAY FM’s Hughesy, Ed & Erin.

Fifi Box and Carrie Bickmore went to a Melbourne show with their young daughters.
Fifi Box and Carrie Bickmore went to a Melbourne show with their young daughters.

“But I’ll be honest, the youngest one didn’t last till the end. She slept on me for the last hour and a half.”

Those celebs’ experiences were shared by many in the news.com.au newsroom who attended the show over the weekend.

Editor Kerry Warren brought her seven-year-old along on Sunday, who loved what she saw – until, that is, her eyes were shut.

“The Red era finished her off,” she said of Swift’s energetic mid-show set dedicated to her 2012 album. “She slept through the entire rest of the show, including through the fireworks at the end.”

Entertainment reporter Lexie Cartwright attended Saturday’s night’s show, and spotted at least three young children fast asleep near her.

Swift performs 45 songs during her show, so if your child’s attention span doesn’t extend much past an episode of Bluey, you might be in trouble. Picture: Getty
Swift performs 45 songs during her show, so if your child’s attention span doesn’t extend much past an episode of Bluey, you might be in trouble. Picture: Getty

Children who managed to stay awake for the whole show faced a different problem. I was seated on the floor during Friday’s concert and, as soon as the show started, everyone rose to their feet – with many people also raising their arms to take photos and videos throughout the show.

Several young children sat near me then stood up on their chairs with their parents’ help, but security guards soon made their way through the aisles to order them back down onto the ground.

Spoiler alert: There’s not much to see from a $400 seat if you’re four feet tall.

News.com.au’s editor-in-chief Lisa Muxworthy brought her two children, seven and nine, and said she was lucky she was sat near an aisle so the girls could watch the show with a view unobstructed by standing adults.

Children watch from the aisles at Accor Stadium.
Children watch from the aisles at Accor Stadium.

Side note: Adults may encounter a different hazard during their Swift concertgoing experience, with the crowd tending to stay on their feet during the entire show.

I’ll confess to taking a much-needed sit-down during her 10-minute performance of All Too Well, lest my increasingly sore lower back force me to leave the concert on a stretcher (that’s what you’ve got to look forward to when you’re older, kids).

And make no mistake, Swift’s concert makes for a late night. She’s on stage at 7.30pm and plays until 11pm, so unless you live right next to Olympic Park or the MCG, you’ll likely be putting the kids to bed well after midnight.

To be fair, Frontier Touring did warn parents of young children that this might not be the show for them: “This is a licensed, loud music event, staged over a long time and we do not recommend attendance by children aged 5 years and under,” reads the FAQ section on Frontier’s website.

Still, many a young Aussie Taylor Swift fan would’ve attended their first-ever concert over the past week or so, and no doubt had a pretty special experience seeing their idol in the flesh.

Some might just need to rent the Eras Tour film to catch up on what they missed while they were there.

Originally published as Photos show Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is proving too much for Aussie kids

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/photos-show-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-is-proving-too-much-for-aussie-kids/news-story/4af796a3a26f1df96e15ef6b69cdd9c8