Why Philippine Arenas and Stadiums Can’t Fit T. Swift’s Eras Tour
It’s safe to say that three days ago, several Filo Swifties momentarily went crazy at the announcement of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour 2024 international schedule. Along with Sabrina Carpenter as her opening act, Taylor Swift will be sweeping across Asia, Europe, and Australia. In Asia, the Eras tour will start in Tokyo on February 7 to 10 and then in Singapore from February 23 to 25.
From an architectural point of view, it would make sense for the Singapore National Stadium and Tokyo Domes to be chosen first. These two cities have been the go-to spots for some of the most famous musicians whose stage design require spaces that allow for concert untethered by limited space or venues encased in limiting domes.
The Singapore National Stadium
Known to be Asia’s first integrated sports, leisure, and lifestyle development, the Singapore National Stadium’s stadium architecture, masterplanning, and engineering was done by Arup–a British multinational firm located in London that provides sustainable solutions alongside design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services. The Singapore National Stadium is known to be the largest sports infrastructure in the world. It seats 55,000 people and boasts the world’s largest free-span dome that’s movable and has an ultra-thin design.
So far, the artists who have performed here include Maroon 5, Harry Styles, Billie Ellish, and Guns N’ Roses. Along with Taylor Swift, Coldplay will also be gracing the stadium for their Music of The Spheres World Tour from January 23 to 30, 2024.
Tokyo Dome
Japan’s first all-weather stadium with a roof was designed by Nikken Sekkei and built with Takenaka Corporation. It can seat around 62,000 people and can accommodate a wide variety of events. The space also has a retractable roof with an air-membrane structure reinforced by low-profile cables and glass fiber cloth. Translucent Teflon coating was also used as roofing material. Slanted at a 1/10 gradient from the infield to the outfield, the structure allows sunlight to bathe the nearby Japanese garden.
The Tokyo Dome mostly played host to several K-pop artists including SHINee, EXO, BIGBANG, BTS, TWICE, NCT, and Rain among many others.
Taylor Swift Can’t Be Limited
“Why not the Philippine Arena–said to be the biggest dome arena in the country?”
Exactly that. The two things that the Singapore National Stadium and Tokyo Domes have in common is that they are both stadiums and both have retractable roofs. While the Philippine Arena is known as the world’s largest multi-purpose dome arena with a 51,000-seat capacity, it is still an arena–an enclosed space that, unfortunately, might not be able to handle Taylor Swift and her spectacular stage designs as Taylor Swift is one of those artists who never fails to give more than 110% in her performances. For her 2018 Reputation World Tour, TAIT, the market leader in live experience design and production which produced Metallica’s Freeze ‘Em All Show in Antarctica, had to manufacture and engineer a mega custom-built set that involved automated LED video wall fitted to an immense LED video main stage, two satellite stages, and two flying gondolas.
Even just through her intricate music videos (not limited to Bejeweled, Lover, Anti-Hero, etc.), it’s already evident that the Eras tour which emphasizes her four most recent albums: Lover, folklore, evermore, and Midnights will be one that transports concert-goers into different worlds–from dreamscapes to ethereal woodland setups to looming skyscrapers that reportedly shift from song to song.
All in all, Taylor Swift’s magical Eras tour is a concert that practically ventures through different worlds and requires a space that never cages the artist.
