PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

Taylor Swift not only broke records when she brought The Eras Tour to Pittsburgh this weekend, but also welcomed new tourists to the city for the first time and brought millions of dollars into the local economy.

Acrisure Stadium hosted the two sold-out concerts on June 16 and 17. According to a Twitter post from the venue, Saturday’s show broke the stadium’s attendance record when 73,117 fans packed in the stands. The stadium’s previous record-holder, Garth Brooks, drew a crowd of 72,887 in 2019 during The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Swift responded to the accomplishment in an Instagram post on Sunday, saying, “Pittsburgh thank you for making me feel sooooo at home in my home state. I mean… You broke the all time attendance record and we got to be the first tour to play your stadium twice.”

Swift’s Eras Tour broke records long before she took the stage in Acrisure. On Nov. 15, she sold the most tickets in a single day on Ticketmaster, with more than 2 million fans securing seats to one the show’s 52 U.S. dates.

But, according to TribLIVE, the record setting won’t stop there. VisitPittsburgh told reporters that it expects revenue from Swift’s concerts to surpass that of Elton John’s 2022 concert, which raked in more than $12 million in visitor and resident spending in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

The rise in revenue may be due in part to the large number of people who traveled to Pittsburgh from other cities and states to see the show. KDKA-TV spoke to fans from as far away as Canada and North Carolina on Friday. WTAE reporters even spoke to a fan who drove 13 hours from Jacksonville, Florida, to see The Eras Tour in Pittsburgh. 

While traffic was heavy Downtown as locals prepared for the concert, traffic jams filled roads as far away as Pennsylvania’s Ohio and Maryland borders as fans drove their “Getaway Cars,” decorated in Swift lyrics and album names, into the city on Friday afternoon. 

Out-of-state fans took to Reddit to share their experiences. One attendee posted on Sunday that they visited Pittsburgh for the first time to see the concert after traveling in from the Washington, D.C. area. They “absolutely fell in love” with the city and took time to explore Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and enjoy classic sites like the Duquesne Incline. 

Others commented on the post, saying that they also visited Pittsburgh for the first time to see Swift. One user says, “I’m telling everyone that asks me about the concert to visit Pittsburgh!” 

Another commented, “I also visited Pittsburgh for the first time this weekend for the concert and loved the city. I hope to be back someday!”

Fortune Magazine reported on June 7 that the Taylor-based tourism has been consistent across the cities she has visited so far, and that demand for tickets has helped boost local economies across the nation. Concerts in March in Las Vegas brought tourism back to pre-Covid levels, and Chicago booked a record number of hotel rooms when the superstar visited June 2-4. 

Fortune cited a study, completed by research company QuestionPro, that showed fans have spent more than $1,300 on average for a complete Eras Tour experience, including the cost of tickets, travel, food and clothing. The firm estimates that if fans continue spending at this rate, the Eras Tour could generate $4.6 billion in consumer spending across the U.S.

The amount of revenue generated over the weekend is currently unknown. However, according to Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank president and CEO Lisa Scales, Swift has already given back to the community by making a “generous” undisclosed donation. WPXI reported that the donation will provide thousands of meals to locals across the region.