Sabrina Carpenter made a glamorous entrance as she took the stage to open Taylor Swift's highly anticipated Australian leg of her Eras tour on Friday evening.
Thousands of eager fans flocked to the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday for the first night of their Eras tour Down Under.
Opening the highly anticipated tour with her epic support act performance at 6:30 p.m., 24-year-old American singer Sabrina pulled out all the stops for the occasion.
Sabrina looked very leggy in a figure-hugging pink stunning dress as she performed her most popular hits and covers, including Olivia Newton John's “Hopelessly Devoted To You.”
She paired her fashionable ensemble with a pair of knee-high white boots and wore her golden fringe locks loosely over her shoulders.
Sabrina Carpenter made a glamorous entrance as she took the stage to open Taylor Swift's highly anticipated Australian leg of her Eras tour on Friday evening
Opening the highly anticipated tour with her epic support act performance at 6:30 p.m., 24-year-old American singer Sabrina pulled out all the stops for the occasion
She delivered an energetic performance and thrilled the audience before the 34-year-old global star Taylor took the stage.
Sabrina performed hits like Read Your Mind, Feather, Vicious, Tornado Warnings and Nonsense as Swifties flocked to the venue in their thousands to watch.
Before the show, Taylor was chauffeured FBI-style to the stadium on Friday afternoon, just hours before he took the stage.
A line of blacked-out Land Rovers could be seen driving down Brunton Ave and into the venue's underground car park, one of which bore the Shake It Off star.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting Taylor to take the stage on her first Australian tour since 2018, flocking to the venue early amid Swiftie mania.
Thousands of the pop star's fans flocked to the arena two hours before the show began at 6:30 p.m. to avoid the long lines to get in.
Sabrina looked very leggy in a figure-hugging pink stunning dress as she performed her most popular hits and covers, including Olivia Newton John's “Hopelessly Devoted To You.”
She paired her fashionable ensemble with a pair of knee-high white boots and wore her golden fringe locks loosely over her shoulders
She delivered an energetic performance and thrilled the audience before the 34-year-old global star Taylor took the stage
Thousands of eager fans flocked to the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday for the first night of the Taylor's Eras tour Down Under
Before the show, Taylor was chauffeured FBI-style to the stadium on Friday afternoon, just hours before he took the stage
A line of blacked-out Land Rovers could be seen driving down Brunton Ave and into the venue's underground car park, one of which bore the 'Shake It Off' star
Several enthusiastic attendees were dressed in the theme of each of Taylor's “eras.”
Fans usually choose their favorite album and dress according to that “era” and color – be it the classic Fearless cowboy boots or the folky cottage-core dresses.
Taylor is expected to pull out all the stops for her Australian tour and had just two days to get over her jet leg before taking to the stage for her first show.
Taylor's mania began when she landed in Melbourne at around 12.40pm early on Thursday morning and was greeted by a legion of die-hard Swifties.
The Cruel Summer singer traveled in style aboard a Bombardier Global 6000, a luxury private jet that can carry up to 17 passengers.
Taylor was immediately escorted to her accommodation after her 12-hour flight, where she will rest until she takes the stage in front of 85,000 screaming fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday in Australia.
The huge line of cars headed to the venue as the global megastar made her highly anticipated debut
Although the singer was not seen, her vehicles arrived at the venue ahead of her stage debut
Before Taylor's first show, the vehicle lineup could be seen transforming into the venue
The organized convoy of vehicles stopped at the venue before the singer's tour began
Taylor discreetly arrived at the venue just hours before taking the stage
Huge crowds gathered outside the venue as Swiftie mania began
As the pre-show madness began, crowds of people were seen lining up outside the venue
Crowds could be seen excitedly making their way to the MCG to witness the epic show
Meanwhile, thousands of the pop star's fans flocked to the arena two hours before the show began at 6:30 p.m. to avoid the long lines to get in
Several women were dressed in the theme of each of Taylor's “eras.”
After fans were told they would not be allowed to bring extra friendship bracelets on D-rings into venues, they traditionally wore them stacked on their arms
Fans put their best foot forward with their incredible outfits to celebrate the start of the tour in style
Fans eagerly posed for snaps as they watched the global superstar on stage
Fans streamed into the venue early to avoid long lines, despite organizers asking them not to arrive too early in the day
Taylor's flight (VJT993) from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Melbourne became the most followed flight in the world, with nearly 1,500 of her adoring fans following the journey across the Pacific.
Taylor, who is dating Kansas Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, missed Valentine's Day entirely due to her travel and was up in arms the entire romantic day.
She took off from Hawaii at 4:52pm local time on February 13 and didn't land until the early hours of February 15 AEDT due to the 21 hour time difference, meaning she missed the big day.
But she had just spent a few days with boyfriend Travis in Los Angeles as she celebrated with him after he won the NFL Super Bowl before flying down under.
Anticipation for their Australian Eras tour is already building as thousands of Swifties flock to the Melbourne Cricket Ground from February 16-18 and Accor Stadium in Sydney from February 23-26 to catch their shows.
More than 600,000 tickets to their performances have been sold and, according to travel agency Flight Centre, some fans are resorting to the desperate measure of chartering their own flights to get to their shows.
Groups of Swifties were seen taking public transport to the venue as it was packed with fans
Huge queues formed outside the venue as 85,000 fans streamed in to see Taylor's first Australian show of the tour
Groups of friends all arrived in their Eras outfits to watch the superstar
The cricket ground was completely overrun with eager fans who were counting down to the big day
The Taylor craze has gripped Australia as Swifties eagerly awaited the show
To mark her arrival, fans were seen decorating their homes with Taylor-themed decorations
When the star arrived in the city, Swiftie mania broke out in Melbourne
With a capacity of 100,000, crowds flocked to Melbourne for the first Eras show
Australian fans have been eagerly awaiting Taylor's return to the road since her 2018 Reputation Tour
Groups of fans were seen grinning and taking selfies as they commemorated the occasion
“Commercial flights and accommodation are very expensive and we have even seen some travelers opting for a private charter flight to get to the concert,” James Kavanagh, Global Leisure CEO of Flight Center Travel Group, told news.com. ouch.
“While it may seem extreme, we are not surprised when people choose to fly privately through our charter airline AVMIN and we have had bookings for Taylor’s shows in Sydney and Melbourne.”
Flight Center has revealed that commercial flights from Brisbane to Melbourne for the February 16 show will cost approximately $569. The following week, the price drops dramatically to $118 on the same route.
Tour organizers are also worried about the estimated 15,000 fans who come to the pop star's sold-out shows even though they don't have tickets.
Venues NSW have warned ticketless fanatics to stay away from Accor Stadium to prevent crowd control problems, The Daily Telegraph reported on Sunday.
Fans gave their all as they accessorized with sequins and eye-catching outfits for the occasion
The Swifties looked overjoyed to be at the highly anticipated show and smiled for the cameras
The Swifties wore full Eras garb, reflecting the star's glittering fashion sense
Fans made the most of the mild day and gathered in huge crowds outside the venue
Fans wore sparkly pink glasses and cowboy hats as they brought their Swiftie game to the show
Families eagerly gathered in their pink glitter outfits for the concert at the MCG
After fans were told they had to wear their friendship bracelets or put them in a bag – and not on D-rings, Swifties were seen with their arms stacked on top of each other
Huge crowds gathered outside the venue ahead of the highly anticipated show
Fans were seen wearing their iconic friendship bracelets as they entered the MCG
Taylor's mania began when she landed in Melbourne at around 12.40pm early on Thursday morning and was greeted by a legion of die-hard Swifties
The Cruel Summer singer traveled in style aboard a Bombardier Global 6000, a luxury private jet that can carry up to 17 passengers
Taylor was greeted by Swifties wrapped in blankets
Her flight (VJT993) from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Melbourne became the most followed flight in the world, with nearly 1,500 of her adoring fans following the journey across the Pacific
A spokesman said fans who missed out on tickets shouldn't try to “soak up the atmosphere outside” as they probably wouldn't hear any songs anyway.
Meanwhile, Transport NSW general coordinator Howard Collins said the city was “preparing for the inevitable”.
“What we've found with other popular music venues where people don't get tickets, people just come along to soak up the atmosphere and you can only hold them back to deal with the rush,” he said.
“We are not encouraging fans without tickets to attend, but part of our contingency plan is to allow additional people traveling who do not have tickets.”
But despite warnings from the New South Wales government, businesses are set to roll out the welcome mat for all Taylor fans, regardless of whether they have tickets.
Paul Nicolaou, managing director of Business Sydney, said: “Regardless of their ticket status, Sydney needs to put up the welcome sign for the Swifties because they will all contribute to our city in some way.”
Taylor, who is dating Kansas Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, missed Valentine's Day due to her travel but just celebrated Travis' Super Bowl win with him in LA
Swifties have recently complained about their tickets disappearing due to a rise in scams, with accounts also reportedly being hacked
Amid the Swift chaos, a technology expert has claimed hundreds of Taylor Swift fans are being turned away at the gates of her series of Australian shows.
On Mix 106.3's Canberra Wrapped on Tuesday, hosts Rod Cuddihy, Bethany Larsen and Lewis Haskew chatted with “Techspert” Trevor Long, who co-hosts “Anatomy of a Scam” with former Today show host Deb Knight .
He made the shocking prediction that Swifties would not get into the stadiums due to fake tickets bought by fraudsters.
“I'm really nervous that at the concerts in Sydney and Melbourne hundreds of people will show up with the barcode, scan it and say no,” the fraud expert said.
Swifties have recently complained about their tickets disappearing due to a rise in scams, and accounts have also reportedly been hacked.
Victoria Police even urged fans to be on the lookout for scammers when trying to grab last-minute tickets to the Eras tour.
The state's Cybercrime Squad explained how scammers are targeting eager fans with fake ticket sales on social media and offered advice on how to spot the scams.
The statement said: “Fraudsters are taking advantage of the demand for tickets and targeting fans with fake ticket sales via social media. They often hack individuals’ accounts and then use the profiles to sell fake tickets to the victim’s friends.”
Tour organizers are also worried about the estimated 15,000 fans who come to the pop star's sold-out shows even though they don't have tickets
“The scammers advertise their tickets 'at cost' and provide a story about why they can no longer attend.”
“Check it once, then check it twice – they may try to convince you to buy the tickets and wire them money.” In addition to the ticket price, you will also likely have to pay the additional fees for changing the name on the ticket .
“They often send a screenshot of the email confirmation of the ticket purchase, which makes the scam look even more legitimate.”
“Once you have transferred the money, life will lose its meaning for the last time and the profile will block you.”
Victoria Police said it had already received at least 250 reports of ticket fraud totaling more than $260,000 since the Eras Tour began in June last year.