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Eras Tour

It’s been a big year for Taylor Swift, so it only makes sense that she would celebrate her 35th birthday with an appropriately-large party.
Swift turned 35 on Friday (Dec. 13), just days after wrapping up Era Tour, which has assumed the throne of the highest-grossing tour of all time, by artists of any genre, and from any era in music history. Already, however, she’s celebrated with a number of special events, including sharing a cache of behind-the-scenes videos, and taking out an additional ten Billboard Music Awards – bringing her total to a massive 49.

The celebrations haven’t ended there, though, with reports that Swift’s partner, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, gifted $175,000 worth of floral arrangements and jewellery for her birthday.

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Now, her birthday week has continued with a party apparently inspired by the conclusion of Swift’s Eras tour. An Instagram post from Brittany Mahomes showed the former soccer player decked out in an outfit that pays homage to Swift’s Fearless album, while husband and Kelce’s Chiefs teamate Patrick Mahomes sporting a suit reminiscent of the “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” costume change.

Trending on Billboard

Elsewhere, Lyndsay Bell (wife of the Chiefs’ Blake Bell) could be seen wearing an outfit apparently inspired by Swift’s Lover era, while close friend Ashley Avignone sported a snake around her neck in reference to Reputation.

Other photos from the event also show friendship bracelets on offer as well, heavily referring back to the same bracelets which have become synonymous with Swift thanks to the Era tour.

Swift’s birthday celebrations have also coincided with her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, topping the Billboard 200 for the 17th week this week (chart dated Dec. 21), bringing her career total of weeks spent at No. 1 to 86 – second only to The Beatles at 130 weeks.

Taylor Swift is officially 35 years old, and her Eras Tour crew is celebrating her birthday on Friday (Dec. 13). Her fan-favorite backup dancer, Kam Saunders, shared his final Eras “Bejeweled” solo via Instagram, and in the video, he and Swift share an adorable hug before he repeatedly tells the star, “I love you!” In […]

Swifties are trying to get last-minute tickets as Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour heads to Vancouver tonight (Dec. 6)  – but resellers are beating them to the punch.
With demand sky-high for the final shows on the massively popular Eras Tour, Taylor Swift released a batch of unique ‘no view’ tickets (which offer fans a view of the screens beside the stage but not the stage itself) for her three upcoming Vancouver dates this week at just $16.50 per ticket.

As Swifties rushed to Ticketmaster to wait in large queues for the chance to hear (but not see) their favourite star, resellers were scooping up the cheap tickets.

Trending on Billboard

Before they knew it, the Ticketmaster drop had ended and many of the ‘no view’ tickets were now on StubHub – for thousands of dollars, as fans posted on social media.

Some lucky fans did manage to score the no-view tickets. But the massive resale markups of $16.50 tickets are another indicator of just how hard it is for actual Taylor Swift fans to get into the Eras Tour.

Many fans have gone through several rounds of attempts at securing tickets through Ticketmaster or ticket giveaways, spending hours waiting in queues and scouring social media for ticket tips.

Meanwhile, Vancouver is preparing for its Taylor Swift era, altering a local sign to read: Swiftcouver.

The Eras Tour concludes in Vancouver with three performances December 6-8, 2024.

[more]

Kendrick Lamar’s ‘GNX’ Debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart

Kendrick Lamar has claimed a new No. 1 album in the home country of his biggest rival.

GNX, K-Dot’s surprise sixth studio release, arrives in the top spot on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, dated December 7.

But unlike in the U.S., Lamar didn’t manage to hit No. 1 on the Canadian Hot 100.

Gracie Abrams holds onto that spot with “That’s So True” for the second week as the Eras Tour (where she’s performing as Taylor Swift’s opening act) rolls into Vancouver this week from Dec. 6-8.

Kendrick Lamar is still well represented at the top of the Canadian Hot 100, though. His sleek slow jam “Luther” featuring SZA is at No. 2, and “Squabble Up” – which claimed the No. 1 spot south of the border – is at No. 3.

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” meanwhile, drops to No. 5, indicating his record-setting run might really be done.

Those are strong numbers for Kendrick Lamar in Drake’s home country, even if the Compton rapper hasn’t hit the same highs as in the U.S. just yet.

Lamar will be taking his GNX on the road next year on the Grand National tour, with two Canadian date in Drake’s hometown, at the Rogers Centre stadium on June 12 and 13 with SZA. 

[more]

Les Cowboys Fringants, Charlotte Cardin Most Streamed Québécois Artists on Spotify in Canada in 2024

As individual Spotify Wrapped graphics take over social media feeds, the streaming giant has shared some insightful Canadian Wrapped data.

Spotify shared the top Québécois artists streamed in Canada, with rock group Les Cowboys Fringants taking the top spot, followed by Charlotte Cardin and Céline Dion.

Les Cowboys were very active this year following the 2023 death of frontman Karl Tremblay and the outpouring of support from Quebec fans showing their immense influence in the province. The new full-length Pub Royal debuted at No. 3 on the Canadian Albums chart. The group also won big at the ADISQ Awards, taking home wins for Author or Composer of the Year and Song of the Year.

Charlotte Cardin in No. 2 comes as no surprise, given the pop singer-songwriter’s international breakout following 2023’s 99 Nights. Cardin also won the first Woman of the Year award at Billboard Canada Women in Music this year.

Céline had a huge streaming moment following her comeback performance at the Paris Olympics, spiking her own catalogue as well as Edith Piaf’s. The soundtrack to her documentary I Am: Celine Dion also charted on the Canadian Albums chart, bringing back some of her immortal hits.

Canada Most-Streamed Québécois Artists

Les Cowboys Fringants

Charlotte Cardin

Céline Dion

Souldia

Enima

Patrick Watson

KAYTRANADA

Alexandra Streliski

Simple Plan

Men I Trust

[more]

Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour continues to spread positivity. When the record-breaking trek made its way to Canada last month, the city of Toronto and Rogers Communications renamed Blue Jay Way — the street in front of the Rogers Centre that is usually home to its hometown Major League Baseball team — as Taylor Swift Way, […]

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may play the role of Maui in Moana 2, but even a Disney demigod had trouble getting tickets to Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour. The actor told Entertainment Tonight that he had to “pull strings” for the first time to secure tickets. “It’s never happened in my career,” he said, noting […]

Taylor Swift is perfectly fine with subtly teasing her ex-boyfriend, Joe Jonas. Swift dated Jonas between July and October of 2008, and the relationship infamously ended when he broke up with the “Anti-Hero” star through a very quick phone call — a move Swift publicly shaded during a 2008 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. A […]

Taylor Swift began her two-week Eras Tour run in Toronto Thursday night (Nov. 14), and the city is going all out. 
Before she hit the stage, footage circulated of her arriving with a whole police cavalcade on the Gardiner Expressway – which is normally filled with traffic during rush hour.

There were plenty of Swifties seen following the Taylor Swift Way signs throughout downtown. Only ticketholders could get near the Rogers Centre before the show – including the city’s unhoused population, who were cleared from encampments and compelled to move to shelters. 

Trending on Billboard

An official Taylgate event took place at the nearby Metro Toronto Convention Centre with photo ops, silent discos and friendship bracelet making stations. A similar “Swift Station” activation offered similar experiences on Queen Street while decked out to look like a subway station. 

News stations broadcast live from outside the stadium throughout the night, while Swift took the stage inside. Stories abounded about fans who tried and failed to get tickets, or who ended up getting scammed (the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre issued warnings as they were overloaded with complaints). Ticketmaster did, however, release some last minute tickets on the day of the show, though they were gone quickly. 

Inside at the concert, Taylor Swift made some nods to the Canadian crowd. “Doesn’t it seem like the entire Folklore era just belongs in Canada?” she asked before launching into that section of the show. “The place that I envisioned in my mind where Folklore took place, it’s very natural, wilderness, beautiful, forests that have been there since the beginning of time. And it just kind of feels like we’re returning the Folklore era to where it belongs anyway.”

Her dancer, Kam, also added a Canadian touch during “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” with an exaggerated “Soorry aboot it!” during his line. 

There are two more Eras Tour shows this weekend, on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, before she returns to Rogers Centre next week for shows on Nov. 21, 22 and 23. – Richard Trapunski

Canadian Songwriters Earn Grammy Nominations for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter

The 2025 Grammy nominations were announced last week, and Beyoncé leads the list — along with her Canadian collaborators.

“Texas Hold ‘Em,” co-written by three Canadians, has been nominated for two of the biggest awards, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Writers Nathan Ferraro, Lowell, and Megan Bülow all picked up nominations for Song of the Year, which is awarded to the writers and composers behind the track, as well as Best Country Song. Ferraro talked with Billboard Canada earlier this year about his Canadian writing team. 

“[The collaboration] works well for us,” Ferraro told Billboard Canada. “We’re such good friends and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I think we all have a lot of mutual respect, so we have a lot of confidence together and that allows us to take risks.”

Lowell, meanwhile, won the inaugural Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award this summer.

Beyoncé’s country album Cowboy Carter is also nominated for Album of the Year with Canadian Dave Hamelin (formerly of Montreal indie rock band The Stills and now a regular collaborator with 070 Shake) named in the nomination for his work as a producer and songwriter across the album.

In total, Beyoncé picked up a whopping 11 nominations for her history-making Cowboy Carter, which features a slew of Canadian contributions.

Serban Ghenea, meanwhile, racked up the highest number of Canadian nods: a grand total of five nominations, for his work with a trifecta of pop stars: Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande. 

Other Canadian nominees included The Weeknd, Kaytranada, Charlotte Day Wilson, Spiritbox and Cirkut, for his work on Charli XCX’s cultural phenomenon, Brat.

Read about all the Canadian nominees here. –Rosie Long Decter

Quebec Government Pursues Action Against Ticket Resale Site Billets.ca

The Quebec government is taking action against ticket resales.

The province’s Office of Consumer Protection announced Wednesday, Nov. 13, that the Director of Penal and Criminal Prosecutions has served 26 statements of infraction to Billets.ca.

If proven guilty, each infraction could merit a fine between $2,000 and $100,000 for the company, and between $600 and $15,000 for President Éric Bussières.

The Office is accusing Billets.ca of reselling tickets at higher prices than those advertised by authorized salespersons. It also charges that the site is reselling tickets it does not possess. The infractions took place between November 2022 and September 2023.

Ticket resales have become an increasingly hot topic in the industry. Ticketmaster issued a warning in advance of Oasis’ North American tour dates going on sale, advising consumers not to trust resale sites that were already advertising tickets. The ticketing giant has also faced allegations in the past of working with resale sites.

Earlier this year, over 250 artists signed a letter titled Fix the Tix, addressing American legislators. “Predatory resellers have gone unregulated while siphoning money from the live entertainment ecosystem for their sole benefit,” the letter stated.

Quebec’s Loi sur la protection du consommateur forbids sellers from boosting prices during resales without express permission from the original authorized vendor. It also prohibits the use of technology to bypass controls on obtaining tickets. Sites like Billets.ca have often skirted these rules by acting as a broker for individual sellers, instead of selling the tickets themselves.

Quebec music association ADISQ welcomed the news.

“It’s a relief to see charges finally laid against Billets.ca and the practice of fraudulent ticket resale,” says Eve Paré, Executive Director of ADISQ, in French.

ADISQ states that it has made numerous complaints to Quebec’s Office of Consumer Protection regarding unauthorized ticket resales.

ADISQ notes that it is also eagerly awaiting the outcome of a class action lawsuit filed against Billets.ca on October 13, 2023. –RLD

The excitement began on the plane: a half-dozen girls and young women exchanging notes on outfits (“You’re doing Lover?” “I’m doing Midnights!” “I’m going as Miss Americana”), making and trading friendship bracelets and even a few headed to the country without tickets, hoping for a day-of miracle. It continued at the bars and restaurants the […]

When Toronto-based entertainment and hospitality magnate Charles Khabouth heard that Taylor Swift would be bringing her record-breaking Eras Tour to the city he’s called home for more than 50 years, he knew immediately what to do.
“I opened a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate,” Khabouth, the founder/CEO of INK Entertainment, which operates a series of hotels, bars and restaurants and produces live events in the city, says, laughing. “I’ve been around 43 years in this business; I’ve never seen this hype in my life around anything. We do, I don’t know, 200, 300 live shows ourselves every year. We’ve had everybody in the city from the Stones to Madonna to Prince. This got much bigger support from everybody than ever possible.”

The city of Toronto is about to play host to one of the most significant events — culturally and economically — of the past two years, as Swift and her legion of fans descend upon the city for six nights across two weekends (Nov. 14-16, 21-23), the penultimate stop on a tour that has spanned two years and five continents and changed the fortunes of several cities along the way. And Toronto — known as a savvy, cosmopolitan city in its own right, though one that has at times had to fight to be considered in the same category as cultural capitals such as New York, Los Angeles or Chicago — has risen to the occasion.

Trending on Billboard

On Nov. 4, the city of Toronto and Rogers Communications renamed Blue Jay Way — the street in front of the Rogers Centre that is usually home to its hometown Major League Baseball team and extends from Nathan Phillips Square to the venue — as Taylor Swift Way, complete with 22 ceremonial street signs that will be auctioned in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank after the run is over. (Rogers is also matching donations to the Daily Bread Food Bank up to $113,000 — a nod to Swift’s favorite number, 13.) 

And that’s just the opening enchantment that the city would eventually roll out. Since then, the city has announced a poetry-inspired pre-concert initiative overseen by Toronto Poet Laureate Lillian Allen, while other announcements have included the Toronto’s Version: Taylgate ’24 event, which is expected to draw some 60,000 people; an Eras! Eras! Eras! performance by the singing group Choir! Choir! Choir!; and a 13-site scavenger hunt tied to different songs from Swift’s catalog spread across the city, among many other things. There are Eras-themed city tours, dance parties, drag and trivia nights and pop-up shops around the city, plus giveaways from a slew of businesses. Destination Toronto — the tourism bureau for Canada’s biggest city — expects some $282 million in economic impact from Swift’s two-week mini-residency, including $152 million in direct spending, 93% of which is expected to come from tourists flocking to Toronto — an astronomical uplift for the city’s local businesses. 

“We’ve seen the entire city getting caught up in the action — from a Taylgate party at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to Taylor-themed hotel rooms and special menus at restaurants around the city,” says Kathy Motton, Destination Toronto’s senior manager of communications. “Major events like Taylor Swift bring visitor spending into Toronto, and that spending circulates long after visitors return home impacting a broad set of businesses. The obvious positive benefit is for hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses, but that benefit also extends to businesses that are indirectly impacted by visitor spending.”

And many of those establishments have met the moment by overhauling their own properties to cater to the estimated 500,000 tourists flooding into the area.

“We’ve got so much happening on property,” says Liza McWilliams, director of marketing at the 1 Hotel Toronto, which transformed its Flora lobby lounge into the Folklore Lounge for the next two weeks, complete with a moss-covered piano, tapestries hanging on the wall with lyrics from Swift’s Folklore album and daily acoustic performances open to guests and the public. They also partnered with the Little Words Project, the original word-based friendship bracelet company, which is doing a pop-up shop in the 1 Hotel’s lobby for the first time in Canada. “I think it’s just really fun to be that much more creative and to dream up some really amazing things that kind of stay with the guests for a longer time,” McWilliams says. “Other than the [Toronto International] Film Festival, I would say we’ve never really been this specific when it comes to an actual city event.”

“This is like preparing for Toronto’s Super Bowl,” says Aaron Harrison, general manager of the Bisha Hotel, a short walk from the Rogers Centre. The Bisha also redesigned its entire lobby space (it went Reputation era), while the common spaces on each of its seven hotel floors are also getting era-themed makeovers, one suite has been entirely rebranded The Taylor (which had been running around $4,000 per night if you could snag it), and the hotel will be offering friendship bracelets, a glitter station and themed food and drinks for guests, among other things, in its Lover Lounge. “We wanted Bisha Hotel to feel like the ultimate fan headquarters,” Harrison adds.

In downtown Toronto, it’s almost more difficult to find a bar or restaurant that hasn’t leaned into Taylor-mania than one that has. (Talk about champagne problems.) The night before the shows kicked off, on Nov. 13, the iconic space needle was flashing rainbow colors in honor of Swift, and bartenders and restaurant staff were all talking about the influx of people in town for the shows. Streets are closed off, the city has dedicated websites aimed at helping both tourists and locals alike navigate the area, and Rogers spent $8 million to upgrade the 5G wireless service at the Rogers Centre ahead of the concerts.

Of the more than half-dozen people who spoke with Billboard for this story, almost all equated the preparations for the Eras Tour to those that go into the build up to TIFF — one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, held in the city each September — but all said the Eras Tour hype went beyond even that. Some hospitality officials and locals are looking at it as a test run for the FIFA World Cup, which will stage six matches in the city in the summer of 2026, and as helping to prove that Toronto can accommodate, and with aplomb, the types of huge events that are often staged in the great cities of the world, ones that invite people to fly in from all over the globe.

There is one thing, however, that nobody is particularly looking forward to: “It’s going to be hell on earth in a sense of the traffic and the amount of people,” Khabouth says, laughing again. (He’s planning to ride his scooter through downtown “with a smile on my face” on the days of each show to avoid driving.) “But it’s a happy moment for all of us in Toronto, to have that energy, that vibe. It’s a concert that’s very positive, you’re gonna see a lot of happy faces, people excited. It’s a very good opportunity for Toronto to stand out and say, ‘Hey, we can play with the big boys.’”

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to a close, with the star wrapping up her U.S. dates in Indianapolis, Indiana, over the weekend, and she took to Instagram on Monday (Nov. 4) to celebrate. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news ”Couldn’t have asked for a more magical […]