It's a cruel summer for Toronto Swifties.
The pop megastar is currently travelling the world on her Eras Tour, whose international dates were released yesterday, with stops across the globe – except for Canada.
The perceived snub has hit Swifties hard. Swift has stopped in Canada on all of her previous tours, and she even made a brief appearance at TIFF in 2022 to promote her short film, “All Too Well.” But as Swift winds down the North American leg of her Eras Tour, which traces her entire musical catalogue over the course of three and a half hours, Canadian Swifties are wondering what they did wrong.
“I was shocked, but unfortunately not surprised,” Toronto influencer Sarah Jenkins told CP24. “I’d heard rumours of stops in Canada in 2024…but I also understand. There’s a lot of other variables. Maybe the Rogers Centre renovations are part of it, or the Blue Jays schedule.” Representatives for the Rogers Centre did not immediately respond to CP24’s request for comment.
Jenkins has seen Swift in concert in Toronto four times, as well as recently in Pittsburgh for the Eras Tour. She was looking forward to another “hometown show,” she told CP24.
“Not everyone has the privilege to pay for things in U.S. dollars, or drive to the U.S., or fly to the U.S.,” she said. “It’s different when it’s your town.”
Jenkins isn’t the only one disappointed by the news. Abhiraj Lamba, a student at the University of Waterloo, has never seen Swift live, and was holding out for a Toronto tour date so that he could.
“It’s a big disappointment,” he said. “I tried getting tickets in the U.S. I waited for hours. But I just couldn’t do it.” Lamba said he might travel to another country next year to see one of Swift’s shows, but conceded not everyone is able to do that due to cost.
Member of Parliament Matt Jeneroux (Edmonton Riverbend) has raised a grievance about the situation, telling CP24 that “as the dad of two teenage daughters, this is something that Canadians are talking about.
“Let’s encourage Taylor to consider and come back to Canada!” he said.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman said on Twitter that she would “second” this grievance.
Swiftie Bryan Liceralde pointed out that Canada was the first country Swift ever performed outside of the U.S., making her absence this time around all the more disappointing.
“This is her biggest tour to date,” he said. “I don’t necessarily find it insulting, but other people might.” Liceralde said a change.org petition is in the works to attempt to convince Swift to change her mind and make a stop in Canada.
“I had such a high certainty she would come to Toronto, or any other place in Canada,” he said. “I was so certain. But we got zero.”
Representatives for Swift did not immediately respond to CP24’s request for comment.
