On Saturday, June 3rd, 2023, Taylor Swift performed a concert at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota as part of her “Eras Tour”. With the stadium able to hold up to 73,000 people for concerts, it was expected that the event would draw large crowds of dedicated Swifties eager to see the pop superstar perform live. However, the exact number of people who actually attended the concert has become a point of intrigue and debate among fans online. In this article, we will examine the available evidence to provide an estimate of how many people were at Taylor Swift’s US Bank Stadium concert.
Official Capacity and Ticket Sales
US Bank Stadium has an official maximum capacity of 73,000 for concerts based on its lower and upper bowl seating. When tickets first went on sale for Taylor Swift’s concert at the venue, it was announced that the show had sold out within minutes. This initial sellout suggested over 70,000 tickets were purchased.
However, the situation became more complicated when Swift’s team opened up additional tickets for sale due to production changes that allowed for more attendees. Ticketmaster’s seating charts showed these new ticket blocks available in areas that were previously held for production equipment and crew. It is unclear exactly how many extra tickets were released.
Looking at online resale sites, it appears prices for the concert remained high up until the event date, indicating continued strong demand. This could mean the new batches of tickets also sold out quickly.
Estimated Ticket Sales Range
Given the information available, we can estimate a range of between 70,000-73,000 tickets were likely sold in total for Taylor Swift’s US Bank Stadium concert if both the initial sellout and additional released tickets met demand. This estimate is based on the venue’s maximum concert capacity and reports of a rapid sellout combined with added tickets.
Impact of No-Shows
However, the number of tickets sold does not necessarily equal the number of people actually in attendance at a concert. One key factor to consider is no-shows – tickets that were purchased but the buyer did not show up to use them. No-show rates vary widely based on the artist and market factors, ranging anywhere from 5-40% typically.
Looking at average no-show rates for stadium concerts by major pop artists, a reasonable estimate is 10-20% no-shows. If we apply that range to the estimated 70,000-73,000 tickets sold for Taylor Swift’s US Bank Stadium show, it yields the following:
Estimated Concert Attendance Range
| Estimated Tickets Sold | No-Show % Range | Estimated Actual Attendance Range |
|---|---|---|
| 70,000 | 10-20% | 56,000-63,000 |
| 73,000 | 10-20% | 58,400-65,700 |
Factoring in no-shows of 10-20%, we can estimate the actual number of people in attendance for Taylor Swift’s concert at US Bank Stadium was likely between 56,000-65,700 based on the venue’s capacity and ticket sales patterns.
Fan Photos and Videos
Another data point we can examine to help estimate crowd size is visual evidence from fans. Numerous photos and videos were posted on social media sites by concertgoers, offering a view of the scope of the audience.
While wide-angle shots can be misleading visually, they do appear to show the stadium’s lower and upper bowl filled to capacity without large empty sections visible. Close-up shots of the crowd reinforce this, with densely packed groups of fans standing and cheering.
Videos panning across the crowd also suggest both the lower and upper decks were mostly occupied by fans, even in the highest rows and behind the stage. Multiple vantage points from both the floor and upper deck depict no obvious gaps in the audience throughout the venue.
Overall, the fan media indicates a crowd size consistent with a high percentage of tickets being used and capacity reached based on the estimated ranges discussed earlier. There do not appear to be sizable areas of no-shows or empty seating visible.
Fan Photos Suggest High Attendance
The visual evidence from fans is consistent with estimated attendance of between 56,000-65,700 based on the venue’s capacity and ticket sales patterns.
Concessions and Merchandise Sales
Another metric we could examine to gauge crowd size is concession and merchandise sales. Products like food, drinks, and band merchandise help generate revenue at concerts based on how many people are there to potentially make purchases.
US Bank Stadium offers a robust menu of concession options for concerts, including main stadium concession stands as well as Portable Point of Sale stations throughout the venue. Similarly, multiple merchandise booths are located on the stadium’s concourse offering Taylor Swift’s latest tour products.
Reports from stadium concessionaires and event staff indicate sales for food, beverages, and merchandise at the Taylor Swift concert were very high – some of the highest ever seen at US Bank Stadium. While specific revenue totals were not released publicly, the strong sales activity reflects a very large audience in attendance with both spending appetite and buying power.
The high volume of concessions and merchandise sold again aligns with and reinforces the attendance estimates in the 56,000-65,700 range.
Media Reports and Reviews
Local media coverage of Taylor Swift’s US Bank Stadium concert also provides useful perspective on estimating crowd size.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reviewed the show the following day and described the stadium being “filled with about 60,000 fans”. Other Twin Cities media described it as a “sold-out show” and highlighted the excited crowds.
National music and entertainment media also covered the concert, with Billboard reporting Swift performing for “more than 60,000 fans” and highlighting the “full house” in Minneapolis. Reviews uniformly focus on the scale of the event and the sea of fans taking over the stadium.
While the media reports do not provide an exact official number, their descriptions and estimates of over 60,000 fans align with our attendance estimate range derived from other available data points.
Media Described Large Crowds in the Tens of Thousands
Local and national media consistently reported crowd sizes for Taylor Swift’s US Bank Stadium concert in the tens of thousands, supporting estimated attendance between 56,000-65,700.
Comparison to Other Stadium Shows
We can also reference attendance for other recent concerts at US Bank Stadium to provide additional context around realistic crowd sizes for Taylor Swift’s show. These comparable data points can help narrow down or validate our estimates.
Some key examples to look at:
- Guns N’ Roses performed at US Bank Stadium in July 2022 with reported attendance of 61,000.
- The Rolling Stones played a sold-out show there in 2019 with around 60,000 fans.
- U2’s concert in September 2017 had 66,000 fans in attendance according to news reports.
These recent stadium concerts from major legacy rock artists had reported attendance between 60,000-66,000 at US Bank Stadium. The numbers align very closely with our working estimate for Taylor Swift’s show in the range of 56,000-65,700.
The data from comparable concerts strengthens the view that Swift’s event also likely drew crowds of 60,000-65,000 to completely fill or come close to filling the stadium’s capacity.
Attendance Aligns with Other Major Concerts There
Taylor Swift’s estimated US Bank Stadium attendance matches closely with figures reported from other marquee artists’ sold-out shows at the venue recently.
Concert Revenue Estimates
With an estimated attendance range of 56,000-65,700, we can also look at what total gross revenue for Taylor Swift’s concert may have been based on average ticket prices.
According to reports, ticket prices for the show ranged from $49 for upper deck seats to up to $599 for premium floor tickets before reseller markups. Estimated average ticket price sold was around $200.
At an average of $200 per ticket and an estimated 65,700 attendees, preliminary revenue calculations would be:
- 65,700 tickets x $200 average price = $13.14 million
With fewer attendees at the lower estimate of 56,000, estimated revenue would be:
- 56,000 tickets x $200 average price = $11.2 million
For the higher average ticket prices reported in floor and lower bowl sections, overall revenue could be even higher. Added revenue from merchandise and concessions sales would also contribute significantly.
While full financials are not public for the event, these revenue estimates based on estimated attendance further demonstrate the concert’s financial power.
Projected Gross Revenue Ranged $11-13 Million
Rough revenue projections based on estimated crowd size and average ticket prices point to Taylor Swift’s US Bank Stadium concert generating between $11-13 million before other income streams.
Conclusion
In summary, based on available information on US Bank Stadium’s maximum capacity, ticket sales patterns, expected no-show rates, fan media, media reports, comparable concerts, and revenue projections, we can reasonably estimate the attendance for Taylor Swift’s June 3rd, 2023 concert as follows:
Projected Total Attendance: Between 56,000-65,700
The range takes into account the potential variation in exact ticket sales and no-shows but centers around 60,000-65,000 as the most likely outcome based on the evidence and precedents available.
This kind of crowd would mean the stadium was nearly or completely full for Swift’s highly anticipated concert and aligned with some of the biggest previous shows held there. While an exact official number is not known publicly, the detailed estimates provide a solid approximation of the likely audience size.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if any more definitive attendance figures or insights are provided over time by the concert promoters, venue management, or Swift’s team. For now, the detailed estimates in this analysis offer the clearest picture possible of how many fans packed US Bank Stadium to watch Taylor Swift’s big night in Minneapolis.
