Photo: Taylor | By Michael Sainato, The Guardian | Taylor Swift’s Eras tour performances at Lumen Field in Seattle on 22 and 23 July generated seismic activity equivalent of a 2.3 magnitude earthquake, according to seismologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach.
A local seismometer detected activity generated by dancing fans comparable to the famous 2011 “Beast Quake”, when Seattle Seahawks fans erupted in response to running back Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch scoring a touchdown in an NFC wild card game against the New Orleans Saints.
Swift sold out both nights in Seattle, with 72,171 fans at the Saturday show breaking a venue record of 70,000 set by U2 in 2011. Swift’s Eras Tour is one of the most expensive ever, costing an estimated $100m or more.
Concerts have been known on occasion to register seismic activity, such as a 2011 Foo Fighters concert in New Zealand attended by 50,000 fans and a 2022 Garth Brooks concert at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. But seismic magnitudes were not provided from those concerts.
Caplan-Auerbach, a geology professor at Western Washington University, told CNN she saw the Swift comparison in a Pacific north-west earthquake group she moderates, so compared seismic data from both concerts and the 2011 NFL event.
> > > > > > > > >
You know you’re putting on a show when this happens – read the rest here:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/28/taylor-swift-fans-earthquake-seattle
[Thanks to Alex Teitz for contributing this article! http://www.femmusic.com]
Photo: Taylor Swift
Quake It Off: Taylor Swift Fans Generate Seismic Activity During Seattle Shows
