If you didn't get Taylor Swift concert tickets, shake it off! How you can still get her merch

Charly Edsitty Image
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Taylor Swift fans form long lines for early merch drop ahead of shows
Even if you aren't a Swiftie and won't be at NRG Stadium this weekend, you'll want to be in the know when it comes to traffic and road closures.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you couldn't land a concert ticket to Taylor Swift's shows, wipe away those teardrops on your guitar! The artist's merch drop is happening Thursday outside of the Bud Light Plaza at NRG Stadium, ahead of her three-show stop in Houston for the "Eras Tour," but it's first come, first serve.

The truck opened at 10 a.m. for fans hoping to get bejeweled in her tour merch before attending a single show.

SkyEye captured video of fans who were lined up before the sun even came up. They knew all too well they had to arrive early to snatch up the items of their wildest dreams.

The merchandise truck is set to be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, though SkyEye captured video of fans who were lined up as early as 5 a.m.

"We left probably about 1:30 a.m. We had to get breakfast and gas and stuff. We got here about 3:30 a.m.," Elisabeth Harper said.

"We live in Sugar Land, but we went to the Holiday Inn and booked a room last night because we couldn't figure out parking and we needed to stay safe," Christie Hagenah said.

If you didn't make it to the Bud Light Plaza early, just shake it off. You need to calm down, because the shop stays open until 7 p.m. Thursday. Though if you're late, you're on your own, kid.

Parking is $20 -- no cash accepted -- in the Blue Lot, so use Gate 9 at Kirby and Westridge to enter.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift Eras tour: What to know as singer prepares to bring shows to NRG Stadium

Taylor Swift is bringing her Eras Tour to Houston's NRG Stadium on April 21-23. Here's what you should know ahead of the show.

Are you ready for it? Swift will hit the stage Friday through Sunday night, and thousands of Swifties are expected to pack into NRG Stadum. The openers start at 6:30 p.m. and the doors open at 4:30 p.m.

ABC13's Charly Edsitty talked to some fans in line who paid up to $900 per ticket.

"I was on the computer for like six hours," Christian Flores said of his ticket-buying experience. "Were you stressed out during that six-hour period?" Charly asked. "Yeah, I was really stressed... and hungry," he said.

If you're driving to the shows, or just in the NRG area, you may see red because of traffic closures.

Starting at 8 p.m. Friday, all northbound and southbound mainlanes of the Southwest Freeway at the 610 West Loop will be closed as part of the ongoing interchange project. The closure is expected to last until 5 a.m. Monday.

Closer to the stadium, another gridlock alert involves closures along the west side of NRG Stadium.

The biggest closure is on Kirby Drive at McNee Road to I-610 from 7 p.m. to midnight. There are also closures on Lantern Point from McNee to Murworth and on Murworth from Lantern Point to Kirby Drive. Both of those closures are from 3 p.m. to midnight.

Long story short, avoid the closure and head to the Fannin South Lot to take the METRO.

But if you are driving, the Orange, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Purple parking lots will open at 3:30 p.m. Parking will be $40 and no cash is accepted.

The rideshare and parents drop-off and pick-up location will be in the Yellow Lot.

SEE ALSO: Harris County temporarily renaming NRG Stadium is latest gesture to Taylor Swift during Eras Tour

We've been calling it NRG Stadium, but we don't want any bad blood, so we should probably add (Taylor's Version.) That's the venue's new name while the artist is in town.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo switched it up as a nod to the singer, similar to what other cities have done during her tour stops.

Houstonians can expect to see banners for the renaming starting either Thursday or Friday.

For news updates, follow Charly Edsitty on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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