Bryan WestUSA TODAY NETWORK
Although considered the cheap seats, the restricted view section way up in the nosebleeds gives the best behind-the-scenes vantage into Taylor Swift's massive Eras Tour production.
Restricted view seats are slightly behind the stage so concertgoers can't see the main strip underneath the set's giant LED wall. For Swift's show, this means not seeing "The Man" office, "Speak Now" ballet intro, "Red" trunk dance with Tamiya Lewis, "Look What You Made Me Do" vitrine showcase, "Folklore" cottage, "Evermore" piano and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" flag wave by dancer Karen Chuang.
The left side of the stage, from the crowd's vantage point, is where you can see the cast and crew (including Swift) enter and production load and unload props.
Madalena Neves is a Portuguese Swiftie who bought her restricted view ticket the night before the second performance in Lisbon.
"This is better than not going," she said. "I cried when I was coming here. I’m gonna cry during the whole show. It’s a dream come true.”
My experience with restricted view
On a Wednesday in Portugal, I looked at last-minute tickets to see Swift perform that Saturday at Estádio da Luz. (Like other concerts I've attended in Australia and Europe, Swift's team did not provide a media pass.)
One ticket in the restricted section was available for $80.87. The 300-level peanut gallery provided the second-best experience I've had seeing the show (out of a dozen times) because I was able to witness the ecosystem of production crew, cast members, security guards and first responders working while Swift blazes through her 11 eras.
The high-in-the-clouds perspective allows you to watch Swift's team enter excitedly as Ice Spice's "In Ha Mood" booms through the stadium. At the end of the dancer and instrumentalist line-up is a "cleaning cart" pushed by a few production members. The cart rolls all the way to a set of black stairs only visible to those in restricted view seats. One worker opens a door, and you can see Swift exit in her "Lover" bodysuit and Louboutin heels.
Between each era, the performers run in and out of black tents on either side of the stage to change their outfits. Their sweaty garments are tossed into a pile that is sterilized and hung by two workers. Dancers stretch and dance before each number. Some pat each other on the back as they wait in the wings to enter. Before gliding onto the stage for "22" in Portugal, dancer Kevin Scheitzbach pulled his shirt to the side and stuck out his tongue to poke fun at bassist Amos Heller.
Production dismantles "The Man" set and places the pieces onto a cart as if playing a 3D Tetris game. Moving blankets are placed over the "Look What You Made Me Do" boxes before the nine containers are pushed down the ramp. The "Midnights" clouds are rolled off as well.
Floor openings and security responses
When Swift exits on the descending floor platform, she holds a smiling pose until her body is about 50% of the way down and then she quickly hands off her guitar and jumps out of view.
A massive screen on the side of the stage shows everything fans in restricted view are missing on the main stage. The high vantage point allows you to see the cast and props enter and exit through stage openings.
Security guards hand out cups of water to fans. When a fan needs assistance, first responders hold their highlighter yellow and orange lights high in the air and somehow weave through the thousands of fans packed tight as sardines on the floor. From the higher views, you can watch security carry fans to a safe area. During Portugal, as Swift put her hands into a heart during the "Fearless" era, two workers picked up a fan who may have overheated in the crowd.
During "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me," the reflective silver floating platform enters through a hole in the stage. After "Down Bad," the platform returns to the marked area and descends into the stage, but not before a crew member feverishly works to untwist and remove the pole Swift holds onto while she belts, "Who's afraid of little old me."
A few moments later, another floor area opens to reveal dancers Kameron Saunders and Jan Ravnik on the red lips sofa. In Lisbon, Ravnik patted Saunders' shoulder quickly and posed before the platform ascended onto the stage.
At the end of the show, the dancers bolt off the stage while Swift walks and waves to screaming fans. Confetti falls onto the floor. Cones are places along the different slits in the floor and production begins to deconstruct the stage.
What is the cost of a 'cheap seat'?
Lisbon may have been the last city with a two-digit price tag.
Resale tickets for the Eras Tour restricted view section start at $1,852 in the United States, according to StubHub.com. A restricted ticket in Amsterdam is $478, in Warsaw, Poland, it's $349, and in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, it's $322.
Swift has dozens of shows left before she officially ends this era of her career on Dec. 8.
More: Taylor Swift to end record-breaking Eras Tour in December, singer announces
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for thefree, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West onInstagram,TikTokandX as @BryanWestTV.
