Swifties descend on Detroit ahead of Taylor Swift concert

The sun hadn't even risen, and a line was already growing outside Ford Field; the Swifties had arrived.

A precursor of the excitement simmering in Detroit before it turned to boiling, concertgoers expected to fill the seats of Ford Field were already lining up just to snag some of the coveted merchandise that was part of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

The two-day concert series will cap off a hectic and crowd-filled weekend in Detroit. Visitors to the Motor City beware: you're going to want to plan ahead.

"I woke up at 3. I couldn't sleep all night," said Makyla Johnson. "I've been up all night."

Johnson is from Port Huron. But her heart resides with her favorite artist of all time. Managing to snag tickets to both Friday and Saturday's show, the 17-year-old will be seeing Swift perform for the first time ever tonight.

"I'm really excited for the opener," she said. "I'm really excited about that. I'm also excited for the surprise songs and Karma and Illicit Affairs. I'm pretty much excited for it all."

Those are the names of two of Swift's songs, one from her 2022 album Midnights and one from her 2020 album Folklore. She's been playing at least 40 songs during each of her performances on the tour, so there's a good chance that fans will hear at least one of their favorites.

You can see the list of songs she's expected to play here.

Swift's return to Detroit marks the latest performance since she first played in 2006. Only 16 at the time, she performed at DTE Energy Music Theatre. That was when her first single "Tim McGraw" came out. 

Now at age 33, as one of the biggest singers in the world and one of the most recognizable brands on the planet, Swift has released 10 albums and re-recorded three others. She's counted as one of the best-selling artists of all time with more than 200 million albums sold.

Taylor Swift in Detroit