The $337.23 daily average for Taylor Swift’s tour was nearly 20% higher than last month’s weekend average of $281.79. Moyer said prices since the end of last week have increased by approx.
And while downtown prices are typically 80% higher than in the suburbs, Moyer said they were 120% higher last week.
“This was a very strong week,” he said. “It’s unquestionable.”
Burke agreed. Firebird Tavern had Swift-themed drinks and customers would call weeks in advance to try to get a reservation, he said. They couldn’t make them. The bar opened earlier than usual on Friday, and Burke said it was “packed” by 2 p.m. It was quiet during the concerts, but the bar filled up again shortly after the show.
However, he said, it was not the night for the loud party to end: By 12:30 in the morning, most people had gone home.
“He wasn’t drunk at all, he was very tired,” he said. “It was great. I hope they come back every year.”
This is consistent with what Judith Long observed. Long, the mother of two Swifties and an associate professor of sports management and urban planning at the University of Michigan, previously told Crain’s that multi-party concertgoers can drive down alcohol sales.
But what they did not have endurance, they made up for it in strength.
The capacity of Firebird Tavern is 250 people; Burke said between Friday and Saturday, 1,200 were sent before 10pm and an additional 300 or so will return after the show. The incident “blew the Grand Prix out of the water,” he said of last week’s IndyCar city race. Sales for Friday and Saturday were three times higher than expected for the weekend, and Burke said those who couldn’t get in rushed to other locations.
“Taylor Swift is probably the biggest financial crisis we’ve had since pre-Covid,” he said. “It was exactly what we thought it would be, and more.”
Velten, who has August tickets to see P!nk at Comerica Park and the Jonas Brothers at Little Caesars Arena, said he will probably get a hotel room next time – and return to Detroit for more events.
“It just feels like Detroit is back and doing well,” he said. “There was a huge roar that happened, and you could hear it.”
