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Wildest streams! Inside the fan-powered broadcasts of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour

Every night of the tour, tens of thousands of fans are tuning in to joyfully amateurish livestreams generated by fans in the stadiums. Our writer joins the online audience

The overflowing live chat, running in a third screen, is full of Swift-specific emoji: chief among them is the power-pose from the Reputation portion of the set, showing Swift in the one-legged catsuit that has become infamous among fans for its growing threadbare patches. Composite: Public DomainMumma and his wife saw the opening night of the tour in Glendale last March, and quickly realised there was demand from fans around the world to know when Swift started the “surprise songs” part of the set, towards the end. Sitting at home with a beer, I feel charmed – if conflicted – as the news breaks that Swift has just released six UK-exclusive digital variants of The Tortured Poets Department in an apparent – and ultimately successful – attempt to remain at No 1 and keep Charli XCX’s album Brat in second position.

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