The tale of the Taylor Swift stage bonuses from the Eras Tour has become a main theme of the singer's record-breaking global tour wrap-up moments. It was revealed that Swift threw almost $197 million in bonuses to her touring crew. The handing over of the bonuses was part of an emotional gathering backstage, where Swift gave her personal thank-you notes to dancers, musicians, technicians, and the logistical staff who supported the multi-year Eras Tour. The Taylor Swift Eras Tour bonuses moment, captured in a new documentary, left several crew members noticeably shaken.
On the strength of the tour, which lasted from March 2023 to late 2024, the Eras Tour became the biggest concert tour in history, with global ticket sales amounting to over $2 billion for nearly 150 concerts worldwide. In addition to performers, Swift's idea of throwing around the money in the form of bonuses and hence driving the total to about $197 million, included truckers, stagehands, lighting technicians, sound engineers, caterers, wardrobe teams, and security staff. Some truck drivers were reportedly handed six-figure bonus checks at the early stages of the tour.
The bonuses were handed out with Swift's handwritten thank-you notes, which reportedly took weeks to prepare personal messages for the crew. In opening the envelopes containing the checks, many thought it was a joke and were brought to tears. The Taylor Swift Eras Tour bonuses highlighted how the singer took the immense financial success of the tour and shared it with the behind-the-scenes people.
The bonus giveaway was a major plot feature in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, The End of an Era, where the camera crew recorded the staff embracing, laughing and having a hard time understanding the extent of the bonuses. Experts in the music world have pointed out that such a wide and generous bonus pool is hardly ever available in big tours, especially for the non-performing staff.
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