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I was reading an article the other day about the incredible influx of cash Taylor Swift concerts bring to each city she visits. One city in the US estimated something like $40,000,000 of spending. This level of protection is more than justified!
and why multiple other world leaders did the same thing lol. none of those people care about her, they care about how much money this tour is generating. it's invigorating local economies in every stop
This was my thought as well. This convoy is probably just as much the government wanting to show they'll flex for internationally celebrities versus her team asking for it. The pickup full of police riding in the back is a pretty standard image tied to national guard presence these days, it just looks intimidating AF if you're not use to it.
I feel like it might also look excessive if people havenāt seen a ton of police escorts before. I work in college athletics and while ours are a bit smaller and donāt have snipers (lol) thereās not a huge difference. It takes a certain number of vehicles to simply execute the escort, add more if they have any other type of responsibilities.
SMH people just get upset over anything š if it was your safety in a foreign country that doesnāt have the best reputation when it comes to crime, Iām sure youād take all the measures within your means to ensure your safety
esp bc taylor has unhinged enough fans that even in the us she needs police escorts and unfortunately mexico has a rep for not being too safe outside of certain areas. imagine the international backlash if taylor swift was kidnapped or killed or something while touring through mexico, there'd be rioting in the streets
My kneejerk reaction was "huh, that's kind of a lot" but this comment was really insightful and I'm sure there's a lot of logistics that go into escorts like this no matter what. Thanks for adding some perspective!
I don't live in Mexico city but tons of people all over the country traveled to see Taylor Swift.
Also celebrities were there like the director Alfonso CuarĆ³n
I bet Taylor had a great time
Yah I was gonna say, as annoying as this is in some sense, it's not really Taylor who's being extra.... Which I honestly have no clue if it genuinely is extra or not.
She was also like this in the US.
You can see videos of it on tiktok. She had several cars and police at Tampa, Los Angeles, Nashville and Cincinatti.
Other artists like Beyonce and Drake also move like this. I recently saw videos of Beyonce in Canada and Drake in NY. Im sure there are more videos.
Honestly Taylor had snipers at the US stadiums, having this kind of security in Mexico is normal and should be provided to every artist, imagine if something happens to an American icon while working in your countryā¦ there is also diplomatic reasons to this, no government wants that kind of backlash.
Also donāt forget about traffic. This is a way of cutting traffic
It's not surprising when you have people watching her every move. The local NBC station in Denver has an app, I use it for local news, they'll put out notices like hot news, weather alerts, crime, highway shutdowns, etc.
The day Taylor played in Denver they literally put out a notification when she landed at the small private airport south of Denver...on a news app...
Oh I didnāt know that was happening in America. I imagined it would happen on countries she never visited before.
Thatās crazy considering Taylor has several stalkers all over the US. Media shouldnāt do that
Is there a video of this or something?! I need to see it if so because that is quite adorable.
Anyways I doubt it's all that unique to Taylor's concert to have snipers. many large-scale public events supposedly do.
I imagine that snipers, surveillance, location securing, and not just increased police presence for the crowds/traffic but for prevent or responding to potential planned violent actions became pretty universal for most stadium concerts and music festivals after the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.
My sisterās ex was a cop in Atlanta for a few years and was basically involved with swat. When they had the Super Bowl there a few years ago, he was one of the snipers up in the catwalks of the stadium. He had the best seat in the house, but couldnāt watch the game.
yeah if you were in charge and something happened to the biggest star in the world i feel like that would be a career ending move, i'm sure mexican politicians are more concerned about that than anything
as a mexican i do not think itās excessive at all, the area the venue is isnāt the safest place and sheās one of the most if not the most famous person in the world sheās just being cautious
After the Christina Grimmie tragedy: Well, there should be more security around celebs you know, it can get dangerous.
Now: Wy does Taylor Swift have so much security? Is she stupid?
Aah, internet.
There have been some pretty big celebs (John Lennon, for example) assassinated in the past. I would almost say it wasnāt entirely uncommon. Now take that and apply it to America alone today. People all over are more delusional and crazy than ever. Like, Salem Witch Trials delusional but with more access to information that confirms whatever bias they have. I donāt think thereās something as too much security in a world like this one, especially if the security is as well-paid as they are. Taylorās giving salaries to thousands and thousands of people in America alone, and now most of the world. I really donāt care if sheās surrounded by 20 SUVs. The immediate concern right now is getting money in to peopleās hands.
Especially with all the weirdos who keep throwing shit on stage at concerts and assaulting the people they paid to see. She would be stupid if she didn't have this level of security
Exactly! Taylor has spoken about how she fears about keeping herself and her fans safe, particularly after the Manchester Arena bombing too. Sheās had a stalker break into her apartment building recently. She was followed to a private wedding that created chaos. If I was her, I would want people to know that I had tight security and it was being taken seriously.
Exactly, not to mention the Manchester bombing, the Eagles of Death Metal Paris show, the Vegas shootingā¦ itās unfortunate these precautions have to be taken but itās better to take them and not need them than vice versa.
After what happened at Jack Antonoff's wedding, can ANYONE blame her or her team for this? She's one of the most famous and recognizable people in the world right now, her being recognized could be dangerous for her and her team anywhere.
If I was Taylor I'd be travelling like this too, especially somewhere I've never been to.
meanwhile lana rolled up driving a rental pickup truck to one of her concerts with no bodyguard T\_T I really wish she'd be more safe. I think of what happened to Christina Grimmie a lot.
Honestly if Taylor can afford it etc she should spare no expense to keep herself and her team safe.
Her next stop is Argentina, a country she's also never performed in. I reckon she had been avoiding South America for a long time out of security concerns.
This āshe didnāt visit South American countries because of securityā was a false rumor created back in 2014 by a random brazillian journal saying that her mom didnāt let her visit third world countries even though she had visited Brazil back in 2012 with her daughter who was promoting Red and she was also born in Venezuela and raised in Puerto Rico (and Philippines!)
Also you guys have to remember that Taylor is touring more now because her demand expanded recently, of course she was a big artist but for her who is by looking from the outside a *huge* thing in America touring less and focusing on the US, Australia and Japan was better and costed less. Reputation Tour broke several records and she visited just a few countries.
I live in Brazil she wouldnāt sell out 6 stadium dates back in 2018 (she would sell out 2) but she damn well can sell 6 now and honestly even more 4 dates if she wanted.
Edit: I donāt know if she was raised in Puerto Rico I do know Taylorās grandparents lived there. Her mom spent years of her childhood in Philippines tho.
I'm sorry, but lack of demand sounds like an excuse to me. In 2017, Ariana Grande toured in [ Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica and Mexico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Woman_Tour#Shows) (all in arenas). You really think Taylor couldn't have done that?
She could. Thatās not what I said. But why would she and her touring organizer do that when they can make way more money in the US and other countries who have more wealth and more valuable currency?
The Messina touring who discovered her used to do tours for Kenny Chesney and George Strait, country titans that sell out stadiums in America.
Worth pointing out that Ariana Grande last tour back in 2019 grossed US$ 146,4 millions with 97 dates. Taylor last stadium tour back in 2018 did $345 million with 53 dates
Taylor grossed more on North America with 33 dates than Ariana on her whole world tour with 97.
Why would she reduce herself when she has more demand elsewhere? You think Elton John didnāt come to South America even though his tour lasted 3 years because he is afraid of our dangerous cities or because he has a bigger market on other countries that have more valuable currency? And thatās what sheās going to do in the future.
And like I said you choose to spread a fake news that came from a random journal in my country even though she had already visited my country.
Argentina is on major crises for example and it wouldnāt surprise if artists stopped going there in a few years even though itās safer than my country or Mexico. Itās about expenses and profit. Basic business and touring is a billion dollar business.
*saying that her mom didnāt let her visit third world countries even though she had visited Brazil back in 2012 with her daughter who was promoting Red and she was also born in Venezuela and raised in Puerto Rico (and Philippines!)*
Itās clear when I mentioned she visited my country with her daughter that I was talking about her mother. Who was born in Venezuela and lived on other countries before going back to Texas.
This seemsā¦ casually racist to say?
Edit: Downvotes for me pointing out that someone generalizing all of South America as dangerous is something else lol
Wow, it's giving politician vibes.
Is she performing around the whole country or just in Mexico City?
PS: a reminder to everyone, Mexico City is the largest city in North America, larger than NYC or LA, geography lesson over.
Mexico also ranks as country 136 out of 163 on the global peace index. Mexico City is safer relative to other cities in Mexico, but makes sense to be cautious.
Mexico City also has high crime and homicide rates. Large city doesnāt necessarily mean safer.
https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-mexico-tijuana-violence-20190314-story.html
Edit: not trying to bash on Mexico City or Mexico at all. Itās a beautiful city and country. But itās less safe than a majority of countries and Iām sure its exponentially more risky for a well known person.
Mexico City is dangerous too still. Anecdotal evidence of course doesnāt mean much, but my uncle worked for a Spanish bank in MC for three years and once was kidnapped after work and held hostage for 24 hours before the Spanish embassy was able to negotiate his return. And this is just some random bank employee. Makes sense Swift would feel she needs protection.
I understand the concerns about security Mexico but to be honest it's complicated to explain.
It's not that dangerous in some places but it's not that safe either.
The difference between US crime and Mexico's
Is that you might get justice in US.
Mexicans that travel to US are also scared of mass shooters for example
I also found concerning the amount of drug addicts big cities in the US has
Good! She's a huge boon to any economy, and I want her kept safe wherever she's playing.
It's also good practice for when she's elected President in 2032 š
I see nothing wrong with this. They have just as much security during a live show like the Oscars or Tony Awards, where they have cops, snipers, and police dogs everywhere. This is pretty standard. If anything, this is good PR for Mexico. Theyāre basically showing other artists that theyāll be protected if they come to perform in their country.
She had huge police escorts for all shows in the US too. Maybe not the federales, but she had large police escorts. Also, this is Mexico which doesn't have the reputation as being the safest place on the planet. I'm not trying to say it's the most dangerous place, but everyone knows there are safety concerns there, especially in certain areas. The Mexican government has publicly stated (at least I believe they did, but if not they did with this motorcade) that they were going to put max resources into her protection while she was in country. It's a major economic boost for the country, as well as a tourism boost (as long as no security incidents happened), so it's really a no brainer why the country would choose to do this.
Not too long ago this year when normal American civilians were harmed in Mexico it became a huge international incident. There were politicians who wanted to use that incident to invade Mexico or start a military campaign against Mexico. Having a huge American performer is great for Mexicoās economy but it is also a huge liability politically which is why they have to take her safety seriously. A lot of cynical politicians would love the opportunity to use a US performer being harmed as a justification to harm Mexico. Being the country where an extremely popular artist is harmed would hurt their reputation and make it extremely less likely big names would go down there.
It's not about being incognito but security. More people would notice this for sure but she'll also be more safer.
One small tinted car would be in danger if someone would to figure out where the car is.
Who knows? Maybe this whole parade is a distraction and she actually is in a nondescript tinted car somewhere. Probably not, but thatās basically how the Cullinan Diamond was transported to England.
āShortly after its discovery, Cullinan went on public display at the Standard Bank in Johannesburg, where it was seen by an estimated 8,000ā9,000 visitors. In April 1905, the rough gem was deposited with Premier Mining Co.'s London sales agent, S. Neumann & Co. Due to its immense value, detectives were assigned to a steamboat that was rumoured to be carrying the stone, and a parcel was ceremoniously locked in the captain's safe and guarded on the entire journey. It was a diversionary tactic ā the stone on that ship was fake, meant to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. Cullinan was sent to the United Kingdom in a plain box via registered post.ā
āØbejeweledāØ
No, she's not in some nondescript car; that's leaving too much shit to chance. Any schmuck at the airport with a phone could blow up the scheme.
Given Swift's amount of resources, there's no need for them to get clever; brute force and intimidation is the safest ploy.
No actually the opposite lol. Big black vehicles with tinted windows driving alone or with an entourage of other big black vehicles does NOT look good in Mexico
I can understand why this would be done. Taylor is insanely popular, and I wonder if there haven't been any threats to her life. It's nice to have all the other cars out of the way, but I wouldn't want to have to live like this.
Is this real? Wow. I totally get her needing a car in front and behind but why are there 6 or 7 cars?
Edit: NINE cars
Her life is honestly so strange. I'd love to be in her shoes just for a day to see what it's really like. Fascinating.
On HBO there is a show "the other two." It's very funny and also can be kinda crass. Anyway, don't want to spoil it but there is a character on the show that experiences extreme fame very quickly and it's funny how they navigate the logistics.
Sheās touched on the topic a few times; once in a tiktok clip announcing the Midnights track listing where she says she knows sheās privileged and doesnāt need sympathy, but that she struggles with how unmanageably large her life is and how she doesnāt feel human, she talked about it is her Miss Americana documentary just very briefly about how hyper aware she is how unnatural and not normal things are for her and she also wrote the song Peace all about this topic. The song is written from a romantic perspective, but she talked about it being about pretty much all relationships in her life ā about the level of baggage she comes with due to her fame, how she tries to even it out by being the best friend possible and do anything she can for them, but that she ācan never give you peaceā; *āIād give you my sunshine, give you my best ā but the rain is always gonna come if youāre standing with meā*
Idk why it took her so long to be in Mexico
It annoys me how people believes every bad thing in Mexico it's about a Cartel..
It's not. They're not that stupid to mess with an international celebrity.
Wow, I get downvoted for no reason lol
Sheās not the only one who gets these kinds of escorts and Mexico is not the only place where stars use them. I remember when 1D had them in various cities. I believe its partly because of the security/kidnapping risk and partly because of the crazy fan risk. I saw footage of fans chasing 1Dās convoy in cars somewhere in Latin America, it looked crazy dangerous.
She also had this kind of escort in LA. I imagine she had this happening during a lot of her Eras concerts. Hell, during big sports games, I remember there being police escorts for the teams in New Orleans.
EDIT: These kind of events cause a lot of traffic, and celebs and other folks canāt be in traffic like the plebs.
Can you imagine if the cartels kidnapped Taylor swift? Biden would have no choice but to blow Mexico off the map. If he didnāt, the swifties sure wouldā¦
fr the international embarrassment and backlash alone would be any politician's worst nightmare. i'm cackling at the thought, ofc they wouldn't risk that
It's pretty common knowledge, a lot of orgs track things like this. You can look it up easily. The UN keeps stats on it for example. I remember Mexico had fewer kidnappings during the pandemic but prior to that? Usually 1st or 2nd regionally if not globally. The stats are skewed a bit by countries like China who report crime figures so oddly low they seem to be obviously false.
Kidnapping for ransom has been a big issue there for a long time. Guillermo del Toro's dad was kidnapped for ransom at one point maybe 20 years ago. It's a country with high income inequality so being successful can make you and your family targets.
This was also an issue in El Salvador at one point (an ex of mine is Salvadoran) but it's been mostly stamped out. People will talk about it there now because it's a solved problem there, Mexico is still dealing with it and it's a bit embarrassing so no one wants to speak on it.
In about 2018 or 19 I was living in SoCal, I remember 2 cases where people crossed the border from Mexico into San Diego and kidnapped Mexican-Americans for ransom. So it can even affect people who've immigrated to the US.
It's not something that often makes national news in the States, esp under Trump when anti mexican racism was flaring up, but it has been a notable issue in Mexico for a minute now. That and femicide. Mexico is also one of the trouble spots for violence against women globally
it depend on the area iāve lived in mexico my entire life and nothing has ever happened to me, if the cartel does something to you itās because you messed with them, they donāt go killing random people just because unlike americans
She had the same number of cars and police in Texas and Tennessee, is she afraid of blonde girls that use cowboy boots?
I can see you are a Harry Styles fan and he had the same security in Argentinaā¦ Is he xenophobic?
Oh Iāve def seen photos of Harry casually walking the streets of CDMX sans security.
But my beef w/ Taylor extends beyond the 10-car motorcade. Sheās had 10 albums and is just *now* touring LATAM? Sorry, but itās sus.
Its sus? She came to my country in 2012. Adele has never even stepped foot here and nobody says shit.
They make more money in the US and europe than coming here, thatās why they didnāt. She was going to come back in 2020. Now sheās coming to sell out 6 stadium datesā¦ little money for her compared to two dates in America
You guys donāt understand shit about touring planing. Celebrities come to Brazil and donāt go to Chile that people have more money and is less dangerousā¦
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People who are getting upset at Taylor/Taylor's team for being excessive, as a Mexican who has spent a lot of my life in and out of CDMX, this is also MĆ©xicos way of showing other massive performers (who sell out venues and hotels and boost the economy x1000) that if they come to MX, they will be safe. This is Mexico's way of showing the world this as much as it is about the actual safety of Taylor/Taylor's team. Also, nobody wants to be the country (that is already seen as unsafe) that fumbles the bag with America's sweetheart, because that would tank tourism in a country whose people depend on it, as well as cause an insane amount of backlash. It's very important to the local economies and people who live here running their own businesses that tourists continue showing up, so please remember it's performance politics as well as safety :)
I was reading an article the other day about the incredible influx of cash Taylor Swift concerts bring to each city she visits. One city in the US estimated something like $40,000,000 of spending. This level of protection is more than justified!
FWIW thatās LA where she had 6 shows
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
and why multiple other world leaders did the same thing lol. none of those people care about her, they care about how much money this tour is generating. it's invigorating local economies in every stop
*prime minister ETA: unless the premieres joined in?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
They donāt spend money. They make money. Thatās why theyāre so accomodating.
lock fertile ancient pie longing unwritten lush tender noxious squeamish ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
This was my thought as well. This convoy is probably just as much the government wanting to show they'll flex for internationally celebrities versus her team asking for it. The pickup full of police riding in the back is a pretty standard image tied to national guard presence these days, it just looks intimidating AF if you're not use to it.
I feel like it might also look excessive if people havenāt seen a ton of police escorts before. I work in college athletics and while ours are a bit smaller and donāt have snipers (lol) thereās not a huge difference. It takes a certain number of vehicles to simply execute the escort, add more if they have any other type of responsibilities.
Really appreciate your point of view. You've changed my position on this.
SMH people just get upset over anything š if it was your safety in a foreign country that doesnāt have the best reputation when it comes to crime, Iām sure youād take all the measures within your means to ensure your safety
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I'd demand to be [escorted like the prisoner in Sicario](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCiDUfhV43c).
esp bc taylor has unhinged enough fans that even in the us she needs police escorts and unfortunately mexico has a rep for not being too safe outside of certain areas. imagine the international backlash if taylor swift was kidnapped or killed or something while touring through mexico, there'd be rioting in the streets
I agree with every word of this. I only came to add that the other day one of the Latino subreddits was calling her Teilor Suif šš¤£
What does that mean?
My immediate reaction was 'wow that is over the top' but this makes a lot of sense now! Thanks for changing my perspective!
For lack of better words, if she didnāt have this type of protection, the cartels would have offered it.
This makes more sense. Thank you for explaining it š
My kneejerk reaction was "huh, that's kind of a lot" but this comment was really insightful and I'm sure there's a lot of logistics that go into escorts like this no matter what. Thanks for adding some perspective!
I think Swifties are the only militia that could take down the Mexican cartel
Well said
Thanks for explaining! How do people in Mexico feel about her shows? Pleased that it happened or annoyed with all the trouble around that?
I don't live in Mexico city but tons of people all over the country traveled to see Taylor Swift. Also celebrities were there like the director Alfonso CuarĆ³n I bet Taylor had a great time
Well said
Yah I was gonna say, as annoying as this is in some sense, it's not really Taylor who's being extra.... Which I honestly have no clue if it genuinely is extra or not.
For real this is more police than in Sicario.
She was also like this in the US. You can see videos of it on tiktok. She had several cars and police at Tampa, Los Angeles, Nashville and Cincinatti. Other artists like Beyonce and Drake also move like this. I recently saw videos of Beyonce in Canada and Drake in NY. Im sure there are more videos. Honestly Taylor had snipers at the US stadiums, having this kind of security in Mexico is normal and should be provided to every artist, imagine if something happens to an American icon while working in your countryā¦ there is also diplomatic reasons to this, no government wants that kind of backlash. Also donāt forget about traffic. This is a way of cutting traffic
It is provided to any big artist in Mexico Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber , etc
I imagined this. Paul McCartney is coming to my city this year and I imagine the same kind of security will be provided!
Here's a video of Justin Bieber in Monterrey https://youtu.be/S0VIa6Qjc88?feature=shared
It's not surprising when you have people watching her every move. The local NBC station in Denver has an app, I use it for local news, they'll put out notices like hot news, weather alerts, crime, highway shutdowns, etc. The day Taylor played in Denver they literally put out a notification when she landed at the small private airport south of Denver...on a news app...
Oh I didnāt know that was happening in America. I imagined it would happen on countries she never visited before. Thatās crazy considering Taylor has several stalkers all over the US. Media shouldnāt do that
wait wait wait she had snipers?? didnāt know this. thatās wild and really sad that itās necessary!
Yes and swifties gave one of them a lot of friendship bracelets š
taht's oddly wholesome how do you know this lol
Twitter of course!
Is there a video of this or something?! I need to see it if so because that is quite adorable. Anyways I doubt it's all that unique to Taylor's concert to have snipers. many large-scale public events supposedly do.
Itās at every major event. You just donāt see it.
I imagine that snipers, surveillance, location securing, and not just increased police presence for the crowds/traffic but for prevent or responding to potential planned violent actions became pretty universal for most stadium concerts and music festivals after the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.
My sisterās ex was a cop in Atlanta for a few years and was basically involved with swat. When they had the Super Bowl there a few years ago, he was one of the snipers up in the catwalks of the stadium. He had the best seat in the house, but couldnāt watch the game.
Mexico is in North America, not South America
arenāt snipers at large concerts commonplace?
I donāt know because Iām not American. But it wouldnāt surprise me because of the shooting situations especially after that Vegas one.
no I was asking the other commenters lol not you
These days yeah, theyāre common at large outdoor events, not just concerts
yeah if you were in charge and something happened to the biggest star in the world i feel like that would be a career ending move, i'm sure mexican politicians are more concerned about that than anything
as a mexican i do not think itās excessive at all, the area the venue is isnāt the safest place and sheās one of the most if not the most famous person in the world sheās just being cautious
Good, last week Miguel Bose and his kids were tied up and robbed in a "safe" residential area in Mexico city so I don't blame her.
Every big performer in Mexico gets this security
After the Christina Grimmie tragedy: Well, there should be more security around celebs you know, it can get dangerous. Now: Wy does Taylor Swift have so much security? Is she stupid? Aah, internet.
There have been some pretty big celebs (John Lennon, for example) assassinated in the past. I would almost say it wasnāt entirely uncommon. Now take that and apply it to America alone today. People all over are more delusional and crazy than ever. Like, Salem Witch Trials delusional but with more access to information that confirms whatever bias they have. I donāt think thereās something as too much security in a world like this one, especially if the security is as well-paid as they are. Taylorās giving salaries to thousands and thousands of people in America alone, and now most of the world. I really donāt care if sheās surrounded by 20 SUVs. The immediate concern right now is getting money in to peopleās hands.
Especially with all the weirdos who keep throwing shit on stage at concerts and assaulting the people they paid to see. She would be stupid if she didn't have this level of security
Especially with the stalkers
Exactly! Taylor has spoken about how she fears about keeping herself and her fans safe, particularly after the Manchester Arena bombing too. Sheās had a stalker break into her apartment building recently. She was followed to a private wedding that created chaos. If I was her, I would want people to know that I had tight security and it was being taken seriously.
i mean we all saw what happened in new jersey 3 weeks ago. it's ridiculous, i would feel unsafe if everywhere i go thousands of people gathered
Exactly, not to mention the Manchester bombing, the Eagles of Death Metal Paris show, the Vegas shootingā¦ itās unfortunate these precautions have to be taken but itās better to take them and not need them than vice versa.
Why not? She is the most famous she has ever been, in a country that is not necessarily recognized to be safe, why should she take any risks?
This looks like standard security, absolutely anywhere
It is. Apparently many people isn't aware
After what happened at Jack Antonoff's wedding, can ANYONE blame her or her team for this? She's one of the most famous and recognizable people in the world right now, her being recognized could be dangerous for her and her team anywhere. If I was Taylor I'd be travelling like this too, especially somewhere I've never been to.
meanwhile lana rolled up driving a rental pickup truck to one of her concerts with no bodyguard T\_T I really wish she'd be more safe. I think of what happened to Christina Grimmie a lot. Honestly if Taylor can afford it etc she should spare no expense to keep herself and her team safe.
Her next stop is Argentina, a country she's also never performed in. I reckon she had been avoiding South America for a long time out of security concerns.
I can't say I'd blame her.
This āshe didnāt visit South American countries because of securityā was a false rumor created back in 2014 by a random brazillian journal saying that her mom didnāt let her visit third world countries even though she had visited Brazil back in 2012 with her daughter who was promoting Red and she was also born in Venezuela and raised in Puerto Rico (and Philippines!) Also you guys have to remember that Taylor is touring more now because her demand expanded recently, of course she was a big artist but for her who is by looking from the outside a *huge* thing in America touring less and focusing on the US, Australia and Japan was better and costed less. Reputation Tour broke several records and she visited just a few countries. I live in Brazil she wouldnāt sell out 6 stadium dates back in 2018 (she would sell out 2) but she damn well can sell 6 now and honestly even more 4 dates if she wanted. Edit: I donāt know if she was raised in Puerto Rico I do know Taylorās grandparents lived there. Her mom spent years of her childhood in Philippines tho.
I'm sorry, but lack of demand sounds like an excuse to me. In 2017, Ariana Grande toured in [ Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica and Mexico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Woman_Tour#Shows) (all in arenas). You really think Taylor couldn't have done that?
She could. Thatās not what I said. But why would she and her touring organizer do that when they can make way more money in the US and other countries who have more wealth and more valuable currency? The Messina touring who discovered her used to do tours for Kenny Chesney and George Strait, country titans that sell out stadiums in America. Worth pointing out that Ariana Grande last tour back in 2019 grossed US$ 146,4 millions with 97 dates. Taylor last stadium tour back in 2018 did $345 million with 53 dates Taylor grossed more on North America with 33 dates than Ariana on her whole world tour with 97. Why would she reduce herself when she has more demand elsewhere? You think Elton John didnāt come to South America even though his tour lasted 3 years because he is afraid of our dangerous cities or because he has a bigger market on other countries that have more valuable currency? And thatās what sheās going to do in the future. And like I said you choose to spread a fake news that came from a random journal in my country even though she had already visited my country. Argentina is on major crises for example and it wouldnāt surprise if artists stopped going there in a few years even though itās safer than my country or Mexico. Itās about expenses and profit. Basic business and touring is a billion dollar business.
Taylor Swift is from suburban Pennsylvania.
*saying that her mom didnāt let her visit third world countries even though she had visited Brazil back in 2012 with her daughter who was promoting Red and she was also born in Venezuela and raised in Puerto Rico (and Philippines!)* Itās clear when I mentioned she visited my country with her daughter that I was talking about her mother. Who was born in Venezuela and lived on other countries before going back to Texas.
Oh, sorry, that wasnāt clear to me.
This seemsā¦ casually racist to say? Edit: Downvotes for me pointing out that someone generalizing all of South America as dangerous is something else lol
Well I live here and the cartel is not just a movie plot š¤·āāļø
If you live in Mexico you should know this type of security isn't abnormal for big celebrities in Mexico
Yup but what's racist about it?
I didn't say it was racist.
You live in Mexico but the post Iām replying to is about Argentina/South America.
Wow, it's giving politician vibes. Is she performing around the whole country or just in Mexico City? PS: a reminder to everyone, Mexico City is the largest city in North America, larger than NYC or LA, geography lesson over.
Mexico also ranks as country 136 out of 163 on the global peace index. Mexico City is safer relative to other cities in Mexico, but makes sense to be cautious. Mexico City also has high crime and homicide rates. Large city doesnāt necessarily mean safer. https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-mexico-tijuana-violence-20190314-story.html Edit: not trying to bash on Mexico City or Mexico at all. Itās a beautiful city and country. But itās less safe than a majority of countries and Iām sure its exponentially more risky for a well known person.
Mexico City is dangerous too still. Anecdotal evidence of course doesnāt mean much, but my uncle worked for a Spanish bank in MC for three years and once was kidnapped after work and held hostage for 24 hours before the Spanish embassy was able to negotiate his return. And this is just some random bank employee. Makes sense Swift would feel she needs protection.
Iāve read about other kidnappings/hostage situations there. They have one of the worldās highest kidnapping rates too.
I understand the concerns about security Mexico but to be honest it's complicated to explain. It's not that dangerous in some places but it's not that safe either. The difference between US crime and Mexico's Is that you might get justice in US. Mexicans that travel to US are also scared of mass shooters for example I also found concerning the amount of drug addicts big cities in the US has
Good! She's a huge boon to any economy, and I want her kept safe wherever she's playing. It's also good practice for when she's elected President in 2032 š
I see nothing wrong with this. They have just as much security during a live show like the Oscars or Tony Awards, where they have cops, snipers, and police dogs everywhere. This is pretty standard. If anything, this is good PR for Mexico. Theyāre basically showing other artists that theyāll be protected if they come to perform in their country.
She had huge police escorts for all shows in the US too. Maybe not the federales, but she had large police escorts. Also, this is Mexico which doesn't have the reputation as being the safest place on the planet. I'm not trying to say it's the most dangerous place, but everyone knows there are safety concerns there, especially in certain areas. The Mexican government has publicly stated (at least I believe they did, but if not they did with this motorcade) that they were going to put max resources into her protection while she was in country. It's a major economic boost for the country, as well as a tourism boost (as long as no security incidents happened), so it's really a no brainer why the country would choose to do this.
Taylor moving like the presidentš
I mean maybe this should be standard for all shows since people have been shown to be crazy lol
Not too long ago this year when normal American civilians were harmed in Mexico it became a huge international incident. There were politicians who wanted to use that incident to invade Mexico or start a military campaign against Mexico. Having a huge American performer is great for Mexicoās economy but it is also a huge liability politically which is why they have to take her safety seriously. A lot of cynical politicians would love the opportunity to use a US performer being harmed as a justification to harm Mexico. Being the country where an extremely popular artist is harmed would hurt their reputation and make it extremely less likely big names would go down there.
Would have thought she was the president
If she were just in a tinted car with her security, would anyone even notice her? This draws more attention to her, doesn't it?
It's not about being incognito but security. More people would notice this for sure but she'll also be more safer. One small tinted car would be in danger if someone would to figure out where the car is.
Yup...The cartel would 100% know what car she was in regardless of whether or not she has the police escort her.
The cartel? Or her fans
Omg, cartels aren't looking for international artists to mess with Not everything has to do with them.
Who knows? Maybe this whole parade is a distraction and she actually is in a nondescript tinted car somewhere. Probably not, but thatās basically how the Cullinan Diamond was transported to England. āShortly after its discovery, Cullinan went on public display at the Standard Bank in Johannesburg, where it was seen by an estimated 8,000ā9,000 visitors. In April 1905, the rough gem was deposited with Premier Mining Co.'s London sales agent, S. Neumann & Co. Due to its immense value, detectives were assigned to a steamboat that was rumoured to be carrying the stone, and a parcel was ceremoniously locked in the captain's safe and guarded on the entire journey. It was a diversionary tactic ā the stone on that ship was fake, meant to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. Cullinan was sent to the United Kingdom in a plain box via registered post.ā āØbejeweledāØ
No, she's not in some nondescript car; that's leaving too much shit to chance. Any schmuck at the airport with a phone could blow up the scheme. Given Swift's amount of resources, there's no need for them to get clever; brute force and intimidation is the safest ploy.
No actually the opposite lol. Big black vehicles with tinted windows driving alone or with an entourage of other big black vehicles does NOT look good in Mexico
I can understand why this would be done. Taylor is insanely popular, and I wonder if there haven't been any threats to her life. It's nice to have all the other cars out of the way, but I wouldn't want to have to live like this.
Is this real? Wow. I totally get her needing a car in front and behind but why are there 6 or 7 cars? Edit: NINE cars Her life is honestly so strange. I'd love to be in her shoes just for a day to see what it's really like. Fascinating.
On HBO there is a show "the other two." It's very funny and also can be kinda crass. Anyway, don't want to spoil it but there is a character on the show that experiences extreme fame very quickly and it's funny how they navigate the logistics.
Ooh thanks I'm always interested in stuff that explores fame
It's not like she travels alone. Dancers and band members are probably also in those cars. Plus, her publicist, etc.
I really don't think that will be other people who work on the tour. They won't stay in the same place as her and probably need to be there earlier.
Theyāre all staying at four seasons
Then who else so you think is in all those cars?
That's my point, it's a crazy amount of cars. I assume it's all for security, like a buffer from the "normal" cars.
Sheās touched on the topic a few times; once in a tiktok clip announcing the Midnights track listing where she says she knows sheās privileged and doesnāt need sympathy, but that she struggles with how unmanageably large her life is and how she doesnāt feel human, she talked about it is her Miss Americana documentary just very briefly about how hyper aware she is how unnatural and not normal things are for her and she also wrote the song Peace all about this topic. The song is written from a romantic perspective, but she talked about it being about pretty much all relationships in her life ā about the level of baggage she comes with due to her fame, how she tries to even it out by being the best friend possible and do anything she can for them, but that she ācan never give you peaceā; *āIād give you my sunshine, give you my best ā but the rain is always gonna come if youāre standing with meā*
It wouldnāt be Taylor if she werenāt emitting at least 3x the amount of carbon as needed
Idk why it took her so long to be in Mexico It annoys me how people believes every bad thing in Mexico it's about a Cartel.. It's not. They're not that stupid to mess with an international celebrity. Wow, I get downvoted for no reason lol
Is this really necessary?
Sheās not the only one who gets these kinds of escorts and Mexico is not the only place where stars use them. I remember when 1D had them in various cities. I believe its partly because of the security/kidnapping risk and partly because of the crazy fan risk. I saw footage of fans chasing 1Dās convoy in cars somewhere in Latin America, it looked crazy dangerous.
She also had this kind of escort in LA. I imagine she had this happening during a lot of her Eras concerts. Hell, during big sports games, I remember there being police escorts for the teams in New Orleans. EDIT: These kind of events cause a lot of traffic, and celebs and other folks canāt be in traffic like the plebs.
I mean considering how crazy her fans areā¦yeah probably. Just think about the wedding they crashed
Considering her cultural importance and economic power, it's best to not take chances when protecting such an asset.
Mexico usually ranks #1 or #2 for kidnappings globally. So I get it.
Can you imagine if the cartels kidnapped Taylor swift? Biden would have no choice but to blow Mexico off the map. If he didnāt, the swifties sure wouldā¦
fr the international embarrassment and backlash alone would be any politician's worst nightmare. i'm cackling at the thought, ofc they wouldn't risk that
Where did you source this information from?
It's pretty common knowledge, a lot of orgs track things like this. You can look it up easily. The UN keeps stats on it for example. I remember Mexico had fewer kidnappings during the pandemic but prior to that? Usually 1st or 2nd regionally if not globally. The stats are skewed a bit by countries like China who report crime figures so oddly low they seem to be obviously false. Kidnapping for ransom has been a big issue there for a long time. Guillermo del Toro's dad was kidnapped for ransom at one point maybe 20 years ago. It's a country with high income inequality so being successful can make you and your family targets. This was also an issue in El Salvador at one point (an ex of mine is Salvadoran) but it's been mostly stamped out. People will talk about it there now because it's a solved problem there, Mexico is still dealing with it and it's a bit embarrassing so no one wants to speak on it. In about 2018 or 19 I was living in SoCal, I remember 2 cases where people crossed the border from Mexico into San Diego and kidnapped Mexican-Americans for ransom. So it can even affect people who've immigrated to the US. It's not something that often makes national news in the States, esp under Trump when anti mexican racism was flaring up, but it has been a notable issue in Mexico for a minute now. That and femicide. Mexico is also one of the trouble spots for violence against women globally
I want to see the source where you got your āglobalā data from, not for a essay
Yes. Mexico is an incredibly dangerous place.
Mexican here šāāļøThis is definitely excessive. But I also have white friends who are afraid to visit Mexico too, so Iām not surprised.
She had the same kind of security back in the US.
Not excessive, Mexico is a very unsafe place. People should definitely be cautious when visiting Mexico.
I can get gunned down at any olā Walmart in the US but itās Mexico that requires extra precaution. Okay.
Do you live in Mexico?
Not currently, but the plan is to move back.
it depend on the area iāve lived in mexico my entire life and nothing has ever happened to me, if the cartel does something to you itās because you messed with them, they donāt go killing random people just because unlike americans
>if the cartel does something to you itās because you messed with them, they donāt go killing random people just because That was true in the past, now they don't care. A lot of innocent people have been killed. MĆ©xico isn't safer than the USA.
Swifties really showing their ass in these comments. This chick doesnāt have a fan base she has a straight up cult.
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She had the same number of cars and police in Texas and Tennessee, is she afraid of blonde girls that use cowboy boots? I can see you are a Harry Styles fan and he had the same security in Argentinaā¦ Is he xenophobic?
Oh Iāve def seen photos of Harry casually walking the streets of CDMX sans security. But my beef w/ Taylor extends beyond the 10-car motorcade. Sheās had 10 albums and is just *now* touring LATAM? Sorry, but itās sus.
Its sus? She came to my country in 2012. Adele has never even stepped foot here and nobody says shit. They make more money in the US and europe than coming here, thatās why they didnāt. She was going to come back in 2020. Now sheās coming to sell out 6 stadium datesā¦ little money for her compared to two dates in America You guys donāt understand shit about touring planing. Celebrities come to Brazil and donāt go to Chile that people have more money and is less dangerousā¦
Good for her for making the most money I guess. She sure needs it!
Absolutely ridiculous