How Taylor Swift Fans Once Caused What Felt Like An Earthquake In Seattle

Taylor Swift's fans will stop at nothing to see her perform live and once at the concert, the collective power of these passionate Swifties may very well be unmatched. In fact, at the July 2023 Eras Tour shows in Seattle, Washington, the dancing, movement, and energy of Swift's fans triggered seismic activity that showed up in seismometer data as a 2.3 magnitude event. 

The "Swift Quake," as it was termed, per CNN, happened both nights the pop star performed in Seattle and broke the record of a previous fan-made "earthquake." In 2011, excited fans created the "Beast Quake" after Seattle Seahawks player Marshawn Lynch (nicknamed "Beast Mode") got a touchdown at the same venue, Lumen Field. Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and college professor of geology, explained the difference between the stadium's two seismic events. 

"The shaking was twice as strong as 'Beast Quake.' It absolutely doubled it," she told CNN. "The primary difference is the duration of shaking. Cheering after a touchdown lasts for a couple seconds, but eventually, it dies down. It's much more random than a concert. For [Swift], I collected about 10 hours of data where rhythm controlled the behavior. The music, the speakers, the beat. All that energy can drive into the ground and shake it."

Not only did Swifties break a seismic record, they broke an attendance record too. Both of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour shows in Seattle were completely sold out and according to The Seattle Times, the Saturday, July 22 show boasted Lumen Field's biggest-ever crowd for a concert. After the July 23 show, the outlet reported that the total attendees for both shows numbered around 144,000 people, equalling over 70,000 each night.

Naturally, fans who attended the iconic, not-quite-but-nearly earth-shattering performances shared videos of their experiences on social media. One clip, posted by @liquorinourcocktails on TikTok, was captioned: "THE STADIUM WAS SHAKING." The video shows Swift singing "Cruel Summer," while the crowd at Lumen Field happily screams along. The crowd moves and grooves to the song, and glass window panes at the top of the shot can be seen shaking to the beat.

Another TikTok user, @breabeckman, shared a video from Lumen Field with more evidence of the "Swift Quake." Their clip showed a "Cruel Summer" performance from a different angle and was captioned, "I think this was the start of the swiftquake. My phone was sitting on a ledge and just watch it shake." Sure enough, the unsteady camera gives another visual aid for the seismic power of Swifties dancing the night away.

Taylor Swift shook off her previous Eras Tour mishaps and made history at Lumen Field. She made history in the movie industry too by announcing the release of her "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" movie. According to a press release from AMC Theatres, "The film set new records at AMC for highest ever single-day advance ticket sales revenue." The movie surpassed the record set by "Spider-Man: No Way Home" by almost $9 million, earning $26 million in its first day alone. 

It's estimated that "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" could earn a whopping $100 million on opening weekend in October 2023. Swift's film is notably being distributed by AMC directly instead of by a major studio. AMC is able to distribute it to other theaters like Regal and Cinemark, along with comparable venues in Canada and Mexico. Due to the strikes in Hollywood, Swift received permission from SAG-AFTRA to make her concert movie by agreeing to the union's demands. 

Swift filmed "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" during three stops at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. As amazing as it will be to see The Eras Tour on the big screen, Swifties from Seattle would probably tell you that nothing beats the legendary "Swift Quake."