Taylor Swift And The Live Music Slump

Halfway through 2025, touring numbers are down industrywide—and the decline is even steeper when you properly account for music's biggest superstar.

I’ll never forget my first big concert—Pearl Jam, Madison Square Garden, 1999—and, with similar fondness, I’ll always remember my initial show after the Covid-19 lockdowns during the “Hot Vax Summer” of 2021. The artist was Brandi Carlile, the venue was Forest Hills Stadium, the afterparty was near the pool in the back. By the end of the night, just abo…