Ford Field seeks to shut down swarms of non-ticket holding Swifties

Ford Field, which is at the center of the pop music universe this weekend as it hosts two sold-out concerts from pop supernova Taylor Swift, is discouraging non-ticket holders from congregating outside the stadium during Friday and Saturday's concerts.

"Fans without tickets to the concert are strongly discouraged from gathering outside the stadium this weekend," read a message posted Friday to Ford Field's social media accounts, which explained parking lots will be full and there will be no sound spillover because of the stadium's enclosure.

"There isn't a place for fans to gather," the short, ALL CAPS statement read.

For most concerts, large groups of fans without tickets gathering outside the venue isn't an issue, but the Eras Tour isn't most concerts. During Swift's previous tour stops in Nashville, Philadelphia and Chicago, thousands of fans who did not have tickets gathered to hold their own impromptu parties. Videos from those gatherings gained steam on social media and fan gatherings outside the shows became just another aspect of this unprecedented concert tour.

The venues in those cities are open air, of course, which changed the dynamic for them significantly. Fans who gather outside Ford Field likely won't be able to hear much from inside the show anyway, aside from perhaps muffled bass and the screams of fans inside the concert.

Perhaps anticipating blowback from the announcement, Ford Field — which for the time being has the phrase "like a Motown beat" in its Twitter name, a reference to a line in Swift's 2017 track "King of My Heart" — disabled comments on the post on both Twitter and Instagram.

Some Swifties remain defiant. "TAYGATING WILL CONTINE ON!" one fan wrote on Twitter, while another said, "NOBODY GAF, SWIFTIES WITHOUT TICKETS LETS GOO."

It goes without saying that Swift's concerts are the biggest of the year, the decade and the century thus far. On Stubhub, tickets for the Detroit shows are still going for more than $1,000 each, and even the release of tour merchandise on Thursday had thousands of fans lined up around Ford Field.

Doors open for the shows at 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shows start at 6:30 p.m., with Swift expected to take the stage at 8 p.m. both nights.

agraham@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @grahamorama