phmacao vip Taylor Swift’s nearly two-year Eras Tour all came to an end Sunday night on the stage at Vancouver’s BC Place stadium. Fans from around the world of all ages and demographics flew to Vancouver for the sold-out series of weekend concerts, and CHEK’s Liz Brown was among those who journeyed from Vancouver Island to BC Place. For day-trippers from Vancouver Island returning on the 1 a.m. ferry, this made for a roughly 20-hour day navigating public transit from start to finish. In the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 8, the sojourn began for Vancouver Island Swifties and even those just wanting to be part of the Taylor Swift phenomenon. En route to Swartz Bay for the 9 a.m. ferry University of Victoria biochemistry classmates Grace Poirier and Henry Yeung bussed from downtown Victoria to catch the 9 a.m. ferry from Swartz Bay. Poirier was joining Yeung last minute, thanks to someone else’s misfortune. “I’m tagging along with Henri because his brother couldn’t go, he had a final on the day of the tour,” said Poirier. “I just learned about this a couple weeks ago that I was going to go,” she said. “She’s really the only other person I know this side of town so I thought, ‘let’s invite Grace, I think she’d really enjoy that,’” said Yeung on inviting Poirier. When asked what is it about Taylor Swift that made her want to make the trek, Poirier referenced her songs, stage presence, outfits and authenticity. “I don’t know, I’ve never met her but I think she’s a really cool person,” says Poirier. Yeung said the environment Swift creates with her fans “just makes it like a special moment because everybody’s going there for the same reason,” he said. “It’s really cool to see people share similar interests and they’re all excited for the same thing. It’s a really cool environment to be in.” Story continues below It’s the final stop of Taylor Swift’s two-year, soldout Eras Tour and it all ends in Vancouver tonight, Sunday, Dec. 8. Throughout the day, we’ll be asking what brought people to the show tonight and perhaps the unanswerable question, fan or not, what is it about her that has made her a global phenomenon. #cheknews #chek #communitynews #localnews #vancouverisland #victoriabc #bc #Canada #bcferries #swartzbay #taylorswifterastour #TS #TSwift #eras Jenny on the 9 a.m. ferry doesn’t need a concert ticket to enjoy the party Boarding the ferry, passengers moved into new lines for food, bathrooms and bracelet-making areas. Among the Swift fans were those in an older demographic, showing the pop singer’s multi-generational impact. “I don’t have a ticket to go to the concert but I’m coming for the party so I’m staying across the street at the hotel, “ said Jenny Paasche of Esquimalt. “I’ll just hang out there and enjoy the whole day of this adventure.” Paasche’s been listening to Swift for decades, “since she came out with her first CD when I heard her song Tim McGraw on MuchMusic Video,” she said. “And I loved her ever since.” Roy Tyson, age 70, remembers hearing her for the first time. “Seven or eight years ago, just in the background. She’s like the Beatles, Elvis, you know — everybody wants to see her,” he says. When asked if he was going to the concert, Tyson replied he wasn’t able to. “Yeah, sure, if I had that kind of money. You know she’s got that kind of ‘come see me’ sort of thing,” he said. “Who goes on tour for two years? I wish her luck.” Waiting in the lengthy ferry breakfast line, longtime friends Judy Cuff and Sandi Duncan say they’re not off to the Swift party. “No, we are not,” said Cuff. “So not,” laughed friend Sandi Duncan, both born and raised in Victoria. They’re heading to a friend’s 80th birthday party. Asked what it is about Swift’s impact, Cuff replied: “Marketing is a big part of it I think.” “But, when we were teenagers, the Beatles got us excited, the Stones and Woodstock. You know we went wild over things,” she said. “Yeah, we went crazy about it all and we have children whose children are crazy about all this,” said Duncan. “So we understand it. We think it’s great.” While they could relate to the Swift phenomenon from their Rolling Stones and Woodstock years, they don’t relate to her music. “No, I don’t get it at all,” said Cuff. “It is a generational thing, right? So it’s hard, although I did see an 83-year-old woman interviewed who was going with her granddaughter.” “I’ve been getting to know this community through my daughter and it really feels like a community,” said mom Sonia Nicholson. “I love the positive vibe and just the coming together and the supportive nature of it all,” she said. “There’s a lot of bad news out there, and if we can have some fun and some positivity with other people that share a passion, then why not?” In the driver’s seat, dad was playing chauffeur for the day. In the walk-off passenger line, Bailey and Kate showed off their homemade bedazzled jackets Two especially bedazzled passengers stood out in the crowd, thanks to their homemade jackets. “I thrifted the jacket and she had this one already, so we just bedazzled it,” said Kate Courte of Victoria. Courte was attending the show with her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Bailey Fawcett from Calgary. It’s been 13 years since Courte first saw Swift perform, which she says coincides with the star’s birth date and lucky number 13. “I think Taylor Swift throughout all her eras has showed us that it’s OK to feel anything that you feel,” she says. “You can be a pop princess, you can be in your depressed Tortured Poets era, and that’s all part of being a woman and growing up,” said Courte. “Growing up with her has been such a gift and I’m so glad that I can share this experience with other women and feel that joy collectively as well, so it’s really important to me.” Throughout the day, more Swifties talked about the collective community as they exchanged friendship bracelets with other fans. “If I’m coming back with a sore throat in the morning, I’ll be happy,” she said. At the same time, Canucks fans emptied from the ferry for the 1 p.m. game. From Tsawwassen, passengers shuffled into the Bridgeport bus line. Grace Waeohongsa, dressed in black fur, and Lucas Noichin, sporting a green cape, saw Taylor’s opening show of the tour in Tokyo. Now, the friends were excited to enjoy the bookend show in Vancouver. “The most exciting thing is that this is the last show ever for her Eras tour and she decided to end her tour in our city, in our country,” said Waeohongsa. Noichin says the singer helped him learn English. “She inspired me when I was young, like 10 years ago,” said Noichin. “She inspired me to study English because her songs are in English. And she is a fighter. Every time she had a problem, she’d fight for it. She never gave up.” Waeohongsa said whenever she feels sad, she can relate to Swift’s music. “Even though I never saw her in person, her songs feel like we are together,” she said. Noichin’s excitement is almost overwhelming. “I’m so nervous,” he said, boarding the next bus. U.S. Canucks fans in the mix of Swifties By 12 p.m., Islanders from the 9 a.m. ferry began to converge with other Swifities as the SkyTrain swelled with fans from as far as Mexico City, and even a couple of Canucks fans south of the border. “We are going to the Canucks game at one o’clock, it’s my husband’s birthday,” said Paige Hammerl of Bellingham, Wash., not knowing it was Swift’s last show when she booked the tickets. “We had no idea. We found out on Friday and we decided to take the SkyTrain and we’re very happy we did,” she said, acknowledging the street traffic. When asked what is so affecting about her music, Hammerl said “I think she heals a lot of like young generational trauma, of like, women and men. Her lyrics aren’t that thought-provoking but they’re deep enough that everyone can really relate to it.” By 1 p.m., the packed SkyTrain empties into the streets of Vancouver Outside the Vancouver City Centre Skytrain, the Islanders are entering a sea of Swifties, some lined up in front of the Down Bad sign, one of 13 song title landmarks erected around the city. Marissa Parsons and Carrie Blodgett pose on a red carpet, dressed in last night’s concert attire. “We dressed up again to take our dresses out on the town,” said Blodgett, wearing a black and white dress with three kittens on her wrist. She and Parsons attended Saturday night’s show and spent Sunday recapturing the moments during daylight hours. “We’re moms so we don’t get to dress like this any other time,” said Parsons sporting red sequins referencing the Red album. “Lots of families were there with kids for their first concert. Sorry kids, we left you – we left ours at home,” said Blodgett. Nanaimo residents wait at the Swiftcouver photo line At approximately 2 p.m., a lengthy queue formed for the Swiftcouver sign. Mackenzie Hais travelled from Nanaimo Friday with her husband, sisters and mom, who wore bedazzled boots styled by Hais. “I made all of their boots for the concert,” said Hais. “Mine took 144 hours. The shortest was 15 and the other two were 48 and 85.” “It’s their Christmas present, they’re not getting anything else from me,” she said. Head to toe in pink cowgirl attire, two friends pose in front of the Anti-Hero sign Tamara Humphries says she understands the phenomenon with Taylor Swift. “She’s the biggest star power in the world and has been for a while. I guess since Michael Jackson,” said Humphries. But why does she think that’s the case? “Girlhood. She’s the definition of girlhood. There’s little girls of all ages, young girls, there’s older girls. There’s women our mom’s age here. It’s everybody. She even makes a connection to men too.” At 3 p.m., Nanaimo sisters wait in the merch line, scanning their phones for last-minute tickets Merchandise lines in the lower level of the Vancouver Convention Centre resemble airport security cues, zig-zagging across the room. Fans had a few hours left to purchase Eras Tour merchandise from the location of the last stop. Sisters Serena and Linnea Perry travelled from Nanaimo for the big event, despite not being able to get tickets. “We actually don’t have tickets yet, we’re just here for the vibes honestly,” said Serena, adding they plan to “just hang out downtown, see all the people and all that,” checking her phone for any ticket movement. “Yeah, we’re hoping [to get in], but it probably won’t happen,” she said. Seat Geek and Stub Hub were the main searches, but their price limit was “a couple hundred maybe at the most,” said Linnea. By 3:45 p.m. lineups at BC Place swell and spill into the street and around the block With massive lines at every gate, concertgoers followed the taped routes and hand signals from police and security. Doors opened at 4:30 p.m. and the non-ticket holders stayed close to their phones, hoping for a lucky last-minute seat. A small group of last-minute ticket hopefuls stood hunched over their phones in separate huddles waiting for numbers to drop below $2,000. Things weren’t looking good for most of them, but one woman was especially quiet, as she waited for confirmation of a ticket payment through Seat Geek. With few noticing, the woman quietly walked to the gates, where security reviewed her phone confirmation and minutes later, she successfully entered the concert with approval. As the streets emptied and quieted, those left outside hunted for coffee shops, while others happily set up their encampments for the next three hours. Story continues below Swifties went from one line up to another covering the 13 song title landmarks around Vancouver, and waiting hours in merch line-ups with no complaints. To fans, and even half fans, this is a historic event not to be missed. The final line up at BC Place started before 3 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and Taylor is said to hit the stage at 7:45 a.m. Many Vancouver Islanders made the trip and took time to share their with CHEK what this day means to them. More to come. #cheknews #chek #communitynews #localnews #vancouverislandnews #bc #vancouver #taylorswifterastour #erastour #tsvancouver #taylorswifteras #erasvancouver Lights, camera, Swift action The roar of the crowd could be heard across several blocks. After a day of shuffling from one lineup to the next, and after a year for those who booked tickets well in advance, everything came down to the 7:45 p.m. moment when Taylor Swift hit the stage and began her three-plus hour performance where she would sing more than 44 songs, including her surprise mash-ups. And you didn’t have to be inside to recognize the moment of her arrival. From 8 p.m. until 11 p.m., those outside made their own Swift party. Blankets, camp chairs, mugs of warm drinks and tablets showing live concert feeds were organized among the outside party crews. Friends and family continued singing and dancing along, every now and then getting a FaceTime call from someone inside. Some still tried to find seats, with some running up to $10,000, while others contented themselves with the outside atmosphere. 11 p.m. BC Place crowds fill the streets in a haze Sometime after 11 p.m., BC Place crowds poured into the streets looking tired, content and overwhelmed, all trying to make their way through traffic. Meandering between cars in heels, glitter and cowgirl boots, fans looked like anyone might after singing and dancing for more than three hours. A few fans lingered around BC Place waiting for rides, in a bit of a haze. “It was good. It was amazing,” said Kayla Pawley. “I’m like kinda sad it’s over but it was also amazing. The surprise songs tonight were my favourite.” Pawley came with her friend’s mom, Jackie Waddell. “Oh, it was awesome,” said Waddell. “I don’t know I’m just kind of blank. It was just a great time. We came Friday night too.” Evonne Shaver had flown in from Toronto that morning with a few others. “It was fantastic,” she said. “We saw it in Toronto so we flew to Vancouver just this morning. So yeah, we’re tired.” When asked if it felt strange knowing it was all over, she said, “not really, because I’m content.” For Shaver, Swift lived up to the nearly two years of hype. “Yes, absolutely, because even if you’re higher up – the big screens, it feels like you’re looking right at her anyways. So it’s amazing.” A woman from the Sunshine Coast sat hunched over her red sequins on the steps outside BC Place waiting for her Uber to arrive in 45 minutes. “I’m actually really out of it, it’s kind of overwhelming,” said Susan Wilson, describing her experience at the final show. “It was just a lot and it was emotional and really cool.” When asked what made it emotional, she replied: “I think Taylor made it emotional. It was the last night. There was a lot of talk about last nights.” “She was hugging her crew on stage and it was really, really cool.” Wilson travelled solo from the Sunshine Coast, spending just over $2,000 for her ticket and said it was worth every penny. “Went by myself. It was really expensive so my friends were like, ‘I’m not doing that,’ so I was like, ‘OK, I’m going by myself,’” she said. When asked what Taylor means to her, she replies: “She’s gotten me through a lot over the years. I don’t know what it is about her songs, they just really speak to – I guess to all of us, right?” “They’re vulnerable and kinda raw emotion type songs and they really kind of pull at your heartstrings and make you think of things that happened to you maybe years ago that you hadn’t healed from yet,” said Wilson. “I had to do it. I had to go.” By 1 a.m., Vancouver Islanders like Grace and Henri had boarded the added ferry back to Victoria As the doors were about to close and terminal lights about to shut off, one final straggler ran through the ferry doors, and was let in to board the ferry just in time. The rest of the Swifties remained in Vancouver overnight amidst the streets of glitter and fur. Final thoughts on the global phenomenon With 149 shows in the course of nearly two years, Swift fans thought they might hear about a re-release album or documentary. While no one could fully explain the Swift phenomenon, several alluded to her ability to connect with a range of demographics, and maintain a sense of relatability. Despite her billionaire status and whether every ferry passenger was a fan or not, there was an acknowledgement of her multi-generational impact. Over the course of the day’s conversations, the common thread was she made it OK for people to feel, and to genuinely show excitement about things. Overall, many said the performance was everything they’d hoped for. Despite not having any special guests, big reveals or news of re-release albums, fans walked away content with the end of the Eras Tour — something they’ll never forget, including who they shared it with, whether friends or new neighbours. READ ALSO: B.C. fans break data use record at last Taylor Swift Eras Tour show

In Sunday’s victory of the Eagles 22-16 over the Panthers , Saquon Barkley added 124 yards to his historic season in which he could break one of the most coveted records in the NFL: the total rushing yards record, currently held by Eric Dickerson in 1984. PUBLICIDAD That season with the Rams, Dickerson ran for a total of 2,105 yards. The player who came closest to breaking that record was Adrian Peterson, who in 2012 with the Vikings accumulated 2,097. PUBLICIDAD Currently, Barkley, who arrived this season in Philadelphia from the Giants as a free agent, has accumulated 1,623 yards with an average of 124.8 per game. If he continues this trend, he could surpass Dickerson. The good news for the Eagles' running back is that three out of the four remaining opponents have some of the worst defenses against the running game in the 2024 NFL season. The Eagles qualified for the playoffs thanks to Barkley The Philadelphia team was far from shining and almost lost at home to the Panthers, one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they still managed to rescue the victory, their ninth in a row, which allows them to secure a spot in the postseason as champions of their division or at least with a wild card. The Eagles struggled in the air, but the standout was Barkley with his 124 yards, who broke the Philadelphia team record for rushing yards in a season held by LeSean McCoy with 1,607 yards since 2013. The Jets' playoff drought has reached 14 seasons. The New York Jets' extremely poor campaign is officially over after losing in overtime 32-26 against the Dolphins in Miami. With that, they were eliminated from the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the NFL. The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh in Week 5 and have only won one out of eight games since then. The eyes of this failure are focused on Aaron Rodgers, the veteran quarterback who arrived to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl, but couldn't do so after a serious injury in 2023 and one of his worst seasons as a professional in 2024. San Francisco crushes Chicago and stays alive. After three consecutive losses, the 49ers arrived at Sunday's game against the Bears with the obligation to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, and luckily for them, the opponent virtually did not show up to play in the first half. The statistics after two quarters speak for themselves: 319 offensive yards for San Francisco, despite not having their two starting running backs, against 4 for Chicago. The problem for the "Niners" is that they are still two games behind Seattle in the NFC West Division and there are only four weeks left in the regular season. On the Bears' side, it became clear that the crisis runs deeper than just having fired coach Matt Eberflus, as highly regarded interim coach Thomas Brown was unable to revive a lifeless team that lost 38-13 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The Simpsons played a game of the NFL Thanks to the tracking technology used by Next Gen Stats and Beyond Sports, combined with the optical tracking of Hawk-Eye Innovations, the NFL Monday night game was played in the world of "The Simpsons". Parallel to the duel between the Cowboys and Bengals in Dallas (which ended in a 27-20 victory for the Cincinnati team), some spirited players were at the Atom Stadium in the fictional town of Springfield. Additionally, Bart and Homer Simpson cheered on both teams and also participated in some plays. Bart was with the Bengals and Homer with the Cowboys. This unexpected participation was part of the surprises that the event offered to fans who chose to watch the "Simpsons" version of the game. While Bart and Homer were starring in the duel on the field, Lisa and Marge took on key roles off the field. Both interviewed standout players, contributing their own memorable moments to the match. Meanwhile, little Maggie surprised everyone by piloting the famous SkyCam. This is not the first time the NFL has done a parallel animated game: last year they did it from "Andy's Room" with the characters from "Toy Story".

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An Argentine military officer who was arrested in Venezuela earlier this month has been charged with terrorism, Venezuela’s attorney general said Friday. In a statement published on Instagram , Attorney General Tarek William Saab accused the officer, Nahuel Gallo, of “being part of a group of people who tried to commit destabilizing and terrorist acts (in Venezuela) with the support of international far-right groups.” In a press conference on Friday, Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich described the charges as “another lie” by Venezuela’s government, and said that Gallo should be returned to Argentina “immediately.” The case has ramped up tensions between Venezuela’s socialist government and the right-wing administration of Argentine President Javier Milei, whose embassy in Caracas is currently sheltering five high-profile opposition activists and is surrounded by Venezuelan security forces. Gallo, a corporal in Argentina’s Gendarmería security force, was detained by Venezuelan officials on Dec. 8 after he showed up at an immigration office along Venezuela’s border with Colombia and sought permission to enter the country. Gallo’s relatives said that he had traveled to Venezuela to visit his wife, who is Venezuelan and was in the country to spend some time with her mother. They have published an invitation letter that was sent to Gallo, and said he was on vacation at the time of his arrest. Venezuela broke diplomatic relations with Argentina in August after Milei and several other Latin American leaders refused to recognize the reelection in July of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Argentina’s diplomats were expelled, but the five opposition activists, who had sought refuge at the ambassador’s residence to avoid arrest, remained in the building after they were denied safe passage out of Venezuela. The activists, who have been holed up in the embassy since March, recently said that Venezuelan security forces have cut off electricity and water to the residence in a bid to pressure them to leave the building. Venezuela officials have denied those accusations, and said that the activists used the Argentine embassy to plan terrorist acts. The Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal said earlier this week that 19 foreigners are currently being held in Venezuela as political prisoners. In September, two Spanish citizens who were on vacation in the south of Venezuela were arrested and accused of being part of a plot to overthrow President Maduro. They were arrested just days after Spain’s parliament recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of the election.The measure spreads out the establishment of the new district judgeships over about a decade to give three presidential administrations the chance to appoint the new judges. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

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