Daily News Lesson

SHOW ALL

Aug. 16, 2023, 11:56 a.m.

How Taylor Swift created an economic boom with her Eras Tour

Summary

Pop superstar Taylor Swift ended the first U.S. leg of her Eras Tour Wednesday night, leaving American fans waiting until next fall to see the concert that's turbocharging the economy and capturing the pop culture zeitgeist this summer. Stephanie Sy reflects on the tour and the power of Taylor Swift for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

For a transcript of this story, click here.

News wrap alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

Five Facts

  1. Why are tickets to see Taylor Swift so expensive, according to this story?
  2. How much money did the Era's Tour make Denver and Cincinnati in local revenue?
  3. Who is Mara Klaunig?
  4. What are Taylor Swift fan's called?
  5. Where was Taylor Swift's first concert of her Era's Tour?

Focus Questions

How did the demand for Taylor Swift tickets lead to government action? Do you think the government should regulate or try to control ticket sale prices?

News analysis: Why do you think the producers of the NewsHour thought this story was important?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?

For More

What students can do: Discuss with a friend, neighbor or classmate — why do you think so many people are fans of Taylor Swift?

STUDENT VIDEO OF THE DAY (August 2, 2023)

Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each morning.

Recent Daily News Lessons

Mohammad Reza Naqdi

Daily News Lesson

Top adviser to Iran's Revolutionary Guard leader sits down for rare interview

Explore western media coverage of Iran and what happened after the Iran nuclear deal fell apart in 2018

controlofai-e1786395984457

Daily News Lesson

Should AI companies use open-source models?

Discuss the difference between open- and closed-source AI models

prwatercrisis-e1786134357821

Daily News Lesson

Drought and aging infrastructure plunge Puerto Rico into a water crisis

Learn about the ways Puerto Rico is managing a severe drought

vote

Daily News Lesson

Monitoring the Midterms: What El-Sayed's primary win means for Democrats in November

A progressive epidemiologist from the suburbs of Detroit, El-Sayed will take on Republican Mike Rogers in November's general election

SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

PBS News Hour Classroom

Copyright © 2025 News Hour Production LLC. All Rights Reserved

Illustrations by Annamaria Ward