All throughout Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, cities have bent over backward to welcome her to town, but the latest gesture from Rio de Janeiro surpasses all the rest. Thursday, with Swift arriving in town for her run of shows at Estadio Nilton Santos, a Swift-themed T-shirt was projected onto the city's famous Christ the Redeemer statue, essentially turning Jesus into a Swifty. The shirt read "Welcome To Brasil" — a reference to "Welcome To New York," presumably — and featured the names of Brazil's states plus references to Swift's music, like a scarf symbolizing "All Too Well" and a bow and arrow referencing "The Archer."
Thursday, Mayor Eduardo Paes confirmed the projection would occur, comparing Swift to Michael Jackson in the process. "We will properly honor Taylor Swift and her arrival to carioca territory tonight," he said — "carioca" being a term referring to anything Rio-related.
This isn't the first time the statue has donned a shirt commemorating a big event in Brazil. It's happened previously for national elections, the World Cup, and so forth. The Eras Tour is a cultural happening on that level, which is wild to think about. Check out the Swifty edition of Christ the Redeemer below.
https://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1725306874243781088
https://twitter.com/eduardopaes/status/1725138290745946354
