When I look back on The Eras Tour, one of the tour’s traditions that always makes me so happy I could cry is the “22” hat. While the surprise songs and the stage dive were mind-boggling and cool to watch every single time, I always got emotional seeing a little Swiftie have the moment of their life with Taylor Swift. I’ve also always wondered how they picked the fan who received that iconic wide-brimmed hat at every show.
So, with that in mind, here’s how the singer and her team chose the person who got that legendary hat.
Taylor Swift Explained How They Chose “22” Hat Recipients And What It Was Like To Give It To Them
As the docuseries The End of an Era answered my questions about the Eras Tour, it also provided more background and context about various beloved moments in the show. This included the “22” hat. In Episode 6, which you can stream alongside the rest of the series with a Disney+ subscription, Swift went into detail about why they put this fan interaction in the show and what it means to her.
Noting that the idea originated from the Red Tour and the hat she wore during it, the pop star explained that she wanted to do this so she could “have a moment with a fan” where she could “actually get close with them.” She then went on to explain how they picked said fan, saying:
What’s so interesting about that moment every night is I never know what kid I’m gonna meet. I’ve got people in the audience scouring the crowd for the first couple of Eras, trying to find a kid who knows every single word to the songs and having the time of their life at this show. Because that kid basically is like a representative of every kid in that crowd that night.
Taylor Swift noted that no little Swiftie is quite like another, either. Some nights, she’d get a very shy fan, and others she’d interact with a kid who would “just bloom under the bright lights.” However, no matter what happened, it was an interaction she cherished, as she explained:
It’s always so wild to be in this moment with this person that I’ve never met before, this little kid. And everything’s going on around us, and somehow we’re able to just have this moment be completely between us. We’re just kind of meeting each other, and everyone else kind of disappears for a second. It just reminds me why I do it.
After that explanation, the docuseries showed Swift in her hotel after a show, talking to her brother, Austin. She noted that the kid who got the hat that night “shook [her] reality,” because she had asked the pop star, “Is this real life?” as she was getting the hat. The singer joked that she didn’t know the answer to that question, and seeing the joy it brought both her and the lil Swiftie proves just how magical this tradition was.
How Taylor Swift Chose Who Got The “22” Hat According To One Young Fan
Like the lil Swiftie who was questioning reality in the docuseries, Grace DelVecchio, a 12-year-old girl from Yorktown, New York, was picked out of the crowd to receive the “Red” singer's hat during "22." Her family told a local Yorktown publication, TapInto Yorktown, that the moment was actually "a long time coming." DelVecchio has a special story, and she has loved Swift for years. When the family was fortunate to snag tickets to the Era’s Tour, the 12-year-old’s speech pathologist, Jenn Sparano, looked for a way for DelVecchio to meet the Midnights artist. She said:
I started reaching out to different background dancers. I was emailing the Taylor Swift PR team. I was messaging Taylor Swift. But I obviously didn’t hear back from anyone.
While she may not have heard from Swift’s team, the New York Post found DelVecchio’s story that Sparano posted on Facebook and published an article about it. Still, there was no word from the Swift camp.
That all changed when security found the young girl and her father during the concert and brought her to the front of the stadium for a special moment. She was brought to the front, and the Grammy winner handed DelVecchio her hat, which she now keeps in a shadow box. Reflecting on the moment, the special gal said:
I was shaking, I was so nervous to see her. It made me feel special.
That is such a remarkable moment, and clearly, the campaigning worked. I’m sure the process for choosing someone to keep the hat was slightly different for every show, but this is some great insight into how moments like these come to fruition. Swift often chose very young fans to receive her hat – like the adorable Swiftie who kissed her cheek in Lisbon – which made for an adorable picture-perfect memory that the fan will likely never forget.
Sometimes, People Swift Knows Personally Got The “22” Hat
While the majority of the “22” hat recipients came from the crowd and were kids who idolize Swift, sometimes the singer bestowed part of her costume on someone she knows personally.
For example, when Swift’s bestie Selena Gomez brought her little sister Gracie to a show, that’s who the pop star gave her hat to.
Also, when the Eras Tour was in LA, Swift gave her hat to Kobe Bryant’s daughter Bianka, as the “22” singer and the kiddo’s father were acquainted.
Ultimately, this emotional “22” moment is what ended up in Swift’s first Eras Tour film to represent all the Swifties who have had the honor of receiving the hat.
Swifties Who Are Prominent On Social Media Also Got The “22” Hat
Along with little Swifties and friends of the pop star getting the hat, the singer and her team would choose fans who are popular online.
For example, the "Cruel Summer" singer notability gave her hat to 22-year-old TikTok star Mikael Arellano, who originated the viral dance to “Bejeweled” that Swift replicated in her choreography on tour, during one of her shows.
Then, during her concerts in Australia, she gave a hat to the TikToker Oliver Mills, which you can see below:
@olivermillsn Heres two minutes of the most incredible moment in my life
♬ original sound - Oliver Mills
In another TikTok, he made it clear that he didn’t want to reveal how he got the hat. However, in various videos, like the one below, you can gather other information about this sweet Eras Tour moment, like the fact that Swift signs all the hats she gives to fans:
While it may not seem like Swift is paying attention to fans who go above and beyond to show their love for her music, moments like this prove she is. The record-breaking recording artist has invited her most ardent fans to early listening parties for her albums in the past by finding them through social media. She has also sent merch boxes to some fans during Christmas time to show her love and appreciation. The “Anti-Hero” singer is clearly grateful for her fans, and she gives back through deeply meaningful experiences like this “22” moment.
The Eras Tour might be over, but you can still witness the magic of one of her stadium shows by streaming the Eras Tour (both the first pro-shot of it and The Final Show) and The End of an Era on Disney+.
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