Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” fans

Taylor Swift fans really know how to “shake it down” — and shake the floor.

Scientists studied how the stadium and ground shook during one of Swift's Eras Tour concerts last August. They found that dance fans generate vibrations in the ground, which are seismic waves that correspond to the rhythm of each song.

The team shared its findings March 13 in Earthquake Research Letters.

“It's really fun to be able to use seismic tools to understand things like music, concerts and events that bring people together,” says Eva Golos. She is a seismologist and studies earthquakes but was not involved in the new research. Golos works at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Stadium vibrations

This is not the first time seismologists have measured vibrations from the stadium. In 2011, Seattle Seahawks fans rocked their stadium with cheers after a stunning touchdown. And last July, Swifties rocked the ground at a concert in Seattle.

The shaking resulting from these events is different from an earthquake. Earthquakes usually last only a few seconds. In contrast, the “party shiver” can last several minutes.

The Earth also moves in different ways during earthquakes and concerts. Earthquakes occur when huge slabs of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, move. These movements permanently change the Earth. Vibration from crowds does not usually distort the ground.

The thrill of a party is “like a splash on a puddle,” explains Gabrielle Tip. She's a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. “You see the ripples coming out, but once you're done spraying, it goes back to normal.”

Seismologists use similar instruments to detect earthquakes and musical tremors. In the new study, Tipp's team set up motion sensors in and around SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. They did so right before Swift's first performance on the Eras Tour there. Those machines measured vibration from the stadium during Swift's concert on August 5, 2023. About 70,000 people attended that show.

For many of the songs performed that night, the vibration frequency matched the tempo of the song. The researchers were able to identify almost every song Swift performed using the frequencies and duration of the vibrations.

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The stadium shook the most during Swift's performance of “Shake It Off.” During that song, the stands released as much energy as a 0.85 magnitude earthquake. This is not strong enough for humans to feel, but it releases as much energy as detonating a few ounces of TNT.

This energy is released throughout the entire song. An earthquake (or TNT explosion) usually releases all its energy in a few seconds.

The difference between an earthquake and a party shake is like “the difference between a fireworks explosion and the roar of a jet engine,” says Tip. “They might release the same amount of energy. But the explosion happens very quickly. Everything at once. Whereas with a jet engine, you're releasing [energy] Over a longer period of time. So it's not as high at its peak, but it lasts much longer.

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Find the seismic source

Tip and her colleagues wanted to determine what caused the shake-up at Swift's concert. Was it the jumping fans, the sound system, or the musical instruments?

To find out, the team set up a portable speaker next to a motion sensor in their lab and turned up the volume of the speaker all the way. Then Tip plugged in her bass guitar and played a simple rhythm through the speakers. They also blasted Swift's “Love Story” at the speakers' highest volume. Tip even jumped near the sensor while playing the final chorus.

The sensor picked up vibrations matching those from the concert only when Tip was jumping. This suggests that the vibrations measured on August 5 came from fans jumping and dancing as well.

The results tell scientists about more than just a musical jolt. Understanding how a stadium shakes in response to a large crowd of people could help make buildings safer, Golos says. “We can also understand human behavior better” using such seismic data, she says. “I think there's a lot of interesting information hidden there.”

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