Yahoo News Anfield's 'proper pubs' ready to welcome a different crowd from their usual regulars
"I'd never even heard of who Swiftie is or what a Swiftie is", says Paul Tremarco.
Paul, 66, from West Derby, is the manager of The World Famous Arkles, a traditional pub just spitting distance from Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium. It is no great shock that he wouldn’t consider himself a Taylor Swift fan.
However, like the managers of all of Anfield’s matchday pubs, Paul is preparing himself for a busy week and an influx of ‘Swifties’. Taylor - the world’s biggest star - will play three gigs of her Eras tour at Liverpool's storied home ground this week, taking place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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As such, the area's pubs are getting ready to welcome a rather different crowd from their regular set of matchgoers. Despite his lack of Taylor knowledge, Paul is happy to embrace that change.
He told the ECHO: "We don't know what to expect with these concerts. I really don't.
"We've got plans though, the bar in the garden will be a prosecco bar, selling bottles of wine. I don't expect it to be pints and halves that we sell, I think it will be cocktails and spirits.
"It's fun to change it up for a few nights. We're used to dealing with totally male-dominated crowds but this will be more female-oriented.
"I would imagine all the pubs are going to embrace it. I've got to embrace it because I'm right on Stanley Park, right by the ground and it's great for business."
Thousands of fans are expected to descend on Stanley Park during the concerts. Anfield can now hold close to 62,000 people for football games, but those without tickets are set to head to the park to buy merchandise and listen in to the gigs with their fellow fans.
The area will be very busy and Paul will have his pub primed for the crowds.
He said: "On the days of the three concerts, we'll be playing Taylor Swift music from start to finish. That is a fact.
"Staff will have Taylor Swift shirts on, but I personally won't. I don't even know who Taylor Swift really is.
"I'd never even heard of who Swiftie is or what a Swiftie is. But apparently 25,000 people are going to be in Stanley Park, so we'll be ready for it as a matchday pub.
"Whether we get the right range of products in - I don't know. We're now going to need a prosecco bar and we'll have to change it up.
"A guy who came in on the last match of the season asked for a lager and lime. I said 'sorry mate, we don't do cocktails in here'. We'll change that."
Down Anfield Road from the Arkles, Tage Herstad is also busy getting his venue ready for the concerts. Tage, 50, is originally from Florø in Norway but he has lived in Anfield for 22 years. He has run Taggy's Bar & Beer Garden for six years.
The venue is decked out with LFC memorabilia, including an old turnstile by the bar, and the walls are adorned with ECHO cuttings of some of the Reds' victorious moments.
However, the bar's best asset is its large beer garden, which houses a huge 1.5 tonne smoker. Tage claims it can cook 50 tomahawk steaks at once.
Much like it was with Paul, Taylor's fame is lost on Tage. He is determined to make the most of the concerts, however.
He told the ECHO: "I didn't have a clue about her being the biggest star in the world. I thought there was no chance it would be busy.
"In terms of what kind of crowds are coming - I wouldn't have a clue. I think it's totally different from The Rolling Stones or Metallica or Springsteen like I hoped for - maybe next year.
"But it's music that loads of our staff like and loads of our customers like. Everyone I know is buzzing about it - even people who don't necessarily like the music are buzzing.
"It's a big thing. She's got to be big if she sells out three concerts over three days within minutes.
Anfield has become an increasingly popular concert venue in recent times. The Rolling Stones, Eagles, Pink and Elton John have all played gigs at the ground over the past few years.
For the pubs which usually rely on matchday revenue, those shows have been a tonic in what could otherwise be a cruel summer.
Tage said: "The summer events really help bridge the gap between the football seasons. Last summer was really bad, we struggled until the season started - we live for the matchdays. If the weather's not good, people don't come into the bar.
"What saved us were the Tottenham and Wolves matches (at the end of the 2023/24 season) - it was really good weather. We were rammed both days and that saved us. Hopefully we can live through the summer with that even if the weather is bad.
"It's very weather dependent for us. We wanted to be a beer garden, we wanted to be open, we've got a great space.
"The last match was really good weather and it was absolutely bouncing. That's what we want."
Tage will be making some tweaks to his bar's offering this week. Like Paul, he doesn't anticipate selling many pints of lager, but he doesn't want things to be radically different.
He said: "We'll have a barbecue on, keep it simple, and pray for good weather."
"We will stock up on prosecco and pink gin. We don't have time to do cocktails on a matchday, so we don't know much about it.
"So it will be gin - lots of gin. Simple things and things that we know and we can serve quickly.
"If it's really busy we don't want people to queue just because of someone wanting a strawberry daiquiri or something that takes ten minutes to make. For us, it's better that people get served quickly."
Taylor's gigs have come at an interesting time for Adam Clarke at The Sandon, found on Oakfield Road, just around the corner from Anfield. The 22-year-old from Clubmoor became The Sandon's events manager just weeks ago.
Since then, he has taken in the final game of Jurgen Klopp's Anfield reign, which saw the pub and function suite's garden packed to the rafters with fans saying goodbye to the beloved German manager. Now, he has the task of planning for the small matter of Taylor Swift. Fortunately, he has plenty of ideas.
Adam told the ECHO: "I think I've started at one of the most critical times of the year to go straight into. We're open for all three days of the concerts.
"We'll open the fan zone in the garden, we've got a DJ on and we'll have someone coming down to do hair, make-up and things like that. We've got people doing merchandise and the bracelets that everyone wears, we'll have a burger van, we'll have all the bars open.
"It's the third time The Sandon has done something like this. They did it for Elton John and then for Pink but there wasn't much prep into it, so it just opened and thought they'd see what happened. They turned out to be two of the busiest days they've had."
Adam is making sure that the venue is well prepared this time. However, planning for the gigs does remain a step into the unknown for a football-oriented venue.
He said: "It's nothing like we're used to at all. We host parties and functions, but something like this is predominately going to be Taylor Swift fans - a much younger crowd than the older football fans that we usually have in. It will be a shift from male fans to female fans.
"We're a small team that works here, so trying to host something of that size is a lot. We had just over 2,000 people outside for the last match of the season, so that goes to show how many people we can hold in the back.
"For matchdays, we use the whole venue - everything is football. All of the suites and bars.
"We're open and free for the Thursday and the Friday. But we've got an 18th birthday party and a 21st birthday as well on the Saturday. That will test me, I think."
Though he is anticipating a very busy week, Adam is fearless and is ready to throw himself into it. Like Tage, he thinks Taylor will bring a welcome economic boost to Anfield.
He said: "These concerts are massive for the area. Ourselves, along with the countless pubs all around the area, aren't open every day. They rely on events like this and the football games to keep their businesses sustainable.
"It's massive for us because it's an extra revenue stream, but it's also engaging with a lot of the community who would never venture into The Sandon anyway because we're a matchday pub and a function suite. It's a new audience and bringing them in."
Tage is also hoping the gigs will introduce his venue to a new audience. "We won't revolutionise anything for Taylor Swift but we welcome everyone", he said. "If the weather's nice, I think we will be one of the best places in the area to come to.
"But there are many others. I hope it goes well for everyone, it's what we need."
There's clearly no bad blood between Anfield's many venues, all of whom will hope the arrival of Taylor and her masses of fans provides a welcome boost this summer. However, the gigs will mark the end of an era at the Arkles.
Having been a pub manager since 1984, Paul had considered retiring at the end of the football season. However, he thought that leaving and presenting his successor the task of starting with this run of gigs would have been akin to jumping in a getaway car.
Paul will instead call it a day at the end of this week. He is relishing going out with a busy spell but will be relieved to be able to put his feet up.
He said: "I'm looking forward to it - it will be my swansong. As it was with Jurgen Klopp - the last home game of the season was unbelievable.
"We're a proper pub - all the pubs here are proper pubs. There's enough cake for everyone and I'm sure that everyone will make the most of it on the days.
"Three concerts in a week, day after day. It will be an interesting way to bow out - I'll be glad to retire after that."
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