Why chase Swift tickets, when there's the Errors Tour

For Taylor Swift fans who missed out on tickets to her Australian concerts, Melbourne has an answer: The Errors Tour, by drag queen Taylor Sheesh.

Long-time Swiftie Mac Coronel, based in Manila, makes a living impersonating the pop megastar as Taylor Sheesh at concerts in stadiums and shopping malls around the Philippines.

Come Friday, Taylor Sheesh will be performing at Federation Square, on the first night of The Eras Tour at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“The engagement of the Australian Swifties is wild, so we’re very excited,” she told AAP via videolink from Manila.

The free show is part of efforts by authorities in Melbourne to distract Swift fans who missed out on tickets from congregating outside the MCG.

The performer has even heard from Swifties wishing they had tickets for another night at the MCG, so they could take in The Errors Tour as well.

Taylor Swift’s Melbourne shows are the largest concerts not just of the tour, but of her career to date.

She will also perform at Accor Stadium in Sydney from February 23 to 26.

A last-minute release of tickets to the MCG concerts on Tuesday saw a line extending down Exhibition St in the Melbourne CBD, as fans queued in 37-degree heat.

Swift fans lined up in baking heat after a late ticket release for the singer’s Melbourne concerts. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

But no tickets are required for the Federation Square gig, which also includes local acts such as vogue outfit The House of Diesel, Bollywood dancers Sapphire Dance, and cheerleaders the Outlaw All Stars.

The Errors Tour performance will be Taylor Sheesh’s first show on a big stage in Australia, and she can attest her impersonation is pretty accurate.

She managed to see her very first Taylor Swift concert in Tokyo earlier in February, and said while it was one of the best moments of her life, seeing the star’s mannerisms and dance moves live was also … a little weird.

“Watching what she is doing is like watching myself performing,” said Taylor Sheesh.

The performer has been a Swift fan since high school, and the drag act began in 2017 after she won a lip sync battle at a Manila nightclub.

Taylor Sheesh, aka Mac Coronel, is a long-time Swift fan who has caused a stir on social media. (HANDOUT/MAC CORONEL)

After one of her shopping mall performances went viral, she became a social media sensation.

Filipino Swifties were disappointed when The Eras Tour skipped their country, but it was to be expected: the Philippines lacks a stadium big enough to handle the massive amount of infrastructure needed for the concerts.

So, as Taylor Swift has taken the Eras Tour around the world, Taylor Sheesh has performed the Errors Tour across the Philippines.

With a local version of Ru Paul’s Drag Race airing, drag culture is becoming more mainstream in the Philippines, said Taylor Sheesh, but there is still a way to go.

“I cannot say that we’re totally fully accepted here, there’s some more Filipinos that are not yet educated or have no interest,” she said.

It seems only fitting that her favourite Swift era is Speak Now.

Taylor Sheesh and others perform at Federation Square in Melbourne on Friday from 7.30pm.