Millions of people watching the Super Bowl on Sunday will hope to catch a reaction shot of Taylor Swift, who’s dating Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce. But a crowd in Mill Valley will get the Bay Area’s next best thing.
The tribute band Swifty is playing a sold-out show Sunday at Sweetwater Music Hall. Since the band’s first performance last spring, it has attracted enthusiastic crowds — predominantly girls between 8 and 16, who swarm to the front to dance, belt the lyrics to “Cruel Summer,” and lob friendship bracelets onto the stage. For lead singer and Swift stand-in Gillian Eichenberger, it has been a wild, surreal ride.
“It’s so cool. It’s crazy. They objectively know it’s not her, but they act like it is,” she said.
Since she started performing with Swifty, the actor-singer-drama-teacher has found herself dazzled by some of the trappings of stardom. After each show, a crowd of girls will present posters for her signature, ask her to trade bracelets, and pepper her with questions. Sometimes they just smile up at her in wonder.
“They’re either completely wide-eyed and silent or they want to hug me and talk to me about my life,” she said. “I have not had any lead-up to having any sort of celebrity, so being treated with this awe is very strange.”
The endeavor started as a whim. Eichenberger’s resemblance to TayTay had already prompted her theater students to jokingly dub her “Miss Swift.” Depending on how she styles her hair or does her makeup, the likeness has prompted people to gush and even ask for photos: “I can’t wear red lipstick out if I don’t want comments,” she quipped.
When a student’s musician father suggested putting together a tribute show, she figured, why not?
“It was like, ‘We’ll see if anybody shows up,’ and then it was like 1,000 people,” she said of that first show at a park in Ross. “We did not plan for the pandemonium that ensued.”
When the power cut out at one point, it didn’t even matter because of how loudly the audience was singing along. Since then, Eichenberger and the other members of Swifty have leaned into their Bay Area “Love Story.” Because several of them are Deadheads, they understand the culture of traditions, inside jokes, and fanaticism that can surround musicians.
Swifty has gone from doing a sporadic show every few months to more regular bookings, including shows planned for April and May. Eichenberger bought herself several sequined outfits and a fluffy pink ballgown — and has upped her cardio routine.
“I’ve found myself really making sure I’m in shape to be able to sing and move and keep the intensity there,” she said. “I don’t find it surprising at all that Taylor runs on the treadmill to get ready for a show.”
Every gig so far has been “this beautiful rush of joy,” Eichenberger said, and she’s scheming on ways to incorporate more outfit changes, stagecraft, and cohesive flow into her Eras tour in miniature. While she has never attended a Swift concert, she has watched hours of video.
“She’s such a magnetic performer,” Eichenberger said. “The more that I listen and perform, the deeper my love and respect for her grows.”