Swifties looking to score Taylor Swift’s new album the moment it comes out will have only one option in the Chicago area.
Hundreds of Target stores around the U.S. will open late with special offers and sales for Swift’s album release, but only one is in the Chicago area.
Target is selling exclusive editions of Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, which is set to release Friday, Oct. 3.
The company said pre-orders of the album will ship on or about Oct. 3 and orders made before 11:59 p.m. CST on Oct. 1 will get delivered on Oct. 3.
Select locations are slated to remain open through midnight on Oct. 3 to offer fans the chance to be among the first to score the new album.
The Target store located at 2656 N. Elston Ave. in Chicago is one of only nine stores in Illinois changing its hours for the release.
So how will it work? Here’s what to know:
When can you start lining up?
Target said employees will distribute physical or digital tickets in the electronics section of the participating Target stores beginning at 10 p.m. on Oct. 2. Those who receive those tickets will then have a reserved product for purchase.
Once you receive your ticket, you can continue shopping in the store. Target said shoppers can return to the designated queuing location at 11:45 p.m. to make a purchase at midnight.
Tickets will only be available as long as supplies lasts, or until 11:50 p.m. CT.
The company noted that shoppers will be limited in their purchases, however.
“Due to high demand, there will be a purchase limit of four per item, per guest, for “The Life of a Showgirl” items,” Target’s website reads.
Which stores will open late in Illinois?
According to Target, the following stores will participate in the album release:
Bloomington Normal | 301 Veterans Pkwy, Normal, IL 61761
Champaign | 2102 N Prospect Ave, Champaign, IL 61822
Chicago Near North Elston | 2656 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
East Peoria | 480 W Washington St, East Peoria, IL 61611
Edwardsville | 2350 Troy Rd, Edwardsville, IL 62025
Quincy | 3701 Broadway St, Quincy, IL 62305
Rockford | 6560 E State St, Rockford, IL 61108
Shiloh | 3400 Green Mount Crossing Dr, Shiloh, IL 62269
Springfield | 3445 Freedom Dr, Springfield, IL 62704
What will you be able to get during the album release?
Products include “exclusive” Target versions of the albums, including CDs, posters, vinyl and more.
- “The Life of a Showgirl: It’s Frightening” CD with poster
- “The Life of a Showgirl: It’s Rapturous” CD with poster
- “The Life of a Showgirl: It’s Beautiful” CD with poster
- “The Life of a Showgirl: Sweat and Vanilla Perfume” CD with poster
- “The Life of a Showgirl: The Crowd Is Your King” with Summertime Spritz Pink Shimmer vinyl with poster
The exclusives feature the “first and only pressing of ‘The Life of a Showgirl: The Crowd Is Your King’ edition, with a “summertime spritz pink shimmer vinyl” that includes a poem authored by Swift and “never-before-seen photos and album lyrics.”
What if you don’t get a ticket?
The full lineup of products will hit Target’s website during the early morning hours on Oct. 3.
Fans can also shop on Swift’s website, which states the pre-orders will ship “on or about Oct. 3.” Multiple versions of alternate vinyl and CD covers were also made available on Swift’s website for limited periods while supplies lasted.
The album will be available in three formats:
Swift’s new album is available on vinyl, CD and cassette.
Vinyl
The vinyl is a translucent orange with gold glitter and includes a full-size gatefold photo and a poem written by Swift. An exclusive vinyl – titled “The Life of a Showgirl: The Crowd is Your Kind Edition” – will be sold only at Target. It will include an opaque pink and pale yellow pearlescent vinyl with gold shimmer and a 24×36 double-sided Swift poster.
CD
The CD – promoted as “The Life of a Showgirl: Sweat and Vanilla Perfume CD With Poster” — includes a double-sided poster that’s roughly 19×9.5. Three exclusive versions will also be available at Target: “It’s Beautiful,” “It’s Frightening” and “It’s Rapturous.”
Cassette
The cassette – “The Life of a Showgirl: Sweat and Vanilla Perfume Cassette” – features a translucent orange cassette with gold glitter.
What to know about the album
“The Life of a Showgirl” is Swift’s 12th studio album and follows her highly popular “The Tortured Poet’s Department” album, which came out in April 2024.
“This album is really about what was going on in my life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her record-breaking appearance on the “New Heights” podcast in August alongside her fiancé, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce. “I’m so proud of it. It just comes from the most infectiously, joyful, wild dramatic place I was in my life.”
The primary cover art for the album features Swift partially submerged in water while wearing a jeweled top. The album’s title is displayed in orange glitter.
“This represents the end of my night,” Swift said on the podcast. “So, when I’m on tour, I have the same day every single day…And my day ends with me in a bathtub, not usually in a bedazzled dress.”
“The Life of a Showgirl” will include 12 tracks – making it her shortest album with one less song than “1989.”
The tracklist includes:
1. “The Fate of Ophelia”
2. “Elizabeth Taylor”
3. “Opalite”
4. “Father Figure”
5. “Eldest Daughter”
6. “Ruin the Friendship”
7. “Actually Romantic”
8. “Wi$h Li$t”
9. “Wood”
10. “CANCELED!”
11. “Honey”
12. “The Life of a Showgirl” (Feat. Sabrina Carpenter)
Where else can you celebrate the release?
Swift is also hosting a release party at movie theaters in the Chicago area and around the country for the music video for a track off her the album, along with showing behind-the-scenes footage of how the song and video were made, the singer announced.
Tickets are on sale now for the screenings, scheduled to play in theaters Oct. 3-5.
The show’s runtime is just under 90 minutes, according to a release from AMC Theatres.
Tickets were being sold via AMC, Cinemark, Regal and Fandango moments after the announcement.
For Chicago-area Swifties who are looking to take part in the “dazzling soiree,” here’s a look at the theaters where you can catch the screening.
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