Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour takes fans on a musical journey through the different phases of her career, showcasing the evolution of Swift as an artist. With each show lasting approximately 3 hours and performed multiple times a week, the tour offers a glimpse into Swift’s unwavering dedication to both her music and her fans. Spanning over 30 cities and a total of 149 shows, The Eras Tour will wrap up on December 8, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor Swift has released four albums: Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department. In 2020 Taylor Swift had plans to go on tour for her sixth album, Lover, which was released in 2019, but those plans were forced to be put on hold due to the severity of the pandemic. She wasn’t able to return to touring until March 17, 2023, the start date of The Eras Tour. The concept of the tour was born out of Swift’s inability to tour for her five most recent albums, giving her fans, the Swifities, the opportunity to see each album live in one unified show.
The concert begins in the Lover era and transitions through Swift’s musical timeline, encompassing ten distinct eras. Each night on The Eras Tour is an incredible and immersive production, including outfit changes, elaborate set designs, backup dancers, and intensive choreography. One of the highlights of the show is a specific segment Swifties have dubbed as “Surprise Songs.” During this acoustic set of the night, Swift performs one song on guitar and one on piano, changing the setlist for this portion nightly. This adds an element of surprise to each show because fans never know which songs will make an appearance. Swift often experiments with song mashups during this segment of the night, giving the acoustic set a sense of uniqueness.
The Eras Tour brought together many demographics to create a community and atmosphere of love, acceptance, joy, and connection. The trading of friendship bracelets, the screaming of cohesive chants, and the iconic display of heart hands during the Fearless era are traditions that arose at The Eras Tour and will stand as lifelong memories for people all around the world. Sofia Williams, a current sophomore at CdM, shares her Eras Tour experience: “I got to go to the show in Poland, and the three days of The Eras Tour were so high energy, colorful, and fun.” Williams also explains how the city of Warsaw prepared for The Eras Tour: “Everywhere you went, there were Taylor Swift-related foods, menus, shops, and more.” Not only did The Eras Tour leave a lasting impact socially, it also greatly boosted the economy. The Eras Tour caused commercial activity and revenue within local businesses, hotels, restaurants, and transportation to increase.
Since the beginning of Taylor Swift’s musical career, she has always been one of the most influential artists of her time. Her moving lyrics, catchy melodies, and friendly persona have succeeded in catching the world’s attention. Although The Eras Tour is coming to an end, its impression on the world will be remembered for many years to come.