With the year 2024 coming to a close, comes the end of the largest tour in history. The Eras tour began on March 17th 2023 with over 150 different shows all over the world. Globally, Taylor Swift has been recognized as a pop superstar, accumulating over 91.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Swift has visited 54 cities, normally performing for three shows in each city that she visits. Demand for this tour is like no other, with each and every show that she has performed being sold out in stadiums with a capacity of up to 70,000 people.
Since 2004, Swift has produced 11 studio albums of all different genres which are included on her setlist. She chose to begin her career with some country twang, titled “Taylor Swift”, but at the Eras Tour, this album is not included in the three-hour-long set list. For her other albums, she has, “Fearless”, “Speak Now’,”Red”,”1989”,”Reputation”,”Lover”,”Folklore”,”Evermore”, “Midnights”, and “The Tortured Poets Department”. In between her performance, she has a segment called surprise songs, in which she mashes two or more of her songs together to create a modified version. Lyrics and choruses are mixed together, and fans from all over watch from the internet to join in on the missed experience.
Fashion trends for these concerts vary, with sparkles and sequins seen all throughout the crowd. Many fans opt to create their own custom outfits, whether it is something that Swift has worn or something inspired by one of her songs. On stage, she has over ten different costume changes, which gives many fans inspiration on what to wear. Supporters see this as a fun opportunity to connect with their favorite artist.
A huge part of this tour is creating friendship bracelets, which is from one of her songs “Your On Your Own Kid”. Each bracelet is from a reference of something that she has said, a lyric or word from her song, or based off of her openers. For the closing months of the tour, there is only one opener for each of the shows. Gracie Abrams performs about an hour before the main act, and has a couple of options for merch at each booth. Since the beginning of the tour, Abrams has been an opening act as well as many other artists. This has found a way to connect fans all over the world. When SHS sophomore Alden Seibert was asked what her favorite part about the tour was, she said “My favorite thing about the tour was how it felt like you were with one big family! Getting to meet new people and trade bracelets was the best!”
In Florida, she has been to both Tampa and Miami, with many students from Seminole High School (SHS) attending these six concerts. One of which includes SHS sophomore Corinne Frisch, who said “My favorite part was definitely seeing all the fans having the time of their lives. Dressed up, trading friendship bracelets, singing their hearts out, it felt like a safe space. The comfort Taylor’s songs and presence bring is so beautiful in my opinion, and seeing her live in front of me was surreal. I’m glad every fan there got to experience it.”
With the Eras tour coming to an end at the beginning of December, it is important to remember the good memories in the midst of the sad closing. Her last stop for the US shows is in Indianapolis, and the last stop for the tour overall is in Vancouver (Canada) on December eighth. A long year of beautiful memories and great shows is now coming to an end, so be sure to “make the friendship bracelets, and take the moment and taste it.”