Over the course of Taylor Swift’s 17 year career, she has become one of the world’s biggest music sensations, and her Eras Tour is the hottest ticket. For the first time in her career, Swift is performing hits from all 10 of her albums–in the same night– in an impressive show which lasted more than 3 hours (not including the openers’ sets). Performing a total of 146 dates, 22 countries across the globe, Taylor Swift has reached a fanbase of millions.
I was lucky enough to enjoy this experience first hand with my mom and sister in Santa Clara at Swift’s first night at Levi’s Stadium.
The Eras Tour is the second concert I’ve attended in my life and it’s set a high bar that I don’t think any concert will come close to surpassing.
What made the experience truly memorable was the crowd. Everyone was noticeably having the best time singing, dancing, and giving multi-minute long standing ovations to their favorite songs. My sister and I also participated in the trend of trading friendship bracelets with other fans, a trend which is a reference to Swift’s song “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” By the end of the night we had a total of twenty bracelets each to remember the concert. Not only was I able to watch Taylor Swift perform live, each stop on The Eras Tour is accompanied by two opening acts. My show was opened by Gracie Abrams and HAIM. Their performances were lively and opened the doors to new music taste. HAIM, who are personal friends of Swift, accompany her on a duo to “no body, no crime.” They surprised Swift by wearing the same costumes they do in her “Bejeweled” music video.
If there was one word to use to describe Taylor Swift’s stage presence, it would be: passion. She had multiple costume changes, as well as props and stage settings, that brought her imagination to life. My favorite song of the entire concert was one of her simpler performances, where she was singing “betty,” a folk rock track about an imaginary teenage love and heartbreak. Prior to performing this song, Swift explains how creating this universe in her album “Folklore” allowed her to explore as an artist and develop her storytelling.
During the concert, I was looking forward to her acoustic set, where she surprises each show with two special songs. Swift surprised the crowd by bringing out special guest, Aaron Dessner performing together “right where you left me.” I was left feeling overwhelmed by emotion, and it didn’t get better because immediately after, she went to her piano and performed “Castles Crumbling” live for the first time ever.
What really makes the Eras Tour stand out is its ability to make each show unique from the one before it. Taylor Swift puts on an incredible performance, and you could see the love and creativity put behind each and every one of the 44 songs performed.
