End of the Eras: Taylor Swift Eras Tour Review
It’s been a long time coming but…the Eras Tour finally arrived! The highly-anticipated tour covering Taylor Swift’s 11 studio albums has not only swept the country but across the globe! I attended Night 1 of Swift’s concert at Gillette Stadium, having attended with my mother, and extremely excited for this spectacular tour! Truly, this concert was a bejeweled spectacle to not only watch but also experience!
The concert was overall excellent: once the clock struck midnight, pastel-costumed dancers flowed onto the stage, with silk objects waving smoothly in the air and crowds of fans awaiting Taylor Swift. Then, the moment finally came! Seeing Taylor Swift for the first time was a moment I will never forget; when I saw her emerge from an immersive blanket of pastel tapestry, the stadium filled with excited cheers and echoes. The singer broke the crowds’ clamor of joy with a track off of her Lover album, “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.” Swift proceeded into her first era, Lover, with vibrant hits such as “You Need to Calm Down” and “The Man.” She then slowed the pace down to emotional renditions of “Lover” and “The Archer,” fan bracelets glowing a soft gold throughout the stadium as the ballads played.
Next up was Fearless, bringing fans back to Taylor’s early country days. The visualizer above the stage showcased gold glitter cascading down the screen symbolic of the album’s colors. With this era, the concert was filled with guitar riffs and throwback hits such as “You Belong with Me,” “Love Story,” and the namesake single, “Fearless.” This era was an ode to the OG Swifties, those who have listened to Taylor Swift’s music since her early days and have watched the singer-songwriter become the Music Industry; so for me, a diehard Swiftie since the age of 13, it was one of my favorite eras to dance to and watch Swift perform.
After a transformation from bright and gleaming Fearless, we then entered the woods of evermore. Released almost 3 years ago, the album embraces a wintry aesthetic, detailing adventures of mystery, lost love, and triumph. evermore had previously been viewed as Swift’s forgotten album, as she had never publicly “acknowledged its existence.” Some have critiqued evermore as being a continuity of folklore’s story without the former storytelling of her 2020 indie work. However, the incorporation of folk and Swift’s ability to produce musical masterpieces are evident in the crafting of evermore; songs like “Willow,” “Champagne Problems,” and “Marjorie” demonstrated the emotional depth of Swift’s lyricism. Swift first began the era with witchcraft, with her dancers donning cloaked robes similar to her music video for her hit song “Willow.” The singer later took a moment after her rendition of “Champagne Problems” to relish in the crowds’ cheers, embracing the support and love from her Swifties.
With a sisterly switch to folklore, the songstress transported us to salt air and forbidden summer love as “August” played through the stadium. Swift’s dress beautifully wisped in the wind as she put her all into the encapsulating performance. She then surprised the audience with her heartbroken hit “illicit affairs,” continuing to forge the tale of doomed love. Moving away from the beach and into her log cabin, the singer shared the love triangle between James, Betty, and Augustine through her folk-loving, harmonica-filled song “betty.” After the teenage-regret anthem, Swift performed the harsher ballad “tolerate it”, which highlighted the singer’s ability to encapsulate the love and fury within a relationship while embracing the thematic storytelling of her album.
Moving onto a new soundtrack, 1989 hit the stage running with the fresh-pop beats matching perfectly with Swift’s mature vocals. Reflecting on the era after 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was released, I am wonderfully obsessed with Swift’s 2023 take on the Grammy-award-winning album. Performing iconic hits such as “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood” reminded the audience of her famous music videos and past eras, with her dancers embracing the free spirit of Swift’s introduction to the pop genre with golf clubs blazing and bicycles racing.
The perfect production, collaborating 1989’s bubbly chords with intense beats, brought us to reputation. As Swift stated in 2019, “There will be no explanation, there will just be reputation.” And that there was. Swift’s darker tone brought us back to her 180-switch 2017 pop album and highlighted the central themes of her songs. Her era reminded us of the revenge and careless attitude towards addressing hate, spawned from public feuds to harsh media slamming. Inspired by her previous eras, her backup singers dressed in signature looks Swift wore throughout the years, all the way from Fearless to 1989. Ending her former portrayal of innocence and defenselessness, Swift’s iconic line echoed throughout the stadium: “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ‘cause she’s dead.”
For surprise songs, the audience had “Better Man” and “Should’ve Said No.” Although I only knew a few lyrics to both songs at the time, I now have them both added to my Spotify playlist and consider them to be some powerful hits.
Swift closed out her show with the final era of the night, Midnights, which was her most recent album release at the time. In hindsight, her work on the album showed commendable spirit, honing on Swift’s intrapersonal perspective on her mental health lows as well as her melancholic pop melodies. While I did not appreciate this album in its entirety at the time, I now refer to its tracks as beloved Swift hits. One moment I wished I had experienced at the concert was the pop star’s affectionate lyric change for boyfriend Travis Kelce, “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.” Unfortunately, the pair had not yet begun their relationship until 2 months after the show, so I was unable to listen to the iconic line.
Ultimately, I am beyond grateful to have attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. My Swiftie dreams were fulfilled as I watched the pop star sparkle onstage while fans jammed out to her melodic hits. This was a wonderful experience, and I cannot wait to see what Taylor Swift does next!
Enjoy my reaction to Taylor Swift’s entrance onstage (2:52-3:05): Taylor Swift Video