Written by Holly D. Jackson
Photo Credit: TAS Rights Management
It’s my first time seeing Taylor Swift. We are driving to New Orleans from Austin for the show. After one year and seven months of watching grainy live streams at all hours of the day and night, it’s finally my turn to see it in person.
The city has been taken over by Swifties and all things Taylor. Caesar’s Superdome has a giant friendship bracelet strung across it (this bracelet would be “traded’ with other stadiums on the tour, going to Indianapolis, Toronto, and for the final shows, Vancouver) hotels are decorated, bars and restaurants have Taylor themed drinks and menu items. There are sing- a- longs in the streets and people are tossing friendship bracelets in lieu of beads from the terraces on Bourbon. Even the cops arms are stacked with bracelets.
The night of October 27, 2024, we make our way to Caesar’s Superdome. The crowd outside is jubilant and glittery. They take pictures, compliment each other’s outfits, give bracelets to the stadium staff. The excitement is palpable.
There are no words to describe the feeling of seeing the Eras stage in person for the first time. Lady Gaga’s “Applause” is playing as we make our way down to our floor seats. Floor seats! I could not be more excited. “You Don’t Own Me” begins and everyone stands. The clock appears and the countdown begins. The crowd chants in unison, “three, two, one!” and we hear the familiar “It’s been a long time coming”. The LED bracelets we all have been given light up in unison. It is so beautiful.
On the screen, rooms of the Lover house move around as the dancers emerge wearing billowing seashell parachutes. They gather on the diamond and lay the shells on the stage. With the last “Lover”, they pull back to reveal Taylor singing Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. My first thought is, “omg, she’s real.”
Taylor is wearing the purple Lover bodysuit as she begins the anthem of the Eras Tour, Cruel Summer. The crowd screams the iconic bridge along with her. The vibes are immaculate. Cruel Summer gives way to The Man, You Need to Calm Down, and finally, Lover. For this song Taylor dons a blue guitar as her dancers twirl around her, the Lover house in the background. As the song ends, the house falls forward and golden sparks rain down the stage as guitarist Paul Sidoti and bassist Amos Heller transition us to the next era.
The remains of the Lover house burn as the Fearless room moves to center stage, and Taylor comes skipping out of it, striking the familiar chords of “Fearless”. This era is pure nostalgia. Taylor asks if we’re ready to go back to high school with her and performs “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story”. Getting to jump and sing the Love Story bridge in a stadium full of people is an elite experience.
Next comes the Red era. It opens with “22” and includes one of the best parts of the Eras Tour, the 22 hat. Each show someone, usually a kid, is chosen from the audience to wait for Taylor at the end of the stage. When she reaches them, she kneels and asks if she can hug them before placing the hat on her head onto theirs. The hat is signed on the inside. It’s such a wholesome and joyous tradition. Next comes “We Are Never Getting Back Together, which also has a crowd favorite practice, Kam’s various ways of saying “never”. These are usually tailored to location.
If Swifties have an anthem, it’s got to be ATWTMV (All Too Well Ten Minute Version). Getting to scream “fuck the patriarchy” with 70,000 people is quite cathartic. The Red era wraps with Taylor alone on the stage performing All Too Well as snow confetti falls around her.
Speak Now is the shortest era with one song, Enchanted (RIP Long Live). This dreamy era begins with an ethereal dance segment, followed by Taylor coming out in a beautiful ball gown. The stage is lit up in shades of purple as she sings the classic ballad.
I was never a Rep girlie until the Eras Tour. The costumes, the choreography, the lighting! The energy is unmatched. Reputation starts with snakes slithering across the screen and stage as we hear Taylor’s heels clicking as she walks out on stage. “Ready For It” is first, setting the tone for this era. “Delicate” is next, including the crowd chant, “1, 2, 3, let’s go bitch!” I’m happy I finally got to participate. Then it’s “Don’t Blame Me” where Taylor takes us to church with her belting vocals. The transition into “Look What You Made Me Do” from “Don’t Blame Me” is iconic and one of the best parts of the show. During Look What You Made Me Do, the dancers and backup vocalists are dressed as different iterations of Taylor through the years, a call back to the music video.
On the screen, a snake weaves its way through a forest as golden orbs rise from the ground and into the sky. This is the transition into Folklore and Evermore, or Folkmore as it’s a combined set. The Folklore cabin emerges flanked by trees. This set is ethereal and haunting. Taylor is on the roof of the cabin singing Cardigan. Her flowing dress is reminiscent of Lady Galadriel from Lord of the Rings.
Next up is “Champagne Problems” from Evermore. Taylor performs this song on a mossy piano in a cove of tree roots. A standing ovation follows with over three minutes of cheering and applause before she thanks the crowd and goes into “August”. This performance is gorgeous, from the swirling orange, purples and blues, to Taylor spinning in her fairy dress, to the “august run”, a carefree dash across the stage.
“My Tears Ricochet” is one of the best performances in the show. Taylor walks slowly down the stage, flanked by the dancers in black mourning dresses. It’s a somber procession that ends at the edge of the stage. Taylor falls to her knees after “just not home” lyrics. This is a raw and emotional song and this performance does a wonderful job of capturing its essence.
The rest of the songs from this era are from Evermore, “Marjorie” and “Willow’. During Marjorie, a song about Taylor’s late grandmother, the crowd holds their phones high in the air, flashlights on. This is because the LED bracelets are dark during this song, so the fans began this tradition as a tribute to Marjorie.
“Willow” wraps up the era with its witchy vibes. The dancers and Taylor don beautiful velvet capes as she dances in a circle or glowing orbs. Folklore and Evermore are albums I hold very close to my heart, and I am so grateful to have seen these songs live. I spent most of this era teary-eyed.
The Folklore cabin is replaced with a cityscape and we hear the iconic intro riff of “Style” as the 1989 era begins. “Blank Space”, the ultimate pop bop is next. Dancers ride around the stage on neon blue bikes. Taylor swings a glowing neon golf club atop the stage riser. Merch team, any way we can get a version of this golf club? This era also includes “Shake It Off”, “Wildest Dreams”, and finally “Bad Blood” which had the hottest pyrotechnics I’ve ever felt. The 1989 era is sophisticated fun and really showcases Taylor’s live singing voice.
According to my Apple Replay, I spent 8,429 minutes listening to The Tortured Poet’s Department since April. This album is groundbreaking. It’s personal, it’s aesthetic, it’s lore.
The TTPD set begins with “But Daddy I Love Him”, a song that pokes fun at people who still see Taylor as the teen who made Fearless. The imagery it conjures calls back to Love Story while also setting boundaries for the fans and the public all wrapped up in a cinematic masterpiece of a song. Taylor rises up from the stage a cloud of smoke, and skips around the stage with her dancers. I get chills when she belts “undo the destiny” during the bridge. “But Daddy” leads into “So High School”and next is “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me”. This is probably Taylor’s angriest song to date, and the production is haunting. Taylor is elevated on a mirrored “roomba” that glides around the stage as the dancers circle it apprehensively. Tonight the roomba seems to be malfunctioning but I would never have known if I hadn’t watched the livestreams. Taylor jumps down and staggers around the stage menacingly. I’m sure it was stressful but from my perspective it was amazing to see the improvisation. Next is “Down Bad” with my favorite production of the show, a huge spaceship in the background and a smoky infinity symbol on the stage. I relate to this song as I also feel like I’ve been beamed up in a cloud of sparkling dust since I entered the stadium. The first single from the album, “Fortnight” is followed by “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”. During this song, Taylor and the dancers do a death march to the end of the stage as she delivers, in my opinion, the most scathing read of her whole career. After “dying” in the march, Taylor is brought back to life by Kam and Jan. They change her outfit and shoes, hand her a mic, and push her towards the audience to perform the meta “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”. The choreography here is snippets from the entire show.
Next up is the acoustic set where Taylor is alone on stage with her guitar and piano. She performs a mash-up on each instrument, different for every show. It’s an intimate experience that showcases her talent as a musician and storyteller. The crowd waits with bated breath to see what our “surprise songs” will be. Tonight we get “Afterglow” with “Dress” on guitar and “How You Get the Girl” with “Clean” on piano. It’s the tenth anniversary of 1989 so I was hoping for some 1989 songs. During this set, our LED bracelets change color to match the era of each song. Taylor wraps up the piano mash-up, takes a bow, and dives into the stage and swims backstage.
The final era of the show is Midnight’s opening with “Lavender Haze”. The vibe of this era is a mysterious melancholy. It’s dreamy, but the ghosts that keep you up at night are on the periphery. “Anti-Hero” followed by “Midnight Rain” with one of Taylor’s famous on stage costume changes as she emerges from a shield of umbrellas in a sparkling bodysuit the color of night. The “Vigilante Shit” performance will go down in history. The rest of this era includes “Bejeweled”, “Mastermind”, and for the final song, “Karma”. I think this is the perfect song to end the show. Fireworks and confetti shoot into the air as the bows are taken. The band, backup vocalists, and dancers exit the stage as Taylor walks forward to give a solo bow and is lowered into the stage.
When the lights come on and “The Alchemy” plays, I’m not sure what to do. It’s over? It went by so fast, did it even happen? I make my way to the diamond to scoop up some confetti as a souvenir. The security crew is handing pieces up to the fans who weren’t on the floor. I have a feeling I’ll be chasing this high for a long time.
As we make our way out of the stadium, no one is pushing, or impatient. The atmosphere is the same as when we entered, safe, kind, comfortable. We are starved for community, for connection. Taylor and this tour has gifted us this and I will be forever grateful. From the creators streaming the shows, to comparing mastermind scores in the chat, to the planning of outfits and the making of bracelets, The Eras Tour gave me so much joy in a time where being joyful isn’t easy.
I am editing this review on December 8, 2024, the very last day of The Eras Tour. I’ve made my final Mastermind entry. I have an unused LED bracelet to activate when the live stream starts. I’m wearing my grey quarter zip and I’m armed with a glass of wine and a box of tissues. We will never see anything like The Eras Tour again. It was such a privilege to be able to attend, it’s a privilege to be a part of this beautiful fandom. It’s not just a concert, it’s a movement, it’s girlhood, it’s kindness and love. Thank you Taylor and crew for giving us such a gift. See you in the next Era.
