I think many Swifties can agree that singing, or better said screaming, Taylor’s lyrics with thousands of Swifties in unison is a cathartic experience. Sitting down at any point during her concert wasn’t an option because her stage presence radiated all around the stadium.
The fun started before the show began because lyrics in, “You’re On Your Own Kid” inspired Swifties to make friendship bracelets to trade at the concerts. Many dedicated Swifties even went as far as to dress up as different Taylor Swift eras. Some of the most creative costumes were Ring Master Taylor from the Red era and Ballerina Taylor from the 1989 era, specifically from the “Shake It Off” music video. I dressed up as the Lover era, with a glitter heart around my right eye to allude to the album cover. I also wore a pink romper to get in the spirit.
Swifties made the concerts incomparable with their enthusiasm, creativity and dedication to Swiftie knowledge. It’s no secret that Taylor Swift’s songs are wordy in the best sense of the term.
The lyrical genius herself admitted it during the Evermore set, saying, “I have extremely wordy lyrics. I know this about myself and so I commend you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for memorizing these lyrics and then shouting them back at my face.”
Taylor Swift always lives up to her title, “The Music Industry.” She is the first artist to play six sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, “It’s the most shows at a single venue in any city in the country. It’s the longest run of shows at the still-young SoFi.”
What goes around comes around and Taylor Swift is a firm believer in Karma. According to CNN, the singer-songwriter gifted her 50 truck drivers $100,000 each in bonuses during her stay in Los Angeles. People and The Hollywood Reporter among others later reported that she gave all her crew members bonuses, which totaled over $55 million. The generosity she shows to her crew members sets her apart from other artists and is also one of the reasons why her fans support her so much. Multiple Swifties have stated on social media, “we made the right person famous.”
What makes this tour so momentous is the work that Taylor Swift has put in throughout her career. Everything has built up to this historic event, from work ethic and resilience, to artistry and just good music. Taylor Swift is proving to be an artist for the ages, and she will quite literally “never go out of style.” She is transcending what we know to be the definition of a pop star. In fact, she is far greater than the word describes, as she has demonstrated through the years that she isn’t bound to a single genre.
The three-hour show took Swifties on a musical journey one album at a time. Taylor always makes sure each concert in her tour is unique by giving fans something to be excited about. The Eras Tour is a celebration of Taylor Swift’s 17-year long career.
During the “22” performance, Taylor often picks a lucky Swiftie from the crowd to meet her at the end of the stage for a special interaction and an autographed hat. It would be impossible to play every song from her 10 albums, so she has incorporated a set for surprise songs during each concert. Swifties, who are well-known for their educated guesses on all things Taylor, try to figure out her set list each night on social media.
The fun doesn’t end there, because Taylor also has variants for most of her eras outfits. The surprise song’s outfits in particular have four color variants which include red, yellow, green and blue. The blue dress debuted on Aug. 9, during the last show at SoFi Stadium.
Aug. 9 was a significant date in Swiftie history because, after years of taking walks down “CLOWNelia Street,” the theory that Taylor would announce 1989 Taylor’s Version on Aug. 9 was correct. This is not the first time Taylor has surprised her fans with a re-release announcement during the tour, as she also announced Speak Now Taylor’s Version on May 5 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Some Swifties, including myself, believe that Taylor might use The Eras Tour to finish reclaiming her music.
The last albums that are yet to be announced are Reputation and the self-titled debut album Taylor Swift. Word on social media is that all that is left for Taylor Swift to reclaim is her reputation and her name, but the question is which will she reclaim first.