Consisting of 152 sold-out stadiums, 51 cities, five continents, 517 hours, and over 10.1 million fans in attendance, The Eras Tour was a once-in-a-lifetime experience
bound to be cemented in history as one of the most elaborate and enchanting tours of all time. Through extreme rain, scalding heat, and high winds, Taylor Swift took to
the stage each night with the unique flair of a one-of-a-kind superstar. The Eras Tour took the world by storm, with unforgettable moments like Christ the Redeemer flaunting a “You Belong With Me” T-shirt during Swift’s visit to Brazil and a 2.3 magnitude earthquake during “Shake It Off” from Seattle’s swifty crowd. Cities embraced The Eras Tour magic, embellishing airplanes and hotels in Swift-themed décor and music, creating an atmosphere of celebration in whichever city Swift was in that night. Social media apps like TikTok and Instagram were flooded every night with each performance’s “Surprise Songs” (songs from the acoustic section of The Eras Tour that weren’t on the original setlist), and handmade outfits that Swifties customized for their special night at The Eras Tour. I was fortunate enough to see Swift twice, and I truly believe that both nights were filled with so much love and magic it could convert even the biggest Swift skeptic into a devoted fan. After almost two years of Eras Tour joy and enchantment, the highest-grossing tour (according to the NY Times, $2,077,618,725 in ticket sales) of all time has ended, marking a place in history as a cultural phenomenon that redefined live music and united fans across generations and continents.
From March 17, 2023, to December 8, 2024, the Eras Tour was marked by a plethora of memorable moments that contributed to its allure and magic. One of my favorite traditions created by the Swifites during The Eras Tour was creating and trading friendship bracelets between fans. Originating from the song “You’re On Your Own Kid” with the line “Make the friendship bracelets /Take the moment and taste it,” Swifties
began to make their own beaded friendship bracelets, collecting and trading them away each night. When I went, I received two bracelets: one that said “Back To December”
(my favorite song) lined with purple and silver beads, and one with red and yellow beads for the Kansas City Chiefs, the team of Swift’s boyfriend (a.k.a. Travis Kelce). The trading of friendship bracelets indicates the unity across ages and coun-
tries that came with each night of the tour. On both nights, I found myself greatly connected to the 60,000 fans around me.
Another memorable moment from The Eras tour is the acoustic section each night. Going into the tour, Swift composed a setlist of around 45 songs across 18 years of her music career and its numerous different “eras,” (hence the name of the tour). The setlist was only changed once after the release of The Tortured Poets Department. Whether it be the snake-filled adrenaline-rushing “Reputation Era” or the teenage young-love “Fearless Era,” each section of the show was mesmerizing in its own way. Before the last section of the show each night, Swift had an acoustic section where
she would play two “surprise songs” or mash-ups, one on the guitar and one on the piano. Every concert night around 10:30 p.m., I would sit at home on a grainy live stream, watching and absorbing the thrill of the entire acoustic section. It was so special hearing the songs I have loved, since I can’t even remember, being played in a sold-out stadium and sung by tens of thousands of people who love them just as much as I do. So yes, hearing my favorite song being played thousands of miles away when I was at home stung a little, but recognizing the community that shared the same adoration for that song as I do was an unforgettable feeling.
Out of all the fond memories I made at The Eras Tour, nothing will ever top the feeling of belting arguably the most emotional and shoutable Swift bridge alongside 60,000 other Swifties. “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” a track on Swift’s most recent album “The Tortured Poets Department,” (TTPD), is a song that is truly meant for a stadium with hundreds of amplifiers and thousands of Swifties. The first time I attended The Eras Tour on May 15, 2023, TTPD had yet to be released. Over a year later, for my 17th birthday on November 15, 2024, my dad and I got to hear the TTPD portion of the tour in the setlist and, most importantly, my favorite bridge. Hearing the lyrics to “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” being sung by thousands in Toronto, Canada, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am eternally grateful to have encountered, and the feeling of unity and harmony that I felt alongside other Swift fans in that moment was magical. Even my dad, who barely knew the song “Shake It Off” before attending the concert, was captured by the undeniable magic of the Eras Tour and is now a full-on Swifty, thanks to me and Swift.
Going to the Eras Tour allowed me to connect with other Swift fans and have a memorable bonding experience with three people I love: my dad, my mom, and my best friend, Anna Brandmeyer, ’26. In May of 2023, I went to the Lincoln Financial Field with Brandmeyer to see Taylor. Although Brandmeyer is not the biggest Swiftie, she recalled, “The Eras Tour was the most incredible concert I have ever seen, and Taylor Swift isn’t even my favorite artist. It was something that I think everyone should experience once in their life.” Although Brandmeyer had a mild concussion on the day of the concert, she “couldn’t miss it for the world,” and was determined to see Swift in one of the biggest concerts of our generation.
Almost two years later, The Eras Tour is over, but it has made a lasting footprint on many of our hearts and will be remembered in history as a groundbreaking celebration of music and connection. So yes, it is time to clean up the “glitter on the floor,” but the cultural phenomenon of The Eras Tour
will transcend the test of time. “Long Live” The Eras Tour.
