Taylor Swift performing at Gillette Stadium at a sold-out Eras Tour Show
146 shows, 49 cities, 44 songs, 10 eras, $1 billion. Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour is said to be the highest-grossing tour in history. When her tour kicked off in March 2023, it had been six years since she had toured, so anticipation was high. Swift had released 4 new albums since her last tour and is in the process of re-recording her first 6 studio albums, so she wanted to play as many songs as she possibly could. For every night of The Eras Tour, Swift performs for over three hours and plays 44 songs. Now, the International Shows are just beginning.
The Eras Tour is a phenomenon that has attracted a wide range of audiences, About 3,780,000 people went to see Swift in America, prompting the question, “What makes her so popular?”
“The main reason I really like Taylor Swift is because I feel like I’ve grown up as she’s grown up,” said Ms. Savannah Wilson, who attended Las Vegas night two. “The way her songwriting and music have evolved has kind of lined up with my lifetime. It’s very cool to see how far she’s come because it reminds me how far I’ve come at the same time.”
Economists have predicted Swift will gross well over $1 billion and produce an economic boost of $5 billion. Fans put enormous amounts of money into the economies of cities that they visit, and it’s adding up.
“My tickets were $250, then you have to account for your outfit and jewelry, and then find somewhere to stay," said junior Elizabeth Pearce, who attended Nashville night three. "While it’s an expensive trip and you have to save up for it, it was so worth it.”
Fans experience nostalgia when listening to her early works like “You Belong with Me” and “Love Story.” During the span of her 3.5-hour show, the crowds go crazy for Swift’s biggest hits, “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “Shake it Off.”
“My favorite song she played was definitely ‘Nothing New.’ She played ‘Nothing New’ live for the first time ever with Phoebe Bridgers and I was just losing it and I was freaking out,” said senior Hannah Rabinowitz, who attended Nashville night one. Fans also look forward to the acoustic set at the end of the show where Swift plays two songs from her discography that she hasn’t gotten to play live in years, or that she’s never played live before.
“My surprise songs were ‘Would’ve, Could've, Should've’ and ‘Mine.’ I feel so lucky to have gotten these because they are some of my favorite songs,” said Pearce. Swift brought out her producer Aaron Desner for “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” in Nashville.
“We had ‘Cowboy Like Me’ and she brought out Marcus Mumford which was so fun…and then I remember [Swift] said, “I was trying to think of the second song and I was like, cowboys ride horses so I guess I’ll do ‘White Horse’” and that was the other one,” said Wilson.
Fans also get really dressed up for the Eras Tour, trying to recreate one of her eras or one of her looks.
“I knew we wanted to do sparkly makeup. We wanted to match the larger theme. I wore blue, and I was saying it went with ‘1989’ but ‘meets’ country Taylor,” said Rabinowitz.
Swift’s Eras Tour was overflowing with glitter, sequins, rhinestones, sparkles, and colors.
“My outfit was a big deal because it gave me a reason to dress up with thousands of other girls and it felt like girlhood,” said Pearce, who dressed up as Swift’s Reputation Era.
Taylor Swift has built a deep relationship with her fans throughout her 17-year-long career.
“Whenever I’ve been growing through something, her next album is exactly what I’m going through,” said Wilson.
Swift’s success can be attributed to her incredible songwriting skills.
“There's very few artists that can actually reach a lot of different genres which I think is really cool,” said Rabinowitz.
Swift has won “Album of the Year” at the Grammy’s three times, for three albums of different genres: country, pop, and alternative.
“Taylor really means my childhood because she was the first artist I listened to for myself. I was obsessed," said Rabinowitz. "I even actually got to see the 1989 tour when I was in 3rd grade if that tells you how long I’ve been listening."
Swift has been making music since 2006 and forming connections with her fans while they grew up. Swifties grew up with her from the time they were kids, into their high school years, and then becoming adults.
“I think Taylor Swift is so successful because she puts her heart and soul into creating her music," said Pearce. "She strives to be a great person and is a great person to look up to."
Fans were super excited when Swift announced that “The Eras Tour” film would be hitting the big screen. The documentary will begin streaming in Regal Cinemas on October 13th.
“I’m going to see the documentary in theaters and I’m so excited!" said Pearce. "It’s going to be like going to the concert again and I can’t wait to sing and dance with a bunch of people while watching the movie."
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