Taylor Swift’s first tour in five years exploded onto the scene with a powerful and captivating start, featuring an impressive 44-song set that left fans elated and satisfied. By Friday afternoon, a buzz had taken over Arizona as fans flocked to Swift City, a newly designated destination populated by 70,000 die-hard fans eagerly anticipating the opening night of the Eras tour. The fervor was so intense that some fans had even tagged the area on Google Maps as a place of worship, dubbing it “ERAzona” in reference to one of the hashtags coined by Swifties to celebrate her unparalleled body of work. The team behind Taylor Swift was acutely aware of the online conversation surrounding the artist, and it is impossible to appreciate her music without diving into the vast ocean of Taylor Swift content. As some have suggested, Taylor Swift may have even surpassed Mark Zuckerberg in her creation of a true metaverse, and her close and interactive relationship with fans has become legendary in the music industry.
Swift’s fervent fans showed up in droves on Friday night in Glendale, a suburb located at a distance similar to that between Hendersonville, Tennessee (where she attended high school for a year) and Nashville, the epicenter of the country music industry that helped shape her early career. The audience, predominantly comprised of women and gay men (and a few supportive boyfriends and husbands), proudly donned the iconography of her ten albums, ranging from the black leotards of the Reputation era to the pastel hues of Lover, to replicas of her 2021 Folklore Grammy dress and rhinestone-studded bodysuits reminiscent of the Bejeweled music video. Among them were even a couple of men sporting “sexy baby” T-shirts, a nod to her Antihero persona.
To outsiders, such unbridled enthusiasm, fueled by Swift’s well-known penchant for Easter eggs and rewards, may appear cringe-worthy, but from within the Swiftverse, inside a stadium that pulsated with energy for over three hours, it was nothing short of ecstatic. For fans who had grown up with her diaristic music over the course of 17 years, and particularly for white suburban women for whom she has become an iconic figure, it was an unforgettable experience. Swift effortlessly commanded the stage, and the audience was enraptured.
The Eras tour is a celebration of Taylor Swift’s unparalleled ability to please her fans. Ticket holders were not left disappointed by the staggering 44-song setlist that she delivered, which was twice the number of songs she had performed in previous shows. Despite a few second verse cuts, Swift did not mash-up any of her hits and delivered an unforgettable three-hour and 12-minute performance that was equivalent in length to the blockbuster movie Titanic. Swift’s creative productivity knows no bounds; since her last tour in 2018, she has released four original albums, as well as re-recordings of two albums, and she made sure to perform songs from all of them.
Swift’s performance was more than just a concert; it was a Broadway-style extravaganza that featured multiple set changes, including a mossy Folklore cabin and a high-rise office for The Man, as well as a phalanx of backup dancers and singers. Every audience member received a color-synced bracelet timed with the stadium lights, and Swift made sure to showcase a stunning array of outfits, including sparkling bodysuits and a one-legged snake suit. The T-shaped stage with rising platforms allowed every corner of the floor to get a glimpse of Swift, while visuals from her music videos blared on a massive curved screen behind her. Although the Reputation tour was heavily choreographed, the Eras tour was a more enthusiastic act-out of each song. Despite the lack of time for much banter, Swift’s commitment to each bit never wavered.
Although Swift did not have much time to chat with the audience, she expressed her gratitude to them and threw in a few crowd-pleaser lines. She even addressed criticism of her album Evermore. The scale of the production made the earthy, whispery numbers on Folklore and Evermore work surprisingly well for a stadium. The audience sang along with almost every song, almost as loud as Swift’s vocals, making for a truly unforgettable and rapturous experience. The Eras tour was a true testament to Swift’s ability to please her fans and delivered an experience that left audiences feeling delighted and exhilarated.
Despite the grandeur and spectacle of the Eras tour, there were some technical difficulties with the sound. It’s not uncommon for sound to be an issue in a stadium filled with 70,000 screaming fans, but it was particularly noticeable during the louder, more electronic songs that featured heavy synth beats. It became difficult to hear Taylor Swift’s enunciation and the subtleties within the wall of sound. There were also instances where the volume on her microphone seemed to fluctuate erratically.
However, when Swift returned to her acoustic roots, her vocal abilities shone. The audience was treated to a stripped-down performance of Mirrorball and Tim McGraw, where Swift showcased her talent as a singer-songwriter. But the real standout moment of the evening was the ten-minute rendition of All Too Well, a fan favorite and one of the most emotionally charged songs in her catalog. With guitar pick in hand, Swift commanded the stage and took the audience on a journey from silence to a goosebump-inducing crescendo and back again.
While All Too Well was a personal highlight, each fan in the stadium likely had their own favorite song. With a catalog as vast and varied as Swift’s, it’s impossible to please everyone. But one thing is certain: Swift’s devotion to her lyrics and the sheer scope of her musical output are unmatched by any other artist. From Miss Americana to Mastermind (with a dose of Karma at the end), the Eras tour was an epic start to a new era of Taylor Swift’s career.
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