Alice Calcraft
As the last piece of confetti fell to the ground, as the last chords of music cascaded around the stadium, and as the singers and dancers took their final bow, The Eras Tour finally came to an end.
On the 8th of December in Vancouver, Canada, Taylor Swift graced fans with the final night of the record-breaking Eras Tour. Spanning across two decades of music, 45 songs, and a total run time of 3 hours, each show has been a pocket of the revolutionary success of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
highest-grossing tour of all time at $2 billion. Over 10 million new and old fans alike flocked to stadiums to watch the singer perform highlights from her career.
Beginning in March 2023 and now ending in December 2024, the show has travelled around the world, with over 150 tour dates across 5 continents, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time at $2 billion. Over 10 million new and old fans alike flocked to stadiums to watch the singer perform highlights from her career. In addition to the dozens of setlist songs from each era, Taylor picked additional songs from her 250-song discography to form an acoustic portion of the show. Night after night, millions of Swifties from around the world watched live streams to discover which additional songs Swift had chosen to sing, often with several similar songs compiled together to represent her emotions. In addition, Taylor’s rotation of dozens of colourful, elaborately handcrafted outfits led to apps being created for Swifties to guess what she would wear at each show and which unique combination of surprise songs she would choose for that night.
Premiering in cinemas in October 2023, and since released on the streaming platform Disney+, the film has since dominated records as the highest-grossing concert film.
Reflecting on the special impact of the Eras Tour both in and outside of the stadium, the Eras Tour film offered fans the chance to relive their memories of the concert, and other fans the opportunity to experience the show for the first time. Premiering in cinemas in October 2023, and since released on the streaming platform Disney+, the film has since dominated records as the highest-grossing concert film. The film has formed a unique legacy to celebrate the record-breaking tour, capturing the joy and celebration present at every concert.
Skyrocketing her to unprecedented success and popularity, in 2023 Swift’s success led to her being chosen as the Time Person of the Year due to her cultural and economic impact on the countries she was performing in. In the UK alone, Taylor’s time across four major cities—London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Liverpool – has extended to boosting the local economy by over £1 billion, and this has led to the government calling for more income offered to the entertainment sector. In the US, the economy was reported to have boosted by $5 billion in total, and concerts ‘had a major revitalizing effect on local tourism industries and downtowns still struggling from the effects of the pandemic’.
The Tortured Poets Department is a masterful whirlwind of emotion and poetry.
Beyond the phenomenal success of the tour itself, Taylor has released two re-recordings in the past year and a half: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Re-recording her music with the intention of reclaiming her original albums and receiving her deserved credit after her previous record label owner sold her life’s work, has revolutionised the music industry. Each album is a recreation of the original, modernised with new vocals, as well as including additional ‘vault tracks’: songs written at the time of recording the original album but never making the final cut. Then the Grammy-nominated The Tortured Poets Department came in April 2024. Surprising Swifties with a 31-song album, with the original album promised to be 16 songs long, The Tortured Poets Department is a masterful whirlwind of emotion and poetry. Breaking the record for the most streams of any album in a single day and reaching 800 million streams in a week, the album has also been nominated for 6 Grammy Awards.
Stemming from the lyrics ‘make the friendship bracelets’ from the song from the Midnights album You’re On Your Own, Kid, Swifties have since crafted intricate friendship bracelets emblazoned with letters spelling out Taylor’s songs and colourful beads to trade at the concerts
The impact of Taylor’s poetry, as is reflected across her decades of music, can possibly be seen the most in the tradition of Swifties exchanging friendship bracelets. Stemming from the lyrics ‘make the friendship bracelets’ from the song from the Midnights album You’re On Your Own, Kid, Swifties have since crafted intricate friendship bracelets emblazoned with letters spelling out Taylor’s songs and colourful beads to trade at the concerts. As many Swifties have spoken to, this tradition is truly a testament to the community and happiness that the tour encapsulates. The end of the Eras Tour, whilst it may be physically over and whilst Taylor will never again sing the same setlist or wear the same outfits, the memories made at the concerts will be treasured forever, and we can learn to prioritise the immense excitement and enthusiasm that this tour has embraced over the past two years.
Trading friendship bracelets, singing every word of every song, and meeting so many like-minded Swifties was truly like nothing else: every second of the three-hour masterpiece filled me with such emotion and happiness.
For me, the Eras Tour was about so much more than just a concert by my favourite artist. It was about community, a sense of belonging, and so much joy. Attending two Eras Tour concerts in London with two of my best friends were the best days of my life. Trading friendship bracelets, singing every word of every song, and meeting so many like-minded Swifties was truly like nothing else: every second of the three-hour masterpiece filled me with such emotion and happiness. Yet the joy and beauty of the experience have extended far beyond my two times at the show. The Eras Tour has enabled me to meet some of my best friends online. What started out meeting Swifties on a group chat to share outfits and surprise song predictions has emerged into lifelong friendships with the loveliest of people, and I am truly so grateful to the Eras Tour for bringing us together through a shared love of Taylor. The Eras Tour has been a joyous celebration of friendship, music, and nostalgia, and the memories of this era will be remembered all too well for so many years to come. For me, as with so many others, the Eras Tour was a place to call home.
Alice Calcraft
Featured image courtesy of Jovan Vasiljevi? via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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