Diving into Taylor Swift’s iconic stadium tour
Internationally known singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is headlining her sixth concert tour, The Eras Tour. Since the tour began in March of this year, Swift has been making waves across the pop culture world. Her incredible theatrical song and dance performances, stunning visuals and intricate outfits are quickly making The Eras Tour one of the most famous tours.
Swift has been an iconic country-turned-pop star since releasing her debut album, Taylor Swift, in 2009. Since then, she has released ten albums and has won countless awards. In 2020, Swift became involved in a public dispute over purchasing the rights to her back catalog of music. Due to the situation, Swift began to re-record her catalog. She has released two re-recorded versions of older albums, Red and Fearless, and recently announced a third re-recorded album, Speak Now. While Swift was already a global icon, the re-recording became somewhat of a Taylor Swift renaissance.
The Tour
Swift’s Eras Tour is taking place in stadiums nationwide, and each show is completely sold out. Swift plays for two to three nights in each city she visits.
During the pandemic, Swift released two albums, Folklore on July 24 and Evermore on Dec. 11, 2020. The Eras Tour can be seen as making up for lost time, playing songs from both her newer albums, older albums and her latest release, Midnights (2022). Swift has explored genres such as country, folk, alternative rock and pop. The Eras Tour, quite literally, takes fans on a trip through all of her iconic eras.
Swift performs incredible dance routines with backup dancers, a band, light shows, colorful visuals, and, of course, outfit changes. She performs in flowing floor-length dresses, colorful mini-dresses and sparkled leotards with glittering boots. Her tour is seen as less of a concert and more of a show, as she puts on theatrical and intricately planned performances.
In addition to a stunning show, Swift performs two surprise songs towards the end of each concert. Leading up to a show, fans post on social media to guess what their surprise songs will be. Usually, the songs are from earlier albums or newer album songs that didn’t make the setlist. The two songs come at the end of the show and are performed acoustically with only Swift on stage. First, an acoustic guitar song, then an acoustic piano song. While the show is a stunning experience, the surprise songs are the perfect way to wrap up the night.
The Fans
Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, have taken concert preparations and fun to another level with The Eras Tour. Fans have been traveling to different cities and states to see Swift’s show; some fans who could not get tickets are even camping out in the parking lot to hang out with other fans and overhear the excitement inside the stadiums.
Swift’s iconic show fashion choices have inspired fans to get creative. For weeks leading up to a concert, fans take to Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to share outfit ideas and inspiration. Fans purchase cowboy boots and hats, crochet two-piece outfits, iron on Swift-themed decals to jeans, and sport glitter, feather or fringe dresses to her shows.
Furthermore, fan camaraderie has led to new traditions. Girls and boys, men and women of all ages are attending the tour and everyone is welcomed with open arms. Beaded friendship bracelets have become a staple at The Eras Tour. Fans spend countless hours before their show to make bracelets with colorful beads and lettered beads spelling out song names, album names and inside jokes between fans, such as Swift’s cats’ names. Every fan has wrists full of bracelets to trade and share with other fans. At the end of the night, fans leave with mismatched homemade bracelets made by their new friends.