by Scarlett Downes
Taylor Swift, an extremely highly regarded singer-songwriter, is currently touring. Swift commenced The Eras Tour in mid-March in Glendale, Ariz., and has been touring ever since. The Eras Tour is her first tour since 2018, and is unique in that instead of spotlighting a singular album, Swift plays songs from each one of her 10 original studio albums. Each album is a different era in Swift’s career, hence the name The Eras Tour.
I was lucky enough to attend The Eras Tour for night two at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., where I was absolutely dazzled for a solid three hours straight. Not only did Swift’s incredible performance make it an unforgettable night, but her openers as well as the vibrant “Swiftie” community added a whole new layer to the event, making it more than just a concert.
One of the many things that sets Taylor Swift apart from any other artist is her wide fan base known as Swifties. Fans sweep across all generations, as her music itself is quite diverse in style. A fun tradition that Swifties have established at The Eras Tour is making friendship bracelets, and trading them with one another at the venue. The idea for making friendship bracelets stemmed from lyrics in Swift’s song, “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” from her newest album Midnights. The lyrics read, “Everything you lose is a step you take/So make the friendship bracelets/Take the moment and taste it.” Trading bracelets is a great way to connect with other people. When I traded my own beaded bracelets at MetLife, I was able to interact with many fellow Taylor Swift lovers, and was able to see how kind and tightly knit this community of people really is. Not only this, but Swifties also share the joy of dressing to impress. Due to the fact that The Eras Tour covers each of Swift’s albums, many people like to dress up as a certain era. It was quite exciting to see people’s outfits, as they ranged from brightly colored glittery dresses, to elaborate cat costumes, which are an ode to Swift’s deep love for cats.
The openers at MetLife night two were Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers, who happen to be two of my favorite artists. Abrams’s setlist was five songs long, and included some of her newer music, as well as some more well-known favorites. I, along with other Gracie Abrams fans, was shocked when I heard the first five seconds of the song “I Should Hate You,” because up until that night, her setlist hadn’t included the additional fifth song. To say I was overjoyed is an understatement.
Shortly after Abrams concluded her performance, Phoebe Bridgers came on stage to play her set. Bridgers played nine songs, each song she played was more captivating than the last. Her style, both musical and personal, is so different from any other artist. Bridgers has a somewhat gothic style, and is notorious for wearing a skeleton in some capacity when performing. What made her performance even more exciting was knowing that the actual Taylor Swift herself would be the next person on stage.
The anticipation for Swift to come on stage brought about a massive army of butterflies in my stomach. Thousands of people eagerly waited for the clock to strike zero, every second that went by was seemingly slower than the last. Finally, after what had seemed like years, it was time for the show to begin.
In true Taylor Swift extravagance and style, she made a suspenseful and memorable entrance onto the stage as she emerged into sight behind a long trail of dancers carrying larger-than-life sized feathers. This was the introduction to her first era/album she would be covering, Lover. The aesthetic of this album is all about bright pastel colors, so for this era Swift wore a impressively bejeweled leotard along with an equally sparkly pair of knee high boots. The opening song was “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince,” a popular favorite off the album. One of my favorite songs off of Lover, “Cruel Summer,” came next. After listening to the song so many times on my own, it felt surreal to see Swift singing it live. From the very beginning of the show, Swift radiated pure confidence and joy. Every person in that stadium could tell from the moment she stepped foot on stage, that she was a true seasoned professional.
A few eras later came Reputation, which was an album released in 2017. The shining emblem of this album is a snake, with the overall tone of Reputation being very fierce, bold, and empowering. At this point in the show, the energy was through the roof. There was not a single person in my sight that was not passionately bellowing the lyrics. My favorite song that Swift played during her Reputation era is entitled “Don’t Blame Me,” and is definitely a fan favorite. During this era, I was extremely impressed not only with her, but also with Swift’s backup dancers and the fabulously detailed configuration of the stage and set itself. Different parts of the stage moved up and down, and carried Swift into the bright beam of light that was projected into the sky for as far as one’s eyes could see.
Towards the end of every one of her shows comes a highly anticipated part of the evening known as “Surprise song o’clock.” Since day one of The Eras Tour, Swift has played two surprise songs at each show. The catch is that unless she makes a mistake, she cannot play the same surprise song again during the tour. The surprise songs that Swift played while I was there were “False God” from Lover, and “Holy Ground,” from Red. I enjoyed hearing the two songs; however, for me, they didn’t hold a candle to the surprise songs that MetLife nights one and three got, which included “Getaway Car” and “Clean”.
Swift ended the night with the song “Karma” from Midnights. Just having released a deluxe edition of the album the day before, which includes a version of “Karma” featuring rapper Ice Spice, Swift brought the rapper on stage as a special guest. Although bittersweet due to the fact that it was the last song, it was a perfect way to conclude the show.
Taylor Swift will be touring in North America up until early August, where her last show will take place in Los Angeles. If you have the opportunity to get tickets for any of her upcoming shows, it would certainly be worth your time. The Eras Tour is a concert not to miss, and continues to leave people from all walks of life in awe by the end of each night.
