Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has captivated fans around the world, setting a new benchmark for live music experiences. With 149 shows across multiple countries, the tour is designed as a journey through Swift’s career, giving fans a chance to see her entire artistic evolution. Unlike traditional tours that focus on promoting a single album, the Eras Tour cleverly encapsulates every chapter of her life, making it that much more special for fans.
With each era representing a different phase of her personal and professional life, she offers fans insight into her growth and transformation as an artist. This approach creatively and efficiently allows her to connect with her audience as her fans are experiencing a timeline of her life and musical development along with a physical experience rooted in their memories. For many fans who have grown up alongside her music, this journey is nostalgic and meaningful, as this version of storytelling has made her tour feel cinematic.
Starting with her country roots in “Fearless” and “RED”, Swift introduced simple, acoustic sounds. The 1989 era was all about full transition to pop, and focused on being confident as the message throughout. “Reputation” came next, which transmitted more of a dark vibe. In “folklore” and “evermore”, she focused on indie-folk with poetic storytelling. Finally, “Midnights” brought a return to pop and was all about self-discovery. Most recently, she released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and The Tortured Poets Department which are all about reclaiming her music, a unique touch to her releases. While performing various songs from all of these album Swift incorporates surprise songs, creating remarkable moments for fans at each show. These surprise songs are a way for Swift to speak directly to them, sharing memories and creating one-of-a-kind experiences at every stop on her tour.
“My favorite era is ‘The Torture Poets Department’ or ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’. I love the way she moves into indie folk and alternative sound to transmit her message. My favorite era of Swift in real life is ‘Reputation’,” sophomore Camille Chevalier said.
Swift’s ability to create such an intimate atmosphere has been the guide to this tour. Swift has built one of the biggest fan bases in music, and her close relationship with them has always been a key part of the success in her career. This key innovation of a multi-dimensional journey allows us fans to step into Swift’s world and admire her milestones. The nostalgic joy of hearing songs like “All Too Well” allows us to understand the complexity of her relationships and how she rose to fame. This engagement creates an atmosphere that is not only entertaining but also emotional.
“What sets her apart from other big artists is her connection with her fans. By sharing her personal experiences through her songs she creates a community. I think that her fans feel understood, and they connect with her music mostly because of what she transmits when she sings. If other artists focused on having a deeper connection with their listeners I think it would increase their popularity,” sophomore Erik Hjelm said.
The Eras Tour has created a surge in the sales of Swift’s music. As she revisits older albums, songs that were previously not as successful have risen, resulting in more streaming and record sales. Songs from earlier albums like “Fearless” and “Red” have charted again, highlighting the lasting power of Swift’s music and how the tour allows fans to connect with her entire catalog. It is a reminder that even songs that might not have gotten as much attention in the past still have value as a result of the artist’s skill and creativity.
“What’s really great about the tour is that it gives songs that didn’t get to do good the first time around a second chance. I think that a lot of artists could have charted songs if the took the opportunity to showcase songs from their past eras as well. I would love to see them try it,” sophomore Alessandro Vendrame said.
Beyond her fans, her tour is also boosting local economies. The Eras Tour has driven demand for hotels, restaurants and local businesses, which shows the economic power of her tour. In each city, fans attribute to support of these local businesses. Concerts can benefit entire communities which is causing an effect that supersedes music. An influential artist like Swift is not just revolutionary because of her music, but also because of the well-being she brings to entire communities.
Although this tour has had great success, it is not perfect. High ticket prices are a major issue, as they make it difficult for many fans, especially younger ones, to afford the experience. Fans have felt that the steep costs of attending the concert has taken away from the goal of sharing with her community. With some tickets reaching thousands of dollars on secondary markets, there has been many debates about whether the concerts are even accessible to attend.
“The fact that her concerts can change the revenue of an entire city is crazy to me. Whether or not you like her music, she is extremely influential. I do agree with the fact that tickets to her concerts are very expensive, but I also think she is extremely talented,” sophomore Andres Kardijan said.
Despite this, Swift’s record breaking success with the Eras Tour has been projected to gross over $1 billion sending a strong message to the music industry. The tour is setting a new bar for what concerts can accomplish and has created a new insight for artists to look at. Undeniably, the work and execution that the artist has put forth has demonstrated that a tour can be more than just a series of concerts.
