Written by Ashlee Finke and Liz Garcia

Graphic by Liz Garcia

Currently relishing in her Eras era, Taylor Swift, the global pop star phenomenon, only seems to get more popular as the years pass by. From her humble country beginnings to her most recent pop hit and tenth studio album, Midnights, the success Swift has garnered in under twenty years is something most artists dream to accomplish in their lifetime. With multiple genre shifts, several albums, and discernable eras celebrated and adored by fans, Taylor Swift is arguably the only artist who can embark on a tour performing her entire discography.

Though, with all this success, comes some trials and tribulations. Upon the announcement of The Eras Tour, fans were ecstatic to see their favorite artist return to the stage after a five-year drought. Yet, the dreams of seeing Taylor Swift dominate stadiums in glittery outfits were crushed for the 2 million fans that didn’t receive a presale code to shop for Eras Tour tickets this past November. 

On the day of The Eras Tour presale, Ticketmaster, the ticketing conglomerate that controls most of the concert and live event industry, sold over 2 million tickets—the most tickets sold in a single day for an artist. Though Taylor Swift and her team were assured by Ticketmaster they were capable of handling the expected high-demand of the tour, “The Great War” (as Swifties like to call it) didn’t go down without a few misfires, however. Waiting queues were paused, pushing back sale times, and the Ticketmaster site crashed for several fans, kicking them out of the website. Worst of all, the general sale for Swift’s The Eras Tour, planned for November 18th, was canceled due to “insufficient remaining ticket inventory”. 

The controversy didn’t take long to sweep the media; in fact, it garnered enough attention to hit the Senate floor. The Senate hearing, held a few months after the upset of The Eras sale, questioned Ticketmaster’s merger with LiveNation and criticized their practices and presence as a monopoly in the concert industry. Though a misfortune for millions of fans who hoped to see the 12-time Grammy award-winning artist live, the pitfalls of Swift’s tour sales brought needed attention to Ticketmaster’s abuse to artists and fans. 

Nonetheless, Swift’s Eras is carefully crafted to celebrate her discography. Swift takes the immersion further into the eras she’s performing in with constant costume changes during the show. She wears crystal-covered bodysuits, shimmery two-pieces, and dresses that effortlessly flow. Each outfit is covered with details—from the color of her eyeshadow to the crystals on her boots, she makes sure all the details are coherent with the era she’s in. 

The visuals and the set she has designed for each part of the show help with immersing the audience into that era. Like the mastermind she is, Taylor Swift has thoroughly planned every detail to make everyone feel like they are truly going through her entire discography. She lays on a vine-covered house partnered with a moss-covered piano to bring the illusion of being in the woods, allowing the audience to be immersed into the Folklore and Evermore eras. Taylor Swift also uses lots of visuals as she goes through each era, from the beloved Lover house to different clips from music videos. 

Taylor Swift doesn’t take a single break throughout her remarkable three-hour show. The only time she remotely pauses is when she’s changing her costumes. Her breath control and stamina is quite impressive. Plus, she looks so excited to be at every show and genuinely looks like she’s having fun during each song. Taylor Swift's authentic excitement when she is performing and being with her fans is refreshing. 

Eras is Taylor Swift’s biggest and best tour yet. The time and dedication she has put into this is showing, and we’re only a few weeks in. The involvement with her fans and the cities she’s in each week makes this tour such a hot topic. To be honest, you don't see artists in their prime doing an eras tour — something usually saved for artists who are about to retire. Swift is breaking boundaries doing this kind of show, knowing she still has plenty of music in store for the future.

While Taylor Swift’s Eras has been the most anticipated performance of the year, its acclaim is nonetheless astounding. Cities visited by Taylor Swift’s tour have gone as far to temporarily rename themselves for the duration of her residence and bestow her with a key to their city. The Mayor of Glendale, Arizona—the kickoff location of the tour—started this trend by renaming the town Swift City. Hot spots near State Farm Stadium took advantage of the influx of tourism by featuring Taylor Swift-related items in restaurants and bars, making sure they never go out of style. The Eras Tour brings hundreds of thousands of fans to cities as Taylor Swift performs multiple-night stadium shows, boosting economic prosperity. 

Not only is Miss Americana generating tourism, she’s also personally donating to food banks in each city she tours in. After years of being off the road, Taylor Swift is doing everything she can to show her love to each tour destination for supporting her. Feeding Tampa Bay, a local food bank in Florida, expresses their gratitude over Swift’s donation on Instagram: “Your generosity will place over 125,000 meals on tables!” The pop star continues this trend of gratefulness by interacting with fans on stage: handing a lucky little one her iconic black hat during “22”, acknowledging Swiftie inside jokes like the Evermore treatment, and playing “High Infidelity” on April 29th. 

Taylor Swift’s impressive discography is a force to be reckoned with. Her multi-genre, immersive eras have established dedicated Swifties and launched her at the top of the charts time and time again. Cities change their names, bejeweled bodysuits dazzle audiences, and surprise songs baffle fans. After years of wanting to return to the stage, Swift is putting on the show of a lifetime—it's been a long time coming.