In 2018, Taylor Swift took the stage and kicked off the Reputation Stadium Tour after almost a year of hiding from the public eye. During this tour alone, Swift reeled in almost 345 million dollars in revenue. After the cancellation of Loverfest in 2020 during Covid, Swift is back and this time, it’s for The Era’s Tour.
I remember the ticket presale was on November 15, which was coincidentally the day of the last tennis match I would have during my junior year. The hassle of frantically calling my mom five minutes before I was going on the court to make sure that she knew my presale code definitely set the mood for my match. (I lost. 0-6, 0-6). As anyone would assume, I did not get tickets the first day of the presale. Part of me had already accepted the possibility that I wouldn’t be able to get tickets even when the tour was announced, but I was determined. A few weeks after my initial disappointment, I received an email from ticketmaster with a special code that would essentially let me play russian roulette with my money. I entered my card information, and two Taylor Swift tickets for 200 dollars appeared in my email three days later.
The first night of The Era’s Tour in Santa Clara was filled with women in sparkly outfits that resembled an “era” of Taylor Swift’s music. I had thrown on a black dress and boots and hoped that people would assume I was copying a look from Reputation. The concert opened with a performance from Gracie Abrams, including “I Know It Wont Work” and “22”. After Gracie’s set was over, HAIM came on and performed songs from their new album “Women In Music Pt. III.” At 8PM, Taylor Swift finally came onstage in a bodysuit that matched the colors of “Lover”. The best way to describe the flow of the concert would be…whiplash. The transition from evermore to the pounding bass intro of “Ready For It..?” was probably the reason my head hurt the day after the concert. When the surprise songs rolled around, I had already predicted that we would get “right where you left me” from “Evermore”, as Co-Writer Aaron Dessner was spotted lurking by the stage during the concert. As good as it was to hear that song live, a part of me was hoping that we would get a piano rendition of “You Are In Love” .
Even though hearing my favorite songs by an artist I have been a fan of since I was a little girl was a full circle moment, the only thing that I can distinctly remember is how loud the stadium was. It was amazing to me how more than 80 thousand people knew the lyrics of every song by heart, and were able to keep up for almost three hours. Hearing people screech the bridge of “All Too Well” and seeing them dancing along to “Shake It Off” is a memory that I will forever hold close. In a similar fashion to Barbie, it is safe to say that the influence that Taylor Swift has had on young women across the globe is something that brings all of us together. Although not everyone has kept up with her music and calls themselves a fan, a lot of people sure do know the lyrics of “You Belong With me”.