Blaring speakers, blinding lights, and crying fans. On June 2, Taylor Swift performed ‘The Eras Tour’ at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. I was sitting in section 132, row 7, seat one, watching as she made history. Taylor Swift performed 44 songs from 10 albums, including four albums that had never been performed live on tour: Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, and Lover. The concept of the tour was to take the audience on a journey through her discography ‘era by era’. So one by one, she sang songs from each album.
Discarding the fact that I love Taylor Swift, this concert was objectively the best one I will ever go to. Her dedication to fans (Swifties) while maintaining professionalism is something commendable. Swift manages to cater to all kinds of people but also stays true to her image.
The concert began with the Lover era as she entered the stage in a pink, blue, and purple sparkly bodysuit. One of her more ‘poppy’ albums, Lover is an ode to romance and self-love. The first song she performed was “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.” She performed a small bit of the song, emphasizing lyrics like ‘You know I adore you // I’m crazier for you’, a small nod to her loving fans.
She then transitioned into a fan favorite, “Cruel Summer.” This moment was important, as she introduced the first bridge of the night. Swift’s bridges are historically beloved by Swifties. The lyricism is always top-tier. I will never forget the moment when all of Soldier Field was screaming “I’m drunk in the back of the car // and I cried like a baby coming home from the bar (Woah) // Said I’m fine but it wasn’t true // I don’t want to keep secrets just to keep you.”
Following this meaningful opener, Swift made her way back in time to the Fearless era. This album contains many country classics and earned Swift her first Grammy Award. This era represents much of Swift’s youth as the album was written when she was in her late teens. She began the set with her title track, and also performed “You Belong with Me” and “Love Story.” I attended the concert with my close friend Morgan, and screaming the songs from Fearless was one of my favorite memories.
Shortly after, Swift’s team transformed the stage into a spooky, eerie forest. She then re-emerged in a long dark brown dress, singing “tis’ the d— season” from the album Evermore. This era is often overlooked, being one of her less well-known albums. But, it encapsulates many themes like missing the ones you love and appreciating the different seasons in your life. Having a similar acoustic vibe to Folklore, many assumed Evermore would be hard to perform on a stadium tour. That assumption was debunked as soon as Swift took to the stage. She formulated emotional, mysterious choreography that left the lyrics up for interpretation. The costuming and presentation completely shifted my view of each song.
One of my favorite eras was next. Reputation can be categorized as Swift’s revenge album. Songs like “…Ready For It?” and “Look What You Made Me Do” paint a ‘bad girl’ image. Throughout this set, there were lots of snakes, strobe lights, and crazy ballads. For me, screaming songs from Reputation was the ultimate form of serotonin. Swift had already performed the majority of the album on tour in 2018, for the Reputation Stadium Tour. During that tour, Swifties made a tradition out of her song “Delicate.” After the lyrics ‘We can’t make // Any promises now can we babe // But you can make me a drink’ the entire stadium screamed, “1, 2, 3. Let’s go b—-!” This is a moment Swift loved to share with her fans. She smiled wide as Soldier Field yelled the line.
Swift only sang one song from Speak Now, but she made it count. As she sang “Enchanted” in a large, puffy, purple dress, Swifties were in tears. The song is a heart-wrenching ballad reflecting on meeting someone she thought was her soulmate. The song took the stadium to a different place as she ethereally sang the fan-favorite.
Red was the next album in line. I loved the upbeat, rock nature of this era. During this set, Swift wore lots of red, including an outfit that originated from her Red Tour. Two of these songs meant the most to me. During “22,” Swift handed the hat that she wore to a fan on the ground. This moment brought me to tears. Seeing the effect her kindness had on the audience made the interaction feel personal. The next was, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version).” “All Too Well” is a song that means so much to Swift and Swifties. Swift often describes it as the first song that aligned as both her favorite, and her fans’.
As she left the stage, the audience knew what was next: Folklore. This album won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 2020. Known as Swift’s ‘quarantine album’, the songs take you through her year in lockdown. This was easily the most emotional set to watch. As soon as she began my favorite song “Betty,” I teared up. The set was slow, gray, intimate, and mysterious. Swift encapsulated the essence of the album in every part of the performance, from the choreography to the costumes.
She ended this part of the concert with 1989. This era is possibly her most well-known. During this set, she sang “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,”and “Bad Blood.” Three songs that everyone can sing to, Swiftie or not. For this set, Swift brought back choreography from the original 1989 tour. It was the most nostalgic and energetic set.
Then, she kicked off the best part of her concerts: The surprise songs. At each performance, Swift plays two acoustic songs that are not on the setlist, each one a surprise. Most Swifties hope for one of their favorite songs, but each one is random. Swift herself said, “There is no exact science to choosing these songs.” At my concert, she sang “I Wish You Would” from 1989 and “the lakes”, a bonus track from Folklore.
Swift closed the night with her most recent album and the current era, Midnights. This was the perfect closer, as the songs she sang are currently viral. Songs like “Bejeweled,” “Karma,” and “Lavender Haze” have been topping charts since the album’s release in October 2022. Each audience member had the lyrics fresh on their mind. Swift was covered in fringe and sparkles as she walked us through each song. The concert came to an end as rainbow confetti blew across the stadium.
The Eras Tour was record-breaking, history-making, and tear-jerking. Being able to see Taylor Swift live was a privilege of a lifetime.
