Taylor Swift Eras Tour: More than just a concert – it was a night for girls to relive over a decade worth of music and memories
OPINION: Raining confetti, arms stacked with friendship bracelets, and lots – and I mean lots – of sparkles and glitter.
Skimming the surface, that sums up a Taylor Swift concert in a snapshot.
What that picture can never fully capture, though, is the invisible string of girlhood that connected thousands of strangers in a stadium for one night on The Eras Tour.
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Swift’s globally sold-out tour has been the talk of the world for nearly two years since that first Glendale show on March 17, 2023.
It’s seen the singer break numerous attendance and revenue records, helped take her to billionaire status, and drawn in 10.1 million fans across 149 shows on five continents.
From a statistics point of view, the impact has been like no other.
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But for young girls around the world, this tour has meant so much more than just a number – it’s been a chance to relive over a decade worth of music and memories.
I was 12 the first time I attended a Taylor Swift show.
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Best Aussie fan photos from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
It was December 2013 and my mum had surprised me with tickets to the Red Tour in Sydney to celebrate graduating primary school.
It was my first concert experience ever.
Back then, as a 23-year-old on her third world tour, Swift had hits like 22 and Love Story to her name but not nearly the same level of star power she does now.
I remember sitting in the stands at Allianz Stadium, surrounded by a sea of mostly girls screaming their hearts out to every song while Swift earnestly spoke about the heartbreak, love and life experiences that inspired her album.
The whole concert was like a real-time reading of Swift’s personal diary, and she was letting thousands of strangers listen and relate.
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She’s carried that personable quality her entire career – it’s why she’s loved by so many.
After that first show, Swift’s music became the soundtrack to my teen years, and those of many girls around the world.
Her next album and first pop record 1989 came out my first year of high school in 2014.
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I can’t even begin to count the times I streamed songs like Wildest Dreams, Bad Blood and Wonderland on the bus to and from school.
1989 was the second tour of Swift’s I went to see in Sydney. Getting to hear those songs live with my mum again at the 1989 World Tour a year later was another experience altogether.
The third time I got to see Swift was at her Sydney Reputation Stadium Tour show in 2018 as a 17-year-old on the brink of graduating high school.
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When the singer announced in 2022 she would be touring with a show of songs spanning all eras of her career, it was already different compared to her previous tours.
The Eras Tour was a culmination of years of music that tied together thousands from all different walks of life. But above all, it was a coming together of girlhood.
Now at 22, nearly the same age Swift was the first time I saw her, I was in the stands on night one in Sydney with my mum, best friend and her mum.
For three-and-a-half hours, we, along with 84,000 other fans, danced our hearts out and screamed the lyrics to songs from across 18 years of life.
There was a definite air of happiness that tied everyone together that night – it didn’t matter if you grew up with Swift’s music, were a new fan, or were one of those little girls who were being introduced to the singer for the first time.
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Even before we got to our seats, there was a sense of community, thanks to a new tradition of trading friendship bracelets.
The Eras Tour had fans around the world making bracelets to wear and trade with other concertgoers in the months leading up to the show.
We had people of all ages come up to us with handmade bracelets, from mothers with their little girls to teens excited to experience their first concert alone.
Everything from the lyric-inspired bracelets to the thousands dressed up in sparkly outfits made this feel like a space of pure joy, comfort and safety.
As Swift gets ready to wrap up The Eras Tour in Vancouver tomorrow, that is the lasting legacy she leaves behind.
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