On Saturday, July 29, in Santa (Swiftie) Clara, CA, time stopped. Over 55,000 individuals seated throughout Levi’s Stadium were transported into an otherworldly journey comprising the distinct worlds that have been created through all ten of Taylor Swift's studio albums.

But before delving into the magic that Taylor Swift crafted within her 44-song long setlist, it’s important to explain what it feels like to exist within a Taylor Swift concert. Unlike any large-scale concert I attended in the past, I felt safe being surrounded by a community of devoted fans, mainly girls and women. Young girls with pastel-colored tutus danced through the aisles and “Swiftie Moms” passed gemstone stickers down the line of seated chairs on the floor to make sure that everyone was bejeweled ahead of the show. A group of women wearing handmade “Swiftie Over 60” tees shared a long tube of kettle corn while teens seated beside them traded bracelets back and forth. Before the show began, I departed my seat to get some water and didn’t think twice as I left my jacket on my seat. As expected, it was still there when I got back.

Through years of record-breaking albums that widely appeal to the masses, Taylor Swift has uniquely resonated with a fan base that spans multiple generations. While sitting in the stadium and waiting for the show to commence, it quickly became evident to me that this tour was the culmination of just that— Taylor’s 15+ years of discography, and all the fans who she has touched along the way.

As the start time drew closer, a clock appeared on the LED screen, counting down exactly two minutes until Taylor’s arrival. In unison, the entire stadium counted down to zero bubbling with excitement. Wide eyes and big smiles painted the audience as Taylor Swift rose to the stage and kicked off the night with a bang, singing “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.” She dazzled in a sequined gold and blue bodysuit paired with tall shimmery-heeled boots. The set was poised perfectly for the Lover Era— with puffy pastel pink and purple clouds displayed on the screen accompanied by dancers moving around the stage while waving massive abstract tapestries, adding a three-dimensional effect. Following “You Need To Calm Down,” the fourth song from the Lover album, Taylor took a moment to acknowledge how everyone in the audience must have put in extra effort to get tickets for the night, likely referring to ticketing issues that have occurred this year as a result of the extremely high demand of this tour. She also complimented everyone’s outfits, expressing extra appreciation for the detail and attention to lyrical metaphors that inspired a lot of the crowd’s attire.

Following “The Archer,” Taylor Swift’s first outfit change happened while golden fireworks showered the stage, making way for the iconic Fearless Era. With a glitter-coated guitar in hand, Taylor took back the stage with three of my personal favorite songs: “Fearless,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Love Story.” Next, the sound of sirens indicated the shift to the evermore track, “No Body, No Crime,” in which she brought out HAIM and danced around the stage in a long glittery burgundy dress alongside the three HAIM sisters, all wearing matching outfits consisting of leather pants and a classic v-neck black cropped tank. Taylor danced around the stage, taking turns standing with each of the sisters while forest imagery swept the screen behind them creating an ominous ambiance, perfect for a song about a small-town murder mystery.

During “marjorie,” a tribute to Taylor’s late grandmother, the crowd held up their flashlights and swayed back and forth. The sun was setting at this point, and the flashlights illuminated the crowd, creating a comforting feeling of togetherness. A waxing gibbous moon happened to position itself directly over the stage, hanging in the navy-colored sky and most certainly adding to the ethereal ambiance of the moment. After this song, Taylor took a seat on her moss-covered piano, conveniently placed on stage for “champagne problems,” and talked to the audience about how her parents recently informed her that Santa Clara temporarily changed its name to “Swiftie Clara.” She also recounted how they told her that she was made the mayor to which Taylor responded, “What do you think I can do with that?” and her dad said, “Absolutely nothing.” Regardless, Taylor expressed her gratitude to Santa Clara for making the gesture and called it “very, very cute.” Additionally, she discussed how great it felt to be back with everyone after having not been able to tour for a while during the height of the pandemic. She highlighted how she feels validated when learning that fans resonate with her songs and sing along the lyrics with her during performances. As Taylor Swift held this conversation, the stadium seemed to shrink, as if Taylor was only addressing a small room of people. The discussion felt so intimate and direct, especially as she made a statement that she intends to make as many albums as humanly possible and release them. She then progressed to individually name her albums throughout the last 5 years starting with Lover, and noting that the show was currently in the evermore Era.

And then, the conclusion of “champagne problems” was one of my favorite moments of the entire night. Everyone began to cheer with extreme enthusiasm without even stopping to take a breath. The jubilation of the crowd was made clear as Taylor turned her head back and forth to take in the entire audience, with the cheers only getting louder. Swiftly, the crowd shifted into a “Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!” chant, which prompted Taylor to take off one of her in-ear pieces. She looked genuinely shocked at how loud the cheering was and stood up to acknowledge everyone, smiling wide. She eventually curtsied and then cut the chanting by exclaiming “I love you guys so much! What are you even doing?” She noted that the cheering was “extraordinarily loud and going on for an incredibly long time” and then sincerely thanked the crowd.

Taylor’s performance of “Don’t Blame Me,” during the reputation Era truly exceeded my expectations. To set the scene: long vertical light beams lined the entire stage and catwalk, and shot up directly into the sky, stretching for what appeared to be thousands of miles long into the abyss. Taylor wore a slithering bodysuit that featured an intricate snake design spiraling down her right leg, and leaving her other leg exposed. As Taylor sang the chorus of the song, the portion of the stage she was standing on dramatically raised and smoke clouded around her. Then, as if the performance wasn’t already spectacular, the song seamlessly transitioned into the next song, “Look What You Made Me Do,” in a single line that fused the two tracks.

After “I Knew You Were Trouble,” Taylor Swift made a short remark that the fireworks must be going off because she is a mayor. “Do you know why they were doing that? It’s because I’m the mayor! They do that for all mayors,” she sarcastically exclaimed as the audience laughed along. Next, Taylor Swift told the audience that she wanted to play another song from the Red album, and asked if everyone had approximately 10 minutes to spare, which incited some happy screams from fans, and indicated that she would be playing the esteemed 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” Taylor Swift just might be the only artist who can make 10 minutes feel like two because when the song was over, I had to glance at my watch to make sure that Taylor didn’t shorten the spectacular song (she didn’t). While catchy, the song is melancholic and details the complexities of heartbreak that comes along with moving on after a relationship. Towards the end of the 10 minutes, white confetti emulating snow fluttered through the sky and people reached out their hands to grab the “snow.”

During the beginning of the folklore Era, Taylor Swift was draped in a cream-colored, cape-like gown and paused to explain how the album was written 2 days into the pandemic. She detailed how the world had shut down and she needed to immediately create an imaginary world where nothing in reality was really happening, which resulted in folklore. She also admitted to how the album was the one productive thing that came out of the pandemic for her, but she also did non-productive activities such as drinking “bathtubs full of white wine” and watching a lot of TV. She followed with an anecdote of writing the album remotely & how she decided to try a different method of storytelling by creating characters and having them interact with each other. She then asked the crowd if they knew about her “teenage love triangle;” referring to the trilogy of songs centering around James, Betty, and an unnamed narrator, and soon began to sing “betty.”

While most of the Eras Tour has been meticulously documented by millions of fans across social media, there is one part of each show that no audience member can be prepared for: the surprise acoustic songs. When the highly anticipated moment came, Taylor Swift walked all the way to the front of the catwalk to play the two surprise acoustic songs. For the first song, she hinted that she hadn’t played it since the Red Tour, and then proceeded to sing “Stay Stay Stay,” an upbeat fan-favorite about the reality of relationships. She moved to a piano also positioned near the farthest end of the catwalk, to play the second surprise song, “All Of The Girls You Loved Before,” only released a few months ago in The More Lover Chapter, an extension of the 2019 album, Lover.

To transform the set into the last era, the Midnights Era’s imagery included splashing water with Taylor walking up a ladder into a blue nebulous cloud spread across the screen. Dramatic music built suspense as the ladder eventually disappeared into the cloud, making way for physical clouds (carried by dancers) to float around the stage. To mark the beginning of this era, Taylor reappeared in a shaggy lavender fur coat and a sparkly purple t-shirt dress to perform “Lavender Haze.”

The night concluded with “Karma,” and Taylor Swift danced around on stage, accompanied by several dancers who matched her with fur coats, each wearing a coat that corresponded with a different color of the rainbow. Before closing out the show, confetti rained through the stadium as Taylor thanked her dancers, and then an impressive pyrotechnic display consisting of several fireworks (part of the tour unlike the previous fireworks) timed with long light beams that expeditiously danced around the stadium. When the show ended, and the house lights turned on, cuing an almost melancholic haze to glaze over the crowd. People slowly stood up from their seats, regaining consciousness of being pulled back into reality after enduring such a phenomenal dreamlike night.

If there’s one thing I can say about the Eras Tour, it's that it's the concert of a lifetime. There is truly nothing that I have experienced that comes close to last weekend’s performance. The production was incredibly impressive, as it juxtaposed both an intimate yet grandiose atmosphere. Taylor Swift breezed through a three-hour-long set with perfection that can only be attributed to her insane talent, artistry, dedication, and passion for music. If you have the chance to attend an Eras Tour date, be prepared for a visceral journey that will blow you away and leave you processing what you have just experienced for weeks to come.

TOUR DATES

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SHOW REVIEW: Taylor Swift - Santa Clara, CA (7/29/23)

GALLERY + REVIEW: Jesse & Joy - San Antonio, TX (8/1/23)

GALLERY: Lauren Spencer Smith - New York, NY (7/26/23)