Taylor Swift Review

The end of an era. For the U.S. anyway (until October 2024). And what an era it was! 

Taylor Swift commanded the attention & admiration of over 70,000 fans at SoFi Stadium on Monday, August 7, 2023, the fourth of six total shows in Los Angeles. One could say “they’re the lucky ones” to get twice the performances as other tour stops. With the additional dates came more opportunities for lifelong memories and heart-stopping surprises, and Monday was no exception.

As the famed clock counted down to Taylor’s arrival, the electricity from the crowd was palpable, rivaling any title match, and this was the grand finale for the Swifties. The background vocals echoed, "It’s been a long time coming,” and the throng roared in unison to welcome in their long-awaited champion whose last tour was five years ago.

Out of a dream world of her own creation, Taylor materialized center stage from beneath watercolor wings carried by her dancers. From the moment the microphone was lifted to her lips, it was a nonstop performance demanding to be recognized for its entertaining brilliance and record-breaking production. The Eras Tour is one for the ages.  

SoFi Stadium, the setting for Super Bowl LVI in 2022, was the perfect stage for Taylor, an equal to Super Bowl champions in her own artistic right. Swift performed an astounding 45 songs over the course of nearly three and a half hours. No half-time. No breaks aside from costume changes lasting mere minutes at most. The sheer athleticism needed for this level of stamina is staggering, and as Taylor nears the end of her 52-date stretch, she deserves nothing but applause.

The main event was the musical buffet prepared by Swift and her band. Each new course brought on fresh excitement for the fans, starting off with the Lover era. Taylor opened with “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” and seamlessly transitioned into the crowd favorite “Cruel Summer,” as evidenced by each word sung (or screamed) along in perfect chorus. No need to google lyrics here; this is not their first ball game.

The sing-along continued throughout the night and was even encouraged by Swift herself. The call and response between her and the fans was endearing and felt like a homecoming for all in attendance. As Taylor transitioned from era to era, next to Fearless, then Evermore and Reputation, continuing for over 10 albums, she told her story spanning her entire musical career, pulling at many nostalgic heartstrings along the way.

One particularly heartwarming moment was during Taylor’s Red era. At the end of the song “22,” Taylor bounded down her runaway toward the stage end where a lucky fan awaited. Taylor hand-delivered her own signature black fedora to the young girl, placing it on her head and pulling her into a hug. The sweet Swiftie was obviously moved as the whole stadium could see her small frame shake with elated sobs as tears streamed down her face. Every guest could feel that gift as if it was for them too, a small gesture for Taylor but an enormous life-changing moment for that one fan. Taylor has made this giving of the hat a permanent tradition on her tour and she gives out a new hat every night to a different fan. Sometimes the fan is someone Taylor knows or is connected to, and other times a special fan is hand-picked from the audience. Whoever the chosen one is, it never fails to warm the hearts of the crowd.

Another unforgettable Eras Tour moment is the eagerly-awaited surprise song set. In every show, Taylor includes two different acoustic songs that are not part of the regular setlist. It is always a surprise and has become a thrilling anticipation for fans, some even going as far as making outrageous promises, such as skydiving for the first time, if Taylor plays the song they predict. For Monday night’s guests, the stadium was first blessed with “Dress” on the guitar and followed by “exile” on the piano. Surprise songs are always special, but these two songs in particular have their own exceptional place among the ranks of surprise songs.

Firstly, “Dress” comes from Reputation, which Taylor herself describes as her “most metal album” and therefore harder to play acoustically. To truly capture the essence of the songs, they demand a full band behind them, which is partly why Swift has pulled from Reputation only on four other occasions for her surprise songs. Due to the rarity, it makes sense why fans were beside themselves with tears and cheers as soon as the first words left Taylor’s lips revealing the identity of the first surprise song. 

Continuing on to the second exclusive song, “exile”- a brooding, captivating duet recorded on the folklore album featuring Bon Iver. Taylor has not set a precedent for having musical guests on this tour, making appearances less likely to occur. Many fans have ruled out songs with featured artists as surprise songs and Taylor disproved that theory as she took on the duet as a reimagined solo, and a tour debut. Taylor gave the spellbound audience a performance to remember with “exile” (Taylor’s Version). Any disappointment that Bon Iver was not present was immediately washed away when the magical moment was created and filled by the audience themselves. As Taylor masterfully took over Bon Iver’s part, without missing a beat, the crowd sang Taylor’s part along with her as if it had been rehearsed, bringing a smile to Taylor’s face. Hearing nothing but the beautiful chorus of voices, piano and Taylor all together in that sacred moment - these are the moments concertgoers live for. And while it is unknown if any Taylor supporters will be jumping out of planes after the reveal, one can be sure the audience was wonderstruck to have their own unique selection setting their night apart from the rest.

Whether you are a Swiftie (and if it has not become apparent yet - it’s us, hi!), a concert enthusiast, a family/friend/significant other brought along for the ride, or simply there for the hype, The Eras Tour has an incredible range of entertainment for all to enjoy. For the early Taylor Swift fans that have been with her from the beginning, they are left with their nostalgic hearts full. For the social media fans who have had their feeds flooded with tour moments, they finally get to be the ones in the room and phones overflowing of their own moments. For music fans who enjoy a live show, they have an opportunity to see a superstar artist at her peak. And for Taylor, as she said herself that night, she gets to thrive performing live, back where she belongs with us all. 

It was a long time coming, but it will be even longer before we let that sparkling night go from our memories and our hearts. Taylor, we were completely enchanted to see you on The Eras Tour. 🫶