Wrapping up her 100th show earlier in the week, Taylor Swift dazzles like it’s only just the first, bringing her record-breaking Eras Tour to London’s Wembley Stadium.
It’s almost unfathomable a tour that began over a year ago maintains the same excitement as it did when it first started – on all accounts by Taylor Swift herself, as well as those in attendance.
The Eras Tour arrived in London this past weekend to Wembley Stadium, selling out all three shows and leaving fans with much to discuss.
Having completed her 100th show of The Eras Tour earlier that week in Liverpool, Swift dazzles like it’s only just the first. Her magnetic energy and affecting presence easily holds the crowd for well over the entire 3 and a half hours, giving an encapsulating sensory experience.
As with anything that holds a scale of fame and demand – and the success of The Eras Tour has been record-breaking – the tour has become increasingly contested for reasons overlooking the show itself.
Critics are citing her air travel consumption, her lack of political stance, the cultural politics of it all, as well as her suspicious release strategy, just to name a few. Though some of these are undoubtedly important and worth discussing (especially the latter), some others frankly serve little utility. It is this phenomenon of cutting criticism and record-breaking success that has profoundly marked Swift’s career, and it’s impossible to ignore her role as a female musician cum business woman in all of it. I often question if we would care this much if she wasn’t a woman; and it’s simple – we wouldn’t.
At the heart of all the discourse lies a truly phenomenal artist, who created a show that unapologetically basks in all its grandeur and girlishness. It is a resilient celebration of 20 years of music whose meaning has stretched far beyond just Swift herself.
After all, that’s how it all started – and it’s why any of us fall in love with music in the first place.
It was an all-encompassing excitement and buzz in the air on the day, as the audience waited with feverish anticipation for the show to begin.
Support acts Griff and Paramore came on almost back-to-back, aptly warming up the crowd and bringing their own to the evening. Griff was blissfully disarming, her energy sparkling; the up-and-comer held her own throughout her set, bringing a fresh light which stood out next to seasoned industry icons Paramore and Swift. Paramore was nothing short of exquisite, and frontman Hayley Williams’ powerhouse vocals and stage presence were truly unmatched. The chemistry within this band has always been like gold dust in this industry, and we could feel it in our cores we were witnessing something special. Paramore’s synergy on stage is a product of two things often coveted but rare to find in the music world: irresistible chemistry and decades of musical collaboration.
The Eras Tour isn’t just a show, but an entire cultural experience in itself: From friendship bracelets to carefully composed chants and outfits on-theme, I was ready to take it all in. London crowds love to participate, and they aren’t afraid of having a good time either – making the show truly explosive. As the countdown began, rumblings of suspense weaved through the crowd, exploding as Swift arrived on stage under layers of watercolor hues.
Opening with the Lover era, Swift begins on a brief ‘Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince’ introduction, jumping straight into ‘Cruel Summer’. The perfect show opener, infectious energy reverberated like waves through the stadium. Swift also debuted an all-red outfit (Reputation (Taylor’s Version) easter egg perhaps?). Piquing the inner child of us all, the Fearless era followed, joined by her band in center stage just in time for Swift’s iconic twirl during the guitar break of ‘Fearless’.
Launching into the Red era with upbeat hits like ‘22’ and ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ she wraps up this set with the 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” and it was impossible not to be transported back to first heartbreaks and painstaking longing. When Swift returns to stage for the shortened Speak Now era, it becomes abundantly clear that this show isn’t just a concert, but a story too. Swift dons a huge princess-esque dress for ‘Enchanted’, and the stage follows suit in creating a fairytale atmosphere that wraps us within it completely.
Swift looks back to us before walking back under the clouds, disappearing before the stage erupts into flashing imagery of snakes. Enter Reputation, a true feat of set staging and choreography: Complete with rising platforms, special effects, and dancers dressed as different versions of Swift – brought out in transparent human-sized boxes. Swift then turns the stage into her own magical forest for both folklore and evermore: Mossy pianos, flowing cloaks and wooden set cabins complete. The 1989 era bursts forth with upbeat favorites, bright costumes and serious pyrotechnic effects, quite literally bursting into flames during ‘Bad Blood.’
Swift has also recently amended the set to include The Tortured Poets Department, and this era plays out like the missing piece needed to appreciate her vision for the record in its entirety. A whopping 7-songs long (the longest if not for Midnights), Swift enhances her distinctive storytelling devices for Tortured Poets Department, or as she calls it, “female rage: the musical.” She perches on an elevated platform that seems to glide across the stage when she sings ‘Down Bad’ (the flair! the drama!), translating the music video to stage for ‘Fortnights’. The main stage screen began to glitch around this part of the set, mismatching the visuals on the back and sides of the stadium, which left audiences confused; but internet theories seem to believe it’s another Reputation (Taylor’s Version) easter egg.
Her highly-anticipated surprise songs were a mashup of ‘thanK you aIMee’ and ‘Mean’ (conceptually, perhaps, another Reputation easter egg), and she brought Hayley Williams back on stage for the first-ever ‘Castles Crumbling’ duet on the piano.
She transports us into her dreamscape for the Midnights era, winding down yet still maintaining the same caliber of impassioned energy. As fireworks shoot into the air, Swift wraps up the show with ‘Karma’, zesty guitar solos rounding out the set. Swift easily and single-handedly keeps the energy at a solid ten for the entire run of the show – truly giving critics a run for their money with her unwavering stamina and thoughtful storytelling.
It’s copiously clear Swift knows her audience intimately even despite her superwoman status, and she knows exactly how to please them, keeping them always coming back for more.
She fastidiously ensures no element of the show is left wanting, and her perfectionism and attention to detail is truly admirable.
At a scale so grand, and at times hardly comprehensible, living The Eras Tour in person is truly overbearing in all the best ways – and I’m only happy I got to be a small part of this moment in music history.
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