Photo by Hana Jeseničnik
If, in the last two years, you have been online, there is a very high chance you have heard of the infamous world tour called The Eras Tour. The American singer- songwriter Taylor Swift’s tour is officially the highest grossing concert tour of all time with 2 billion dollars grossed. It started in March 2023, and ended nearly two years later, in December of 2024. It has taken the world by storm. Fans from all over the planet have shown incredible passion when it came to these concerts.
An example of this were friendship bracelets which they made themselves and then exchanged with others. The bracelets are a great souvenir and also a great way to connect with new people. For instance, I got to meet fans from the USA, Norway and other countries. Some said that these concerts were like an international holiday.
Photos of friendship bracelets by Hana Jeseničnik and Ajda Hovnik Krivec
This tour also become a world phenomenon thanks to the impact it has had on the economy. Taylor helped revive local tourism because her fans travelled to different cities, where they spend a lot of money on accommodation, food, transport and clothes. Her concerts helped increase employment. Her visit to Japan reportedly brought 228 million dollars to the Japanese economy. She also impacted the countries she did not even visit. For example, in New Zealand, their airline had to add more than 2000 seats, including new flights, to meet the fans’ demand after Swift announced she was coming to Australia. The tour also dominated social media and news cycles. It received immense amount of attention. It has even gotten tributes from different organisations and governments.
I was one of those who got to experience the renowned tour. I attended the show in Munich, Germany on July 28th. It took place at the huge Stadium in Munich’s Olympic Park, which was also the location of Olympic games in 1972. Like the other 149 concerts of this tour, it was organized by the singer’s in-house tour production company, Taylor Swift Touring.
Photo from Munich, by Nieder Mueller/ Gettyimages
We arrived at the stadium at 1 PM, hours before Taylor was scheduled to come on stage. First there was an opener- the popular band Paramore. I recognized two or three of their songs but I wasn’t the biggest fan. Their genre of music is not really for me. Despite this, I really enjoyed the fun atmosphere they created. They prepared the crowd for Taylor very well. Then the long- awaited concert began. The popular singer welcomed the crowd of 74 thousand fans in the stadium and around 40 thousand outside. A lot of people gathered on the hill just outside the stadium which quickly went viral online. You can find out more about this here.
For me, seeing the popstar in real life was a dream come true. Many fans felt the same way and did not manage to hide their excitement, but why would they even want to? Thousands of them have been waiting for this moment for years, some for their whole lives.
Photo by Hana Jeseničnik
The energy on the stadium was indescribable. The singer quickly mesmerized the crowd with her incredible stage presence, sparkly outfits and catchy songs. The setlist consisted of 46 songs from 10 albums. Each album represented one era of Taylor’s career and that is where the name The Eras Tour came from. She started the “journey across all of her eras” with “Lover”. It was evident very early on that the fans knew the lyrics well. Their singing, especially during the famous “Cruel Summer” bridge was very loud, but thanks to the high- quality sound system, it was not a problem to hear the singer. After every few songs she changed her outfit. For me, it was impressive to see how quickly and professionally she managed to do that. Dancers, one of them also a Slovenian, Jan Ravnik, helped entertain the crowd at all times and the production seemed flawless. A great addition to the show were also visual effects such as flames, confetti and fireworks. One of my favourite parts of the show was when, during the 10-minute song “All Too Well”, white confetti, which perfectly represented snow, started falling down during the line “Istillrememberthefirstfallofsnow”.Ialsolovedthestartlingambiencethefanscreated by themselves during the “Evermore” era- they brought ballons which they lighted up with their phones. You can watch the video made by a fan Veraxlam on Tik Tok here:
@veraxlam The girls started a big trend with the balloons 🎈🥹🫶🏼 #willow #willowballoons #willowtrend #balloons #orbs #willoworbs #münchen #münchenn2 #erastour #theerastour #taylorswift
This is just one of the many traditions fans – “Swifties” have come up with. During slower songs, fans turned on their flashlights and sang together. For me, it was easy to feel a sense of connection with them.
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Photo by Hana Jeseničnik
During the most famous album called 1989, it seemed like every single person had the time of their lives. They were all dancing and singing to the iconic songs. The flashy lights helped create a party- like atmosphere. It was dazzling to see how comfortable and confident Taylor was in front of such a big audience. That is surely thanks to years of experience in the music industry. It was soon time for the surprise songs set- a part of the show where she always sang different songs. Because fans didn’t know which ones they will get to hear, this was when they were the most thrilled. The show ended after 3 hours and a half. The 35- year old (then 34) wrapped up the night with the song “Karma” and beautiful fireworks.
I think everyone who was there will cherish the memories they made there forever. In my opinion, Taylor and her team deserve the praise and success they have because creating such a huge show is far from easy. I think the only thing that could be improved is the number of bathrooms and food stalls, so the waiting would be shorter. However this is probably something the stadium controls and not really Taylor’s team. Thanks to a lot of security, who was also happy to help, I felt safe despite the huge crowd. The Eras Tour really was special and definitely something you don’t experience everyday.
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Photo by Ajda Hovnik Krivec
