With nearly every track of the 45 song setlist being posted to TikTok, it’s hard to miss the hype around Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Even if you aren’t on TikTok, I’m sure you heard about the Ticketmaster frenzy in preparation for this tour. There is no question that the Eras Tour is the most valuable ticket on the market right now. Luckily, I was able to get tickets during the presale for the May 12th Philadelphia show. Despite the six hour wait to get in, I would experience this show all over again. For those of you who were unable to snag a ticket, I’ll do my best to recap so that you can feel like you’re in the crowd with us.
The Eras Tour isn’t a concert, it’s an experience.
Even though the show was last weekend, it’ll hard to remember such a massive show. Eras is her biggest show yet with a 3 hour and 15 minute runtime. Throughout this setlist, she journeys into each era of her career visually and musically. Opening with ‘Lover’, she starts the show with the lyrics, “It’s been a long time coming”. There was no lie in that statement. Her original tour, Lover Fest, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a long delay, and four more album releases, we finally get to experience Taylor’s new show.
Following the stream of hits from ‘Lover’ and ‘Fearless’, the show goes into unexpected territory: a 45 minute Evermore section. The Evermore album is one beloved by fans, but not really acknowledged by Taylor. Seeing her live interpretations of this album was phenomenal, and added to the witchy vibe of the album.
After Evermore, we get more hits with albums like 1989 and Reputation before hitting the most interesting part of the show: the surprise songs. Each night, Taylor picks two songs to perform acoustic for the audience. Taylor is truly so intentional with each audience. Being the opening night in Philadelphia, she chose ‘Gold Rush‘, a song referencing the Philadelphia Eagles with lyrics discussing the pain of a breakup. Following this, she performed “Come Back…Be Here“, another breakup song. Despite these sadder picks, the closed off the show with Midnights providing the perfect upbeat ending, inspiring any Swiftie to believe in karmic justice.
How has taylor’s show improved since her previous tours?
Other Taylor Swift tours have been theatrical performances set within an era, whether it’s Reputation or Red. Each tour has been an interpretation of the chosen album, with the other songs woven into the setlist. With the Eras Tour, the focus is Taylor’s entire career. Each album gets its time in the spotlight, where Taylor and her crew are immersed into its era. The concept works brilliantly, allowing Taylor time to reminisce while giving fans practically every song they’ve ever asked for.
The Eras tour is the hottest ticket right now for a reason. Anyone ranging from a casual fan to a die-hard Swiftie should have the chance to see the show. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster sporadically, and resale websites like Stubhub have seats available for a much higher price than normal.
Here at Mic Drop Music, we want to know if you’re attending the Eras Tour? Did you wait in the Ticketmaster queue like us all? Let us know in the comments below!
