June 23, 2023, is a day that I will likely not forget. I was lucky enough to find myself in the stands of US Bank Stadium with three of my best friends and thousands of other screaming fans watching Taylor Swift perform her Eras Tour.
If you want a one-minute recap, watch this reel.
Before we arrived at the concert, I was worried that everything had been overhyped. Could it really be as good of a concert as my cousins and friends had told me? I had avoided videos online (but I did check the setlist about a month out). I wanted to recap my thoughts here for those wondering if it was everything (spoiler, it was.)
10 Reasons Why the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Was Worth Every Penny (and More)
#1 – It was everywhere in the city.
The entire city showed up. Now, the mayor changing names of things is a little cheesy, but I loved seeing lyrics on traffic signs. Our hotel was a mix of pride goers and swifties. It was so happy and felt like we were at one giant party even hours before the concert started. The picture below is the Lavender Haze cocktail we enjoyed at lunch.
#2 – Three and a half hours.
This is no joke. Taylor hit the stage exactly at 8:00 with a countdown and she wrapped up around 11:20. Just that amount of stamina to sing, dance, and perform for that length of time must take incredible training and discipline. Hats off to her.
#3 – With no downtime.
In addition to playing for that length, she took zero breaks. She would disappear under the stage for a minute while the dancers were doing something awesome and reappear in a new costume ready to go. If you are going to the concert, you might want to follow our method of checking the setlist and planning bathroom breaks.
#4 – A unique acoustic set.
At each concert, Taylor plays one acoustic song on the piano and one on the guitar. The coolest part is that each concert gets a unique set. She is rolling through her catalog and many songs have never been played live before. We got Paper Rings and If This Was a Movie. It made it feel more special knowing that only the thousands of people in the stadium with us were getting to see these songs.
#5 – Revisited classics.
I thought there were some Taylor songs that I had heard too many times (Shake It Off came to mind), but during the concert, I probably could’ve heard her only play those bops and it would’ve still been fun. She’s not the same person that toured these albums before, so the performances are different and it’s fun when everyone is singing along.
#6 – Glitter and sequins.
Can you really be mad when everything is covered in glitter and sequins? Each time the lights would move, it was like 50,000 disco balls were rolling around in the stadium. Add the bracelets they give everyone when entering the stadium and it’s just an incredible place. The bracelets change colors. At one point, it was a field of flowers and at other times the lights moved around the stadium. It just added to the vibe.
#7 – Coolest stage ever.
The stage went from one end of the stadium to the other like a runway. It was all LED panels and each song had a well-planned choreography that matched the lights and effects. There were huge screens on both sides so it was easy to get a close-up view. That meant that there were no bad seats.
#8 – Her extensive catalog.
Even with 44 songs on the Eras tour setlist, there are a hundred more songs that I could have seen. Once I left the concert, I went into a Taylor Swift bubble where I revisited old favorites and found some new ones. The fact that she is rerecording her first six albums so that she owns them outright is a badass move and it means we are getting extra music.
#9 – Zero lines.
We waited in zero lines for the bathroom or drinks. I couldn’t believe it. People moved quickly and didn’t dawdle. Even with a sold-out show, the only line was for merch. Hats off to the US Bank Stadium employees who made that all possible.
#10 – So much love and kindness.
This was the nicest group of people that I’ve ever encountered in public. People were making sure others around them could see. Reminding people to drink water. Offering toilet paper over the stalls when some ran out. Swapping roles as photographers for endless groups of people. Doors were held, and people merged in line seamlessly. Complements were thrown around like confetti.
My Favorite Parts of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Experience
It’s hard to pick favorites, but there are a few moments that stick out.
First of all, I remember looking around at the people surrounding me and feeling incredibly grateful that Kelsey waited in that 8-hour Ticketmaster queue and scored us face-value tickets. These tickets led to monthly conversations all winter about plans, dinner reservations, outfits, favorite songs, and silly gossip. We got good about keeping in touch during the pandemic, but this has given us a real tangible thing to plan and get excited about since November.
The adorable teenager next to me cried multiple times with happy tears. The setlist was a surprise to her and there were a few songs that she was dying to hear and obviously, her wishes came true. Happy tears are such a wonderful thing and they were everywhere at this concert.
Paper Rings has been on my Spotify playlist called Gonna Have a Good Day and it just makes me happy. Hearing her start playing it as an acoustic song was so fun and it was obvious I wasn’t the only one.
The entire Reputation era was remarkable. It made me wish I had gone to that tour, but you can watch it on Netflix (and I have.) The dancing, the drama, the fireworks, it was perfect.
The people watching. I’ve never seen so many creative and incredibly detailed concert outfits. There were dads in Taylor-themed t-shirts (think of Disney dads but with older children). Cats were another dominant theme. White cowboy boots were everywhere. And there were very few people wearing the exact same thing, so you know Etsy sellers and crafty girlies were having their moment.
What I Wore to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour
Normally, I would never put much thought into a concert outfit, but that was part of the fun. When I learned that my nieces dreamt up 10 different outfits, one for each era, I realized that I probably didn’t go far enough with my planning. But, I was super comfortable and had zero issues standing and dancing the entire time.
- Sequin jacket – shockingly comfortable inside, but my hair got caught on the outside sequins a bit
- Black sequin shorts – felt like soccer shorts on the inside and I will absolutely wear these again
- Etsy shirt with the lyrics for The 1 – this was oversized and comfortable, plus it shipped quickly
- Unicorn snot – glitter was everywhere, you couldn’t avoid it, so you had to just join them
- Comfortable Birkenstock sandals – you will never get me to wear uncomfortable shoes, especially when I know I will be dancing, standing, and walking for hours on end
- Clear purse – works for NFL, NHL, and other stadiums that require clear purses
- Sunglasses – they are always with me
My Ideal Eras Setlist
Avoid this if you don’t want any spoilers on the setlist. I can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into planning the perfect setlist. I’m sure they spent hours discussing which songs would show the best. But of course, in a perfect world, I’d change a few things. I have weird favorites that I would have loved to see. Honestly, Taylor could do an Eras Tour Round 2 and not play any of the same songs. If you are curious, here is my idea Eras Setlist. Please don’t ask me how long this took.
Final Thoughts on Taylor Swift
My only concern with the queen is that she has set some unrealistic expectations on music releases. When will she ever take a break? In the meantime, I’m so grateful that blondie continues to entertain us. This was originally published as the Substack newsletter, so make sure you subscribe to that so you never miss a future post.
