A sea of fans embellished in sequins, glitter, and cowboy hats took over the streets of Seattle this past weekend for one of the most highly anticipated tours of the summer; Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. Since March, the 33-year-old singer-songwriter embarked on her stadium tour, delivering an intense 3-hour experience from her extensive discography. Lumen Field shattered attendance records with over 72,000 fans per night for the two sold-out shows.
Leading up to the concerts, Seattle proclaimed July 22 and 23 as “Taylor Swift Weekend,” which doesn’t come as a surprise with how much tourism the pop powerhouse brought into the city. Being the only show in the Pacific Northwest on the first leg of the world tour, fans were happy to travel hundreds of miles. From neighboring states Oregon and Idaho to faraway lands like Alaska and Canada, PNW Swifties were ready to unite. Amongst the Seattle crowd, too, were well-known musicians Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons. Not all those who traveled (and locals alike) were lucky enough to get tickets, but that didn’t stop anybody. Thousands filled surrounding parking lots to sing along and trade bracelets with other fans. Many inside the stadium noticed the fans on rooftops of nearby buildings using their phone lights throughout the show. This goes to show just how monumental of a tour this is for fans, beyond.
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The American Eras Tour leg featured nine artists alternating across the nation for two opening performances. Concertgoers packed into the stadium like sardines as Gracie Abrams and HAIM performed to career-defining crowds.
Abrams took to the stage first, performing her hits “21” and “I know it won’t work.” Despite her 6-track setlist, she effortlessly captivated the crowd during her short time on stage.
Following closely, the HAIM sisters entered the stage for the first time on The Eras Tour. The trio went on to perform a 7-track setlist, including fan favorites “Now I’m In It” and “Want You Back.” The sisters, being close friends with Swift, shared a backstory about showing their third studio album Women in Music Pt. III to Swift, who chose “Gasoline” as one of her favorite songs off the album. As soon as the band began performing the song, Swift’s fans belted out the lyrics as well.
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By 8 PM, the crowds roared with enthusiasm when a giant countdown clock appeared on the screen. The multi-Grammy Award winner then entered the stage for a performance spanning her 17-year career.
Nine album eras were then showcased with themed outfits, stage designs, visuals, and theatrics, immersed fans in each unique concept. Light-up bracelets given to everyone at the entry to the venue gave Taylor the ability to see fans in every seat of the enormous stadium and provided stunning choreographed light shows for each era (including a giant snake that slithered around the stadium during “Look What You Made Me Do”).
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Speaking of stunning, the outfits and set designs on this tour were fairytale-worthy. The number of costumes on this tour cannot go unnoticed with how often the pop sensation managed to change. There were costume changes within the same “era” besides just between sets. Kudos to her exceptional team of designers, along with the dancers who make the rapid outfit changes seamless.
The most mesmerizing moments of the weekend came during Saturday’s concert. Once the Evermore era began, the live debut of “No Body, No Crime” with HAIM surprised fans, and the crowd unleashed the loudest collective shriek Seattle has ever heard. The crowd eagerly listened to one of Swift’s special anecdotes about the last time she performed at the stadium on her 2018 Reputation Tour, where she told them she had made a diary entry that simply stated, “Seattle was the best crowd I have ever played for in my life.” As we got into the Red era, one fan experienced their night sparkling brighter than most as Swift personally handed them the hat from her head during her performance of the song “22.”
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As the show progressed into nightfall, Swift once again managed to make the crowd feel special with her description of the fantasy world of her 2020 album Folklore. She shared how she imagined the fantasy setting of the album’s woods being in Washington State. During the last song of the 1989 era, “Bad Blood,” flames lit up around the whole stadium, and the blazing heat could be felt from seats in the back of the nosebleed section.
Before the final era, the show transformed into an intimate set that fans have labeled Surprise-Song-‘o’-clock. This has been a defining moment during Swift’s sets, where she showcases two stripped-back songs which hadn’t yet been performed on the tour, one on an acoustic guitar and one on piano. The surprise tunes for Seattle included “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” from Reputation and “Everything Has Changed” (sans Ed Sheeran who is featured on the recording) on Saturday night. Sunday night attendees enjoyed “Message In A Bottle,” a (From The Vault) track on Red (Taylor’s Version), and “Tied Together With A Smile” from her 2006 debut album.
Just forty minutes shy of midnight, the show concluded with colorful confetti and dazzling fireworks as she performed “Karma” from her tenth studio album Midnights. Swift performing a total of 45 songs widely spread out in one night is a remarkable thing to experience. She has truly outdone herself with The Eras Tour. Anyone who ventured to The Eras Tour will be cherishing the surprises, merch, and pure joy for years to come.
