To quote Taylor Swift’s opening song “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” “It’s been a long time comin,” but Swift has finally released an international stadium tour after five years. The silence wasn’t from Swift alone; alongside many other artists, Swift stopped selling tickets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the past six months, Swifties have gathered in the hundreds of thousands to scream their lungs out. The United States leg of Taylor Swift’s global Eras Tour started March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Ariz. From trading homemade bead bracelets, to bedazzling cowboy hats, Taylor Swift fans went all out for Swift’s sixth stadium tour.
The sense of community was overwhelming. “There is such a special energy at anything Taylor related, very much a family aspect, and she really knows her fans,” says Taylor Sheets, who went to night two of the Santa Clara performances. There is no denying that Taylor can put on an awesome performance—she won Entertainer of the Year in 2011 and 2012 for a reason. Maya Storey, a Washington resident who attended Swift’s show, was able to get tickets in July. “I had nosebleed [seats] and was still ecstatic to be there,” Storey explains. “The fans were all excited to see each other and it created a real sense of community,” she adds.
Swift uses her platform to communicate messages of inclusivity, and is a strong ally for the LGBTQ+ community. In her seventh album “Lover”, the song, “You Need To Calm Down,” expresses that homophobic people are “being too loud.” When she performs this song, Swift encourages the crowd to scream: “shade never made anybody less gay!” This support is especially relevant in the U.S., where a recent surge of anti-LGBTQ+ ideology is circulating. Part of Swift’s appeal is a result of the safety and inclusivity she promotes in her music. Proposals, including queer couples, often happen at The Eras Tour. There is a trend, commonly found on TikTok, of couples proposing during “Love Story,” which is from Swift’s second album, “Fearless.”
Fans shared their bracelet making and clothing item bedazzling, also on TikTok, gaining thousands of likes and millions of views. Other Swifties saw these videos and followed suit. The bracelets became almost mandatory for fans attending every weekend. The Eras Tour evolved into a bonding experience, for Swifties in stadium seats and those watching from their couches alike. Swift’s tour had a similar energy and dress code as Harry Styles’s Love On Tour. At the Love On Tour, Harries would wear bright pink boas and customized clothes, reminiscent of the flashy clothing Eras viewers wore. Many Swifties are wondering if these tour traditions will spread to international locations.
The friendship bracelets are a huge part of the Eras Tour culture. “I made many bracelets and traded all of them! A lot of people were just giving out bracelets rather than trading, so I ended up with about 50,” comments Sheets. Swift even participated in the bracelet trading. During the setlist, Swift performs her famous single “22,” off her album “Red.” Dancers and Swift strut down the stage to the beat, Swift wearing her iconic black fedora. Earlier in the night, one of Swift’s team members goes out into the crowd and picks a random Swiftie to be at the front of the stage as they strut down. The special Swiftie receives the fedora hat from Swift, and exchanges a small greeting. Most of the videos that are shared on social media of these special interactions show the fan giving Swift a homemade bracelet.
Along with the bracelets, Swifties are expected to customize their outfits. “I wanted to use my ‘Lover’ merch [“Lover” is Swift’s seventh debut album] confetti to make an outfit. So I got a short white dress with non-stretch fabric, and I began the week-long process of individually spray-gluing pieces of the pastel heart confetti into a design that I kind of made up along the way,” shares Macey Cook. Cook, a California resident, went to five nights of the tour, including opening night in Glendale, and closing night in Inglewood, California.
Over the past 17 years, Taylor Swift has paved her career through 10 eras (or albums). These eras represent different stages of her life. Growing up in music, her style was bound to change many times. Throughout her career, Swift has gone through many genres of music, exploring synthpop, rock, and of course country. Fans that have been with her since the beginning, and new fans who have just discovered her most recent album, “Midnights,” came together as one voice in the stands. “I’ve been a Swiftie longer than I haven’t; my earliest memory would be singing ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’ with my sister on the way to school in first grade,” Sheets shares.
What does it mean to be a true Swiftie? It means sitting in a virtual ticket line, waiting to spend thousands of dollars. Going to the Eras tour has become a coveted experience for many Swifties, but unfortunately, the cost of going to her tour is a huge economic privilege. The average cost of a resale ticket on Ticketmaster was around $3,801—just short of the price of a second-hand car. Additionally, Ticketmaster experienced technical difficulties throughout the resale process for many Eras Tour attendees, making it even harder to access tickets. The website crashed, causing most Swifties to lose the ability to even view ticket prices. Storey adds, “my aunt had an extremely difficult time when the website crashed.”
Tickets were limited, and sold out fast. This didn’t stop Swifties from going, though. At many nights of the Eras Tour, folks would sit in the parking lots of nearby businesses, or even in the streets, just to hear Swift perform. They would still dress up and make bracelets, as if they were going to be in the stadium. At least this was the case earlier on in the U.S. leg of the tour; stadium venues weren’t aware of tailgaters, so there weren’t any rules regarding this. As the tour moved across the country, venues caught on and cracked down on tailgating for safety reasons. “Levi’s [stadium] had a no tailgating policy, but I could imagine there were a few stragglers around [California’s Great America], which is right next to Levi’s,” Sheets says.
Overall, Swifties outdid themselves, spending weeks preparing mentally, physically, and financially for often only one night of their lives. Having such a huge platform, Swift created more than just a fanbase; she created a community. Not only do the younger generations look up to her as an icon, Swift has modeled how celebrities can create change in an industry for kids and adults alike. It’s a running joke that you can’t stop the Swifties, which is true, Swifties can get through anything if they have each other. Every stadium that Swift walks into is transformed into a safe space for all Swifties. Swift’s tours bring humans from all over the world together for just three hours of music.
