There’s no doubt that Taylor Swift is the dominating topic of today’s pop culture scene. Her Eras Tour, which just recently concluded its first leg with a six-night stint of shows at Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium, has cemented what was an already record-shattering album release. If Swift was once a snowball, she has become an avalanche, burying anything that stands in her way.
Americans and foreigners alike flocked to LA for the almost-residency which ran from August 3rd to 9th and generated over 320 million dollars for the city (according to Business Insider). In Chicago, Swift tourists set a record for occupied hotel rooms, and in Philadelphia, Eras made May 2023 the city’s best tourism month since the start of the pandemic. Even the ticket-buying process was monumental, with Ticketmaster’s entire site crashing in the mad dash to earn a spot at her 52-date US leg (in turn provoking Congressional hearings in the name of trust-busting and monopoly prevention). It’s obvious the tour has huge appeal, but what really makes it so special?
For one, the fact that Swift is able to headline a “greatest hits” tour of sorts at only 33 years old speaks wonders to her enduring musical presence. The largely self-written 44-song (and 3-and-a-half hour) set has a sense of depth that is hard to find in the modern music industry: Swift’s lyrics are not the words of another, but instead come straight from her own heart. Spanning 17 years and 10 “eras” (the word used by fans to describe the changes in image, style, and genre that accompany each of her 10 albums), the Eras Tour manages what so many celebrities strive for: relatability. It is a well-known fact that a large part of Taylor Swift’s enduring popularity is due to the vast amount of young women who resonate with her lyrics and messages. She manages to capture the naiveté we’ve felt through our teenage years (Taylor Swift and Fearless), the frustrations that accompany our many disappointments and setbacks (Reputation and Folklore), and the desire to enjoy ourselves and abandon all cares (1989 and Midnights). And, even better, she does this while wearing sparkly bodysuits and poofy ball gowns, dancing across a runway-shaped stage with a perpetual smile.
Not only is the Eras Tour a celebration of Swift’s newer, self-owned albums, but it is a chance to reclaim those she has been rerecording and rereleasing since 2021. After losing ownership of her first 6 LPs in 2019, the singer-songwriter has become a fierce advocate for artists being able to own their art, rather than involuntarily selling it to the highest bidder. So far, she has created “Taylor’s Versions” of 2008’s Fearless, 2012’s Red, and 2010’s Speak Now (with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) arriving on October 27th of this year). The re-recording process has been a highly publicized one ever since her very vocal outrage at the selling of her masters in 2019 and has only sown even more appreciation for older albums. By creating buzz around these releases, albums even fifteen years old regained traction and exposure to newer audiences. It’s no wonder Swift and her tour have become such massive TikTok sensations within the past 6 months.
And the momentum is far from over yet. The Eras Tour will began its international leg on August 24th in Mexico City and isn’t set to reach a final conclusion until November 23rd, 2024 in Indianapolis. It’s hard not to feel impressed by Taylor Swift’s massive prowess, Swiftie or not.
