Hype Behind Eras Tour

Angie Kidder

From country music roots to being the biggest pop star in the world, Taylor Swift has been a staple of the music industry for the past decade. This year is set to be her most successful ever, from the release of two albums—Speak Now and 1989 Taylor’s Version—to the Eras Tour selling out stadiums all over the country. Much of this success is thanks to her loyal fan base, who are known as Swifties. 

Since 2020, Taylor has made six full length studio albums. Therefore, the concept behind this tour was to celebrate all of the eras of her career. Coming fresh out of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were dying to go see live music, and this concert was no exception. Over 3.5 million people signed up on Ticketmaster to try and get tickets to this coveted concert, which resulted in the website crashing within an hour and leaving people frozen in their queues.

 Nonetheless, these Swifties have done whatever they can to get tickets to the Eras Tour, from entering contests to buying tickets off scalpers or third party websites for thousands of dollars. This difficult situation of getting tickets for the concert became known by Swifties as the “Great War.”

Despite everything that happened, many have no regrets about all the time and money sacrificed for attending this concert. For many Swifties, the experience of being in the same room as her, or the detailed production qualities that came along with the show was very exciting. One of the most unique factors about Taylor Swift’s concert is the bond that Swifties share. Kaylee Nagata (IA ‘26) said, “It was also super cool to bond with other people, especially with people I didn’t know, and to instantly make friends.” Trading friendship bracelets with one another is a popular activity at her concerts, giving opportunities to meet new people. “We had such a connection over an artist that we love and the music that we appreciate so much.”

With only so many tickets up for grabs, many fans were unfortunately not able to attend the concert. Due to the popularity of her tour, it was announced that there would be  a concert film coming to theaters all over the country that would showcase all three hours of the concert. This was seen as an amazing opportunity for those who could not see her live. 

Naturally, once tickets were up for sale, it didn’t take long for it to become the highest-grossing concert film of all time. Even for the fans who were able to go to the concert, it gave them a chance to fully appreciate all of the hard work that was put into this film, whether it's the dancer’s dedication or the amazing details in the production that super fans wouldn’t be able to spot. With no doubt, it seems Swift recognizes that her career wouldn’t be nearly as successful without her fans, and it is sure to continue growing in the time coming.