Last November tickets were announced for Taylor Swift's 2023 'The Eras' Tour. Fans went into a frenzy on the fifteenth of that month, trying to secure tickets from hundreds to thousands of dollars each. Only for the Ticketmaster(the hosting ticketing service & arena/stadium tour monopoly) website to crash due to alleged "historically unprecedented demand" by fans.
Taylor responded to Ticketmaster via an Instagram post stating "It goes without saying that I'm extremely protective of my fans...It's really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse...I'm not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could...It's truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them." She followed up with claiming that her & her team would "figure out how this situation can be improved moving forward."
Following multiple fans filing lawsuits against Ticketmaster's handling of this situation, the looming question on everyones minds? How would this tour actually pan out & what would be done by Ticketmaster & Taylor Swift's camp(respectively)? Ticketmaster has remained pretty silent about it all, while Taylor added additional dates to the tour in attempt to rectify the situation. We'll have to wait for the lawsuits to settle before any determination regarding Ticketmaster, though, it does seem like Taylor's camp have attempted to intrinsically go above & beyond for her fans.
Friday, April 28th was Taylor's first stop of a 3 date stint at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Fans prepared for pandemonium, camping outside of the arena days before the sold-out engagement, in hopes of getting 1 inch closer, or to beat the remaining crowd to the merch table before everything sold out. Local, regional & national newscasters swarming to the arena for the event, all noting that the first ATL date was being held the same night, and in the same mile radius as a Janet Jackson concert. Cars began to line up, helicopters flying overhead, it was clear the events of the weekend would turn Atlanta into a frenzy of fans & attendees.
Gracie Abrams opened up the night with an extremely short set, consisting of less than 6 songs, she clearly had fans in the ever-growing crowd, as big applause was given after she finished her first song. Overall, the production was very minimal, giving room for Abrams to perform her intimate, emotional & soulful material which translated perfectly into her live set.
3/5 (simply because of duration)
Beabadoobee performed next, with a longer set than Abrams, giving Swifties their last chances to grab concessions & use the bathroom before Taylor began. Beabadoobee has grown a quite large name for herself (with currently over 15 Million monthly Spotify listeners) getting catapulted into fame with her breakout track "death bed (coffee for your head)" which currently sits at over 1 Billion streams on Spotify, alone. With 4 studio albums under her belt & all of these accolades, it almost makes you question why she is opening a tour. Then, you remember who she's opening for and it all makes sense again. Her music is the definition of 'minimalistic indie-pop' with a bunch of her songs being strictly acoustic, I was curious to see what her set would entail. She performed with a full band, and it really brought her songs to life in a way I personally haven't experienced through her recorded material. Though I wish she moved a bit more & utilized more of the stage, it was still a great performance.
4/5
After (seemingly) the longest transition ever, the pre-opening Lady Gaga song came on, the crowd instantly knew what was up, and by the end, every single person in the 60,000+ Arena was at the edge of their seats, knowing the long awaited Taylor Swift 'Eras Tour' set was moments from blessing Atlanta.
As the (figurative screen clock) struck midnight, the stage lit up with huge lights, background dancers with extremely large cloth dresses stormed the stage, wofting their big, wavy costumes up & down. As they began to dance around each other, and interlaced the cloth on their outfits, the center of the stage was filled with nothing but cloth. Seemingly rising from the bottom of the stage, Taylor Swift appeared & the stadium went nuts.
Plenty of times I've heard the sound of screaming teenage girls going crazy for their favorite artist, but this level of fandom was just...different. You ever hear someone scream so loud that not only did it hurt your ears, but you felt like they might leave with lifelong hearing damage? This was that, times infinity. Even wearing earplugs, I didn't initially think i'd be able to even hear Taylor's set over the fans. Fortunately, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium sound system made sure to drown out even the biggest of sing-along Swifties.
The production of this show was ungodly. Now I somewhat understand why tickets were thousands of dollars. Taylor Swift being the (at the time of publication) current #2 artist in the entire world, its clearly reflected in her stage production that she's gunning for #1. Over 45 songs performed over the course of 3+ hours, 50+ backup dancers & vocalists, over 10 costume changes from Taylor, herself, screens the size of buildings, pyro, bluetooth DMX pre-programmed light-up wristbands for the attendees, more stage set changes than a Broadway show....this show had everything a die-hard Swiftie could dream of, and so much more.
The concept of this tour production was to take the audience through a journey reflecting the many 'eras' of Swifts near 19 year music career. Swift seamlessly guided the crowd throughout the 3+ hour, 58 song spanning setlist with small breaks where she explained personal & intimate details regarding her work, her recording processes, where she was in life when writing certain songs; continuously thanking the audience for their support over the span of her illustrious career.
The show included a wide spectrum of her soundscapes, including everything from her high energy, up-beat sing-alongs, to her slower, more emotional & introspective songs. Showcasing her versatility & range as a performer, vocalist & songwriter, it felt as if Swift handcrafted every single aspect of this tour, from the lights to the costumes...everything. Now, obviously not one person could put together the spectacle that was experienced, but it felt like everything you were seeing was intentional and coming directly from her soul.
From special effects & pyro that would make a Metallica concert seem like a dive-bar show, to the interactive wristbands, to the elaborate choreography & stage configurations, (bias aside) this was easily the best & most carefully crafted show I have ever witnessed. Having the #2 artist spot in the world comes with certain expectations for your performances, and all of them were not only exceeded, but evolved the possibilities of what a "pop concert" can entail. Let's face it, its Taylor Swift; she doesn't have much "competition" within her sonic realm, and even those few know her legacy as an artist is so big, there isn't even really a competition. Swift is in a powerhouse superstar lane of her own, and it seems thats just the way she likes it.
Its clear that Swift & camp have poured out a crazy amount of time & effort into carefully crafting this tour thats both engaging & entertaining for not only die-hard Swifties, but to anyone lucky enough to witness this spectacle of a production. Also, not an easy feat(even for the #2 artist in the world), she sold out the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta all 3 nights, back to back to back. Thats over 180,000 tickets sold for 1 tour in a single city.
Swift's team was a dream to work with, which seemed by design. Coming into the night as an "average to mid-level Taylor Swift fan" after experiencing this performance, it is very safe to say I am now leaning towards "lifelong Swiftie." It's clear how much blood, sweat & tears Swift has put into her music & career & this sentiment is apparent to any and everyone who has the opportunity to catch this tour.
If you have the ability, do NOT miss this tour. Check out the remaining dates below:
FRI, MAY 5, 2023 NISSAN STADIUMNashville, TN with Phoebe Bridgers & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, MAY 6, 2023 NISSAN STADIUMNashville, TN with Phoebe Bridgers & GAYLE MORE INFO
SUN, MAY 7, 2023 NISSAN STADIUMNashville, TN with Phoebe Bridgers & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, MAY 12, 2023 LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELDPhiladelphia, PA with Phoebe Bridgers & GAYLE MORE INFO
SAT, MAY 13, 2023 LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELDPhiladelphia, PA with Phoebe Bridgers & GAYLE MORE INFO
SUN, MAY 14, 2023 LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELDPhiladelphia, PA with Phoebe Bridgers & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, MAY 19, 2023 GILLETTE STADIUMFoxborough, MA with Phoebe Bridgers & GAYLE MORE INFO
SAT, MAY 20, 2023 GILLETTE STADIUMFoxborough, MA with Phoebe Bridgers & GAYLE MORE INFO
SUN, MAY 21, 2023 GILLETTE STADIUMFoxborough, MA with Phoebe Bridgers & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, MAY 26, 2023 METLIFE STADIUMEast Rutherford, NJ with Phoebe Bridgers & GAYLE MORE INFO
SAT, MAY 27, 2023 METLIFE STADIUMEast Rutherford, NJ with Phoebe Bridgers & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SUN, MAY 28, 2023 METLIFE STADIUMEast Rutherford, NJ with Phoebe Bridgers & OWENN MORE INFO
FRI, JUN 2, 2023 SOLDIER FIELDChicago, IL with girl in red & OWENN MORE INFO
SAT, JUN 3, 2023 SOLDIER FIELDChicago, IL with girl in red & OWENN MORE INFO
SUN, JUN 4, 2023 SOLDIER FIELDChicago, IL with MUNA & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, JUN 9, 2023 FORD FIELDDetroit, MI with girl in red & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUN 10, 2023 FORD FIELDDetroit, MI with girl in red & OWENN MORE INFO
FRI, JUN 16, 2023 ACRISURE STADIUMPittsburgh, PA with girl in red & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUN 17, 2023 ACRISURE STADIUMPittsburgh, PA with girl in red & OWENN MORE INFO
FRI, JUN 23, 2023 U.S. BANK STADIUMMinneapolis, MN with girl in red & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUN 24, 2023 U.S. BANK STADIUMMinneapolis, MN with girl in red & OWENN MORE INFO
FRI, JUN 30, 2023 PAYCOR STADIUMCincinnati, OH with MUNA & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUL 1, 2023 PAYCOR STADIUMCincinnati, OH with MUNA & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, JUL 7, 2023 GEHA FIELD AT ARROWHEAD STADIUMKansas City, MO with MUNA & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUL 8, 2023 GEHA FIELD AT ARROWHEAD STADIUMKansas City, MO with MUNA & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, JUL 14, 2023 EMPOWER FIELD AT MILE HIGHDenver, CO with MUNA & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUL 15, 2023 EMPOWER FIELD AT MILE HIGHDenver, CO with MUNA & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUL 22, 2023 LUMEN FIELDSeattle, WA with HAIM & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SUN, JUL 23, 2023 LUMEN FIELDSeattle, WA with HAIM & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, JUL 28, 2023 LEVI’S® STADIUMSanta Clara, CA with HAIM & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
SAT, JUL 29, 2023 LEVI’S® STADIUMSanta Clara, CA with HAIM & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
THUR, AUG 3, 2023 SOFI STADIUMLos Angeles, CA with HAIM & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
FRI, AUG 4, 2023 SOFI STADIUMLos Angeles, CA with HAIM & OWENN MORE INFO
SAT, AUG 5, 2023 SOFI STADIUMLos Angeles, CA with HAIM & GAYLE MORE INFO
TUE, AUG 8, 2023 SOFI STADIUMLos Angeles, CA with HAIM & Gracie Abrams MORE INFO
WED, AUG 9, 2023 SOFI STADIUMLos Angeles, CA with HAIM & GAYLE
Be careful with resellers, the links above are to Taylor Swifts' official website.
Last but not least:
Fuck Ticketmaster.
Taylor Swift Rules.
All photographs & words by CALEB, aka SPOONS, aka SAUCE
@SAUCEWITHSPOONS
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