Review: Taylor Swift - The Eras Tour

The Eras Tour is perhaps the biggest tour a music artist has ever done with Taylor Swift performing for over three hours and covering 18 years of music.

Ten years ago, I was just a 13-year-old girl, sporting a Taylor Swift t-shirt, at the Red Tour at London's O2 arena. Back then, I didn't fully understand the power music can have and the joy artists can bring.

Last Friday, a decade later, I attended Wembley Stadium for night five of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. After a year since my friends and I had bought our tickets, it was finally our turn to become a part of The Eras Tour family and see the record-breaking concert in person.

But surely it wouldn't have lived up to the hype? Spoiler alert...it did in fact exceed all my expectations.

Taylor Swift debuted The Eras Tour in 2023 as she toured her home country, America, and the tour is set to end in December this year. Her setlist from last year has changed somewhat, following the release of her latest album, The Tortured Poet's Department, and whilst some were disappointed that she cut songs to make room for her new album, personally, her latest setlist that I saw at Wembley was perfect.

The Eras Tour is a three-hour-long concert, following Swift's entire music career, as she moves from one album to the next. Since releasing Lover, Swift hasn't completed a tour for five albums (Lover, Reputation, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights). And so, the idea for The Eras Tour, showcasing her 11 albums, was brought to fruition and it was rather spectacular.

Her illustrious career has only been strengthened since she started this tour. Fans all over the world, myself included, went all out in preparation. Friendship bracelets were made, cowboy boots were bought, and era-specific albums were created.

Me at The Eras Tour

And I wouldn't change any of it (except maybe some bigger shoes that don't cause blisters!).

I attended Swift's second London set and was at Wembley for night five. That meant I got to see Holly Humberstone and Paramore live, before Swift came out on stage. The two support acts were amazing in their own rights and definitely helped get me in the singing and dancing mood more than I already was.

But when Applause by Lady Gaga came on and the big screens in the stadium showed a clock that began counting down, everyone knew it was time to experience a transcendent concert.

Swift commands the attention of every fan present in the stadium straightaway from the very first song of Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. She began with songs from her Lover album, before moving on to her second-ever album, Fearless.

Up next was Red. This was one of my favourite eras to see because whilst I'd already seen it back in 2014, I had a newfound appreciation for Taylor Swift. Plus, the songs on this album that she sung will forever be some of her most well-known songs.

And she ended this era with the 10-minute version of All Too Well, which I must say, was an unreal experience. The fact that one song, sung by one artist playing the guitar, can capture the attention of 92,000 people for a duration of 10 minutes and make it feel like no time has passed at all is incredible.

It is an epic song and a testament to her ability as a singer-songwriter.

Speak Now, another of my favourite albums was the fourth era of the concert. However, whilst the previous setlist included Long Live, the revised setlist for the European leg, only had Enchanted. But, that didn't make it any less powerful. In fact, I think having only that song from the Speak Now album was better because it's such an iconic song with a bridge that I've seen all over TikTok.

Swift then left the pop vibes behind and came out in spectacular fashion for her Reputation era.

Taylor Swift during the Reputation set

Before attending The Eras Tour, I wasn't a fan of many songs on the Reputation album. However, that has since changed. The cinematics on the screens to introduce this album, the snakes, the high-heels, the iconic outfit... everything was perfect.

After screaming at the top of our lungs to Look What You Made Me Do, Swift slowed the evening down a bit and came out in a flowing white dress and sat on top of a mossy cabin. With the addition of TTPD to the setlist, she combined the sister albums of Folklore and Evermore.

The Folklore/Evermore section of the concert was one that gave me chills. Literally! During the set, Swift admitted that these two albums were her exploring something different in that she wrote them from a narrator's perspective.

During the pandemic, Swift wrote both albums and created characters for different songs and wrote about their lives. For instance, the trio of songs, Betty, Cardigan and August, are about three characters in a love triangle.

As a writer myself, this was fascinating to listen to because I'd never appreciated the imagination and creativity song writing required before. But it was an amazing experience and it only got better when Swift sang Champagne Problems.

The applause after this song has been outstanding at nearly every Eras Tour show, but night five at Wembley, as Swift said herself, won. I got goosebumps and had to block my ears at one point because it was so loud and it went on for so long.

And that's just a testament to Swift's career.

1989 was the next set and this was classic pop that had everyone singing and dancing, especially when Shake It Off was played. I loved 1989 and I must say it was probably in my top three eras of the night along with The Tortured Poets Department.

I absolutely love the album TTPD, and I think it's such a shame that The Eras Tour movie on Disney+ doesn't showcase this album, because it was honestly breathtaking to watch. The theatrics, the outfits, the dancing, the movements, the scream during Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?. Everything about this set was of epic proportions and the crowd loved it.

Before Swift moved on to the final era of the night, which was Midnights, we entered the acoustic, surprise song section. Each show, Swift has played songs acoustically, but she tries to not play the same song twice.

Some of my favourite songs that I would've loved to have had as a surprise song were sadly played at other shows, but in actual fact, I didn't mind because I got three great songs.

London Boy. Dear John. Sad Beautiful Tragic.

It was so good to hear London Boy live and the mashup of Dear John and Sad Beautiful Tragic on the piano was emotional.

Wembley Stadium during the surprise songs section

Midnights as well was fantastic. I'm not a big fan of the album, but I loved watching it live and, quite frankly, I could watch it over and over again.

Watching The Eras Tour was unforgettable as a fan of Taylor Swift. It is hands down the best concert I've ever been to and will probably go to.

But watching The Eras Tour as a writer, was something else. It was almost like watching a movie with elaborate sets, dance sequences and beautiful lyricism.

Swift explores young love, complicated relationships, friendships, societal expectations, and so much more during The Eras Tour. It is a concert that elevates the definition of the word to a whole new level. For one artist to capture the attention of a stadium's audience for over three hours and have them all sing and dance and cheer for you is something else.

There was never a point where Swift looked tired or worn out or didn't put her all into each song. She was fully committed and that is why The Eras Tour is a masterfully crafted and performed concert that demonstrates why Taylor Swift is loved all over the world and is a global pop culture icon.

The Eras Tour will forever be a night I will remember.

Until next time...