It’s been a while since an artist has brought the level of pandemonium to Australia the way Taylor Swift has in the past two weeks. It feels like we’re back to the height of One Direction with the intense media coverage, the passionate fanfare, and the pure euphoria on the streets of everyone heading to see one of their favourite artists live. Walking through Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall on Sunday morning it was a sea of Taylor Swift shirts, and people excitedly gushing about the show the night before, or eagerly discussing what they were going to wear for the show that night. And then when you got to Olympic Park there were buskers singing Taylor songs, and fans exchanging friendship bracelets around the dozens of food trucks that created a little city around the stadium. It created this sense of unity that brought everyone together, even if it was just for a night, and it felt so inspiring.

I’ve been going to Taylor’s tours since the Speak Now World Tour in 2012, and watching her grow as a performer and an artist has been incredible as she really is in a league of her own. Seeing the scale of the production for The Eras Tour as I walked into Accor Stadium was overwhelming as the staging itself was something I had never seen before. It was scaled to cover half of the stadium length, and provide a view for every single person of the 83,000 capacity crowd no matter where you sat. The quality of the LED screens was jaw dropping, with the staging outlined with them to provide visuals on the floor of the stage too. 

The Eras Tour was a show for the fans. No matter how long you’ve been a fan for, whether you’ve seen her live every time since her theatre run of shows, or were seeing her live for the very first time, it was tailored for you. It was a celebration of 18 years of music from an artist who has inspired a whole generation of music lovers. The 3 and a half hour show was divided into different sections where she went era by era to give you a little screenshot of that musical journey. Opening with “Lover”, she then went into “Fearless”, “Evermore”, “Reputation”, “Speak Now”, “Red”, “Folklore”, “1989”, and “Midnights”. The only era she missed was her debut, which was disappointing for long-term fans except if you attended night 2 where she played “Should’ve Said No”. 

The show is immaculately choreographed with moving platforms, additional scaled staging, a replica of the Folklore cabin, and giant forest trees to give some dimension and context. With every era, Taylor found a way to immerse you into the heart and soul of the record. “Lover” opened the show with a playful energy that was equally thrilling and heartwarming. “Fearless” saw her bringing her guitar to the stage and finding a youthful warmth. “Evermore” was witchy and captured her storytelling in a magical and whimsical manner. “Reputation” felt angsty, empowering, and brought a spectacle feeling to the set. “Speak Now” was brief but magical with one of the most stunning performances of the night with “Enchanted”. Then she gave you pop playfulness with “Red” as well as the 10 minute version of “All Too Well” reminding everyone that her storytelling was why she is the prolific artist she is. “Folkore” was one of the most visually stunning sets of the night with a giant cabin and breathtaking visuals. “1989” was an elevated pop spectacle, before “Midnights” closed the show with quick changes, confetti, fireworks, and Taylor just having fun on stage. 

But the show’s standout moment was her ‘secret song set”. This part of the show over the years has become a moment purely for the die-hard Swifties, and has become a way for shows to go viral. Taylor surprises the crowd every night with 1 surprise song she plays on guitar, and then 1 on piano. But she’s decided to get a little sneaky while in Australia and has started doing mash-up’s which has in-turn created some big viral moments. For our show the guitar secret song was “Is It Over Now?” which got intertwined with “I Wish You Would”. And then on piano she performed “Haunted” intertwined with “Exile”, which received the loudest scream I may have ever heard, and rightfully so as “Exile” is THE song.

As someone who has ADHD, the idea of attending a 3 and a half hour concert with no intermission is terrifying. But the structure of the show is woven so seamlessly with peaks and valleys that the duration flys by. There are so many hits intertwined with fan favourite deep cuts which are maximised by an impressive production that keeps you anticipating every second. The Era’s Tour is truly a once in a lifetime show. It’s one that felt special from the moment you arrived at the stadium right until you got home after the show.