After years of wait fans finally get to see Taylor Swift on stage again, and it is a sight to behold

It is roughly 8 p.m. on March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. Over 70,000 “Swifties” are packed into State Farm Stadium. A clock on the screen in front of the audience counts down, as Lesley Gore’s tune “You Don’t Own Me” anticipates Taylor Swift’s arrival. Swift emerges mid-stage on a platform in a shimmering bodysuit and matching knee-high boots, with the song “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” from her album “Lover” stapling her entrance. Encompassed by pastel-colored tapestries swirling around her, Swift debuts her first of 52 shows with a ten-act, 44-song, three-plus-hour-long performance.

Swift wanted to make sure that the five years of anticipation after no touring left no room for disappointment. Everything from the costume design, the staging and lighting, to the music itself, was not overlooked for this long-awaited tour. The city of Glendale even temporarily changed their name to “Swift City” to celebrate her arrival.

Swift and her accompanying dancers’ wardrobes, along with her microphones and guitars, are decorated to pay homage to each of her 10 albums, also known as different “eras.” On the first night at State Farm Stadium, Swift’s costume changed over 16 times. Each outfit seemed more elaborate and bejeweled than the next. An even more impressively elaborate feat is that night two of the tour showcased a whole new fleet of costumes.

Her custom wardrobe for night one consisted of pieces from Roberto Cavalli, Oscar de la Renta, and Zuhair Murad, all luxury fashion designers. In her costumes worn for the segments “Fearless,” “1989” and “Reputation,” Swarovski crystals are incorporated by designer Cavalli. Her “Midnights” fringed bodysuit was hand-adorned with over 5,300 beads and crystals by de la Renta. Her stunning ball gown adorned with sequined tulle, designed by Murad, for her Speak Now act required over 350 hours of studio handwork.

Staging and lighting for Swift’s creative stage left no room for imagination, or leftover funds. Many claim the tour’s production is majorly inspired by Broadway, with three separate stages constructed of digital displays. The main stage is adorned with a giant, curved screen, the middle stage forms a rhombus, and a T-shaped rectangular stage sits on the middle floor, all connected by a wide ramp. Both the main and middle stages contain mobile blocks that help form different shapes. Many types of lights and features, such as pyrotechnics, laser lights, indoor fireworks, PixMob LED bracelets, and image projection technology are used.

On the first night of the Eras Tour, 44 songs were played from Swift’s 17-year, 10 studio album career. It covers all styles of her music that ranges from country and pop to folk and alternative rock genres. While some consider this Swift’s “greatest hits” tour, she is still in her commercial prime for her future of music and performing.

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour has set records and achievements brought by no other artist, and is bound to set more. On the first day of pre-sale for the tour over 2.4 million tickets were sold. This first day of pre-sale caused the infamous website crash of Ticketmaster with 3.5 million people registering for the presale program for the U.S. leg of the tour. Public on-sale of tickets was later canceled due to the high demands on the ticketing systems and the insufficiency of remaining tickets for concertgoers.

The U.S. leg initially consisted of 27 dates across 20 cities, but the push of popular demand of her Swifties encouraged Swift to add eight extra U.S. dates to existing cities. 17 final shows were added the following week, tacking the Eras Tour at a record of 52 shows. Word of an international segment has spread, but dates and venues have yet to be announced.

The tour is expected to make upwards of $600 million, almost doubling her last tour, the 2018’s Reputation tour which grossed $345 million. Millions of desperate Swifties were eager for this star’s Eras Tour, and Swift definitely left no “Blank Space” for any artist to fill.

Article by Riley Krueger