Celebrating The Eras With Taylor Swift

May 26

The Eras tour is just that, the tour of an era. Taylor Swift is putting on the show of a lifetime performing songs from every album she has released. We spent our time before the gates opened in the parking lot where we spoke with other fans, complimented each other’s outfits up & down, and traded homemade friendship bracelets. This has become a very popular trend among Swifties, fans are showing up hours before the show to connect with fellow fans.

Once inside, the energy was indescribable. You saw a sparkly outfit, someone filming a TikTok, or bracelets being traded everywhere you looked. It felt like you walked through the gates of Gillette Stadium into a Taylor Swift convention. After enjoying Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers, we anxiously awaited 8 pm and for Taylor Swift to hit the stage.

The second Taylor appeared everyone lost it, ourselves included. Without skipping a beat, everyone around us was screaming the lyrics to “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” into “Cruel Summer.” As we journeyed through every era with Taylor, it was so much fun to dance and have fun while watching Taylor do the same. Her massive smile seemed to never disappear while on stage, especially since it was her 13th Gillette Stadium show in 13 years (Swifties know the importance of the number 13).

We were always kept on our toes during the 3-and-a-half-hour set, from every outfit change to waiting on bated breath to hear the surprise songs. After hearing “I Think He Knows” performed for the first time ever live, we were meant to enjoy a piano version of her fourth album’s title track and fan favorite, “Red.” Unfortunately, due to the severe rain from the night before, her piano malfunctioned and even started playing itself. We got to enjoy an acoustic version of the song instead which had the crowd, inside and outside the stadium, dancing. From ballads like “Marjorie” that had fans lighting up the stadium with their phones to dance numbers like “Shake It Off” and “You Need To Calm Down,” it was a night that felt like a dream and will be hard to forget.

Whether you’ve been a “Long Lived” Taylor fan or have never seen her, this is THE tour to go see.

xoxo, Allyson Hibbard

I usually don’t write much on here, or anywhere for that matter - I stick to communicating through my camera. Usually that feels like enough, but not this time. The Eras tour, and Taylor, deserve a love letter.

I’ve been lucky enough to share a handful of magic moments with Taylor, and roughly 70,000 other people, at Gillette Stadium through the years. I was at the very first show during the Fearless tour and the notorious rain show on the Speak Now tour. I went to both nights of the Red tour and got to peak behind the curtain (a story for another day but Ed Sheeran + his team were very accommodating to a couple of music-loving teenagers). These moments have always held a special place in my heart but they were all stops on the journey leading here, to the Eras tour.

This tour is nothing short of a celebration. Of Taylor, of the fans, of all the roads that led to who we are now. For people like me, Taylor Swift gifted us a body of work that doubled as a soundtrack to growing up. Every song, every era has memories attached to it. The chance to experience a night that feels both old and new in such a special way, in a crowd of thousands that all have their own stories but feel that same feeling, doesn’t come along every day… or year, or era. Taylor Swift truly is the “Mastermind,” and this tour is her masterpiece. And like all other great works of art, it won’t be soon forgotten.

Thank you Ally, for letting me hijack the feature, and thank you to anyone we crossed paths at the show. The community that has been built and nurtured among Swifties is remarkable. We spoke with every variety of fan, young and old alike. Mom and dads, with or without the kids, casual listeners and fan theory enthusiasts, first-timers and tour followers. Everyone wanted to connect, to share their memories of the eras, and share in the excitement. Thank you for making the night sparkle. Thank you to the crew, and the entire team at Gillette Stadium for making the magic happen and keeping everyone safe. Thank you to Taylor’s team for having us out to the show and letting us be a tiny little piece of it all.

And to Taylor, the champion of her own story. Thank you, “forever + always.”

xoxo, Olivia Amaral