Musical chameleon, prolific songwriter, record breaker, history maker and indisputable cultural icon, the enduring power of Taylor Swift remains a force to be reckoned with.
Having smashed a multitude of records for everything from music awards to the highest grossing tour, at her final Wembley Stadium gig, the US singer revealed that she was now the new record holder of the first solo artist to play Wembley eight times in one tour.
“You just made me the first solo artist to ever play Wembley eight times in a single tour,” Taylor told fans continuing that “We will never, ever be able to thank you enough for it.”
Her record-breaking show at Wembley Stadium was the conclusion of her headline-dominating European tour. 131 dates over a period of two years is no mean feat, but the unstoppable tour de force that is Taylor Swift had the appetite, the passion, the songs and more importantly the love and respect for her fans to ensure as many of her beloved Swiftie’s got to see their music hero Taylor in action.
Seeing Taylor on the last day of her tour wasn’t on my Tuesday bingo card, but the Swiftie stars aligned and with practically no time to get ready (sparkly outfits and friendship bracelets sadly did not feature in the day’s activity simply due to being so time deprived) but with plenty of anticipation and my favourite Swiftie in the shape of my friend Leah, we for want of a better word ‘hauled ass’ to the esteemed London venue.
It was business as usual in Swiftie land with thousands of people resplendent in cowboy hats, sparkly dresses and other traffic-stopping outfits. I was in a quandary over what to wear, luckily Leah was on hand with some helpful insight with regards to getting some sartorial inspiration from Taylor’s album covers which were emblazoned all over the curtain on the mammoth stage.
There was some incredible support from the super-talented Brit award-winning Raye and rock band Paramore who got the crowd going with their exhilarating set. The band seemed thrilled to be there and have enjoyed a resurgence of interest in their music in the UK having filled three spaces on this week’s Official Rock & Metal Albums chart after smashing their support slots with Taylor.
The highly-anticipated set was seconds away from starting and there had been countless questions raised by Taylor Swift fans. What will the surprise songs be and who (if any) will join Taylor on stage?
As is typical with Taylor shows, this last stop on the European tour was packed full of surprises. The crowd were ready and so was she, alongside her fantastic band and talented dancers – all of which deserve every accolade they have been awarded.
This was a show for the people, Taylor’s people. Her fans mean everything to her. The cult of Swifties gets stronger every day and one of the most unique things about the American musician is the personal connection she has to her fans. From relatable lyrics to her girl-next-door image, she is everything to them and they are everything to her. She wears her heart on her sleeve and is one of the biggest stars in the world, but it still feels like she could be one of your own girl gang.
The Era’s tour for those not in the know is a celebration of the star’s era’s. From her country-tinged beginnings (the genre she started her career in) through to alt rock, pop, folk and everything in-between.
Not many artists could effortlessly navigate sonically through a myriad of genres from her ten studio albums like Taylor. It is what it ‘says on the tin’, a ‘journey through the musical eras of [her] career.’ It’s no mean feat and it’s especially even more impressive as Taylor is still only 34 years old and was only 33 when the tour started in Arizona last March.
With a solid set list that encompassed songs from ‘Lover’, ‘Fearless’, ‘Red’, ‘Speak Now’, reputation, a combination of Taylor’s ‘sister’ albums ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’, ‘1989’, her most recent album ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’ and ‘Midnights’ which concluded the gargantuan set. It was no surprise that the average set time across all the European Era’s tours came in at around 3 hours 20 minutes.
It made me feel tired just thinking about it, but Taylor, the consummate professional she had spent months preparing for the tour which included an extensive fitness regime which included running and working out to the songs she was intending to perform live.
After the excitement-inducing intro, Taylor took to the stage commenting to the ecstatic crowd ‘London…we have arrived!’ as she commenced performing five tracks (some tracks throughout the set are shortened versions of the album tracks) from 2019’s ‘Lover’ album which included ‘Cruel Summer’, ‘ You Need To Calm Down’ and ‘Lover’.
‘The Man’ from the ‘Lover’ album was a standout highlight and gave the crowd Dolly Parton 9 to 5 vibes thanks to the carefully-crafted set design which also included a dreamy forest cabin which appeared for the ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’ part of the set.
One of my favourite Taylor Swift albums is ‘Red’ and it was this, her fourth studio album which propelled Taylor to international stardom and the ‘Red’ era has been one of the most popular sections of the set during the whole tour. Even people attending who weren’t familiar with her career-spanning work would know every track from the ‘Red’ era. ‘22’ was a standout and included the age-old tradition of Taylor gifting her iconic black hat to a deliriously happy young fan.
‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’ was equally brilliant, these (along with the other songs on ‘Red’) are all tracks every person can relate to. Love and the loss of it, ‘Red’ depicts the myriad of emotions experienced by Taylor after a relationship breakdown.
Red is also the colour of power and passion and this sums up the songstress completely. She recalls of her time playing the (still pretty sizable) Shepherd’s Bush Empire shows back in the day. Reminiscing about how far she has come, Taylor told the crowd ‘This is the best! I’ve never had it this good’.
Neither had the fans, this was a dream come true for Swiftie’s as no matter what ‘era’ you love the most, you will get to hear fan favourites, deep cuts and more from that and many other era’s. The pop-tastic trio of ‘22’, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ (insert your own ‘Like, ever!’ at your leisure!) and the heart-thumping ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ with its delicious refrain effortlessly segued into a beautiful ten minute rendition of ‘All Too Well’ (Taylor’s Version) which the sold-out crowd of over 92,000 people singing along, creating one of the most special moments of the evening.
The ‘Fearless’ era was charming and again, showed just how far Taylor has come since the release of her sophomore album in 2008. The songs, the dreamy ‘Love Story’, the effervescent ‘You Belong To Me’ and the album’s titular track delighted the highly-excitable crowd and demonstrated how accomplished and versatile she is as a performer. The songs (Taylor’s versions of) still feel as fresh and relevant as they initially did and it’s clear that they remain close to her heart as she performed them with panache and gusto in her shimmering gold tasselled dress.
Each outfit is different for each era and in most cases, Taylor made small changes for different songs in that particular era. Whether donning a jacket or stripping off the ‘22’ graphic tee, she does so with seamless and slinky movements akin to a cat, superbly supported by her gang of dancers.
Telling the crowd how she started writing the songs for ‘evermore’ two days into the lockdown, Taylor performed eight tracks (of varying lengths) from ‘evermore’ and its sister album ‘folklore’ which despite being one of the most introspective sets of the night was powerful and poignant reminding everyone of the importance of watching live music.
Taylor recalled her fear of the possibility of never being able to perform the songs written during this period live. Ever gracious, she appreciated the ‘generous’ reaction from the crowds as she performed ‘betty’, ‘willow’ and a sparkling rendition of ‘august’.
One of the most scream-inducing era’s was ‘1989’, which saw Taylor at her pop-tastic best, shimmying across every inch of the stages as she performed the intoxicating ‘Shake It Off’, ‘Blank Space’ and the anthemic ‘Bad Blood’ all of which really got the crowd dancing.
‘The Tortured Poets Department ‘ is Taylor’s latest album and the newest era on the block. Taylor’s European Era’s tour was modified to include this back in May and the audience of Swifties were treated to an exclusive video preview for her latest song ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’.
Of course, the aforementioned surprises did not disappoint one iota and fans were treated to two guest stars which included the ever-fantastic Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine for a surprise first-time performance of their collaborative track ‘Florida!!!’ against an illuminating backdrop of a theatrical light show.
She was also joined on stage by her friend and longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff for an acoustic duet of ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ and the thrilling ‘Getaway Car’ from her 2017 album ‘reputation’.
Taylor later took to her beloved piano to perform ‘So Long, London’ which was a tour debut and it is the fifth song on her latest album – the slot reserved for the most meaningful track on each of Swift’s albums.
Empowering, joyful and spellbinding, Taylor’s music speaks for itself, but there’s no doubt that this was an unforgettable show.
From the impressive set design with its remarkable visual tropes to the gasp-inducing pyrotechnics, every detail has been carefully throughout to create a carnival-esque feel that is becoming to the party atmosphere associated with the Era’s tour.
Taylor is charming, captivating and an unstoppable force who does not falter for one second during the jam-packed set which was a celebratory blaze through the pop icon’s greatest hits. Her storytelling prowess is second-to-none and regardless of the ‘era’, she served up a flawless and euphoric performance throughout.
So Long, Taylor and the European Era’s tour, it’s been mesmerising, memorable and above all magical!
Photo Credit: With gratitude to TAS Rights Management
