On April 15th, I had the pleasure of experiencing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Taylor Swift, an American singer and songwriter, performed in Tampa for three nights, all shows being sold out. Prior to arriving in the Sunshine State, Swift played in Glendale, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Arlington, Texas. 

While waiting for Swift to come out at exactly 8:05 pm, the crowd was serenaded by Gracie Abrams and beadadobee, two rising music pop stars. Swift wanted to show the world their talent, and with her fan base she indeed showed the globe. After their performance, I looked up their songs and added it to my playlist, ready to hear more from them. 

Opening The Eras Tour, Swift had people come out in flower petals to the beat of Miss Americana & The Heatbreak Prince, one of her hits on her album Lover. When the chorus came along, she appeared from under the petals and made the crowd sound like screaming banshees. It was a surreal experience, one that I’ll never get again in my lifetime. 

Swift continued her Lover era by singing The Archer, Lover, The Man, You Need To Calm Down, and Cruel Summer. She then did a seamless transition to her next album era: Fearless, having the floor of the stage turning into a guitar. This album won 2010 Taylor Swift her first Grammy, which started off Swift’s career. She performed Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Love Story (Taylor’s Version), and You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version). 

As a heartbroken girl, I cried throughout the Lover and Fearless eras, but I thought that it would be the last of my tears. Oh, I definitely proved myself wrong. 

After Fearless, Swift continued the concert by going into her Evermore era. The album Evermore is by far one of my favorites, as it shows how Taylor has matured as an artist. And this part of the show made Niagara Falls come out of my eyes. Playing marjorie, tis the damn season, willow, champagne problems, and tolerate it, Swift could have created an ocean with all of the people crying during these heart-breaking tunes. 

There are three words to describe this concert: an emotional rollercoaster. Swift proved that when she switched from Evermore heartbreak to bad-ass Reputation. My tears were completely gone when I heard the words “are you ready for it…” and the bass blaring from the speakers. Depression was gone from her songs Ready For It?, Delicate, Don’t Blame Me, and Look What You Made Me Do. And don’t get me started on the transition from Don’t Blame Me and Look What You Made Me Do. It gave me goosebumps all over my body. 

Although Taylor didn’t give us a full Speak Now era, she did play her five minute and fifty-two second song Enchanted, which covered about three songs worth. Coming out in a pink sparkling ball gown, Swift represented the “fairy tale” aspect of this era: imagination and innocence. 

Just when you thought the concert was over, it barely had even begun. Now going into her second Grammy album, RED, this era shows how love feels, well like red. To Swift, the color red can mean two things: the feeling of being loved and the feeling of heartbreak, and the song choices for this concert take you through both. She played I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version), All Too Well (10-minute Version)(Taylor’s Version), 22, and We Are Never Getting Back Together. 

When transitioning to folklore, her third Grammy winning album, Taylor explained how she wrote this during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a way for her to escape reality and go into her “little cottage in the woods and be in a love triangle.” Bringing a cottage out on stage (yes she actually brought a cottage on stage), Swift performed like no other. She brought her imagination to life with song, allowing everyone to enter her fantasy world. Taylor performed the 1, betty, august, the last great american dynasty, illicit affairs, my tears ricochet, and her hit song cardigan. 

As I mentioned before, this concert is an emotional rollercoaster. And to add on to that, we are now going from depressive “lovesick songs” to “having fun with your friends” tunes by shifting to 1989. Playing her top chart songs Style, Blank Space, Shake It Off, Wildest Dreams, and Bad Blood. 

Every performance Swift plays two acoustic surprise songs. Of course I have my favorites, but whatever she sings out of her mouth is angelic. At the April 15th show, she performed mad woman from folklore on piano with Aaron Dessner, the co-creator of folklore, and Taylor sang Mean from Speak Now on guitar.

Now topping it off with her latest album Midnights, Swift really said to “meet me at midnight,” and I certainly did after her setlist throughout the evening. My expectations for the ending were high, but Swift still exceeded them. She performed Lavender Haze, Anti-Hero, Midnight Rain, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, and finished with Karma. After Karma ended, confetti shot up in the air all around the stadium, floating from the floor level to the nose bleeds. 

When Taylor said goodbye to Tampa one last time, my heart stopped. I sat in my seat for an hour to not only wait for the traffic to die down, but to comprehend what just happened. I couldn’t think, feel, or speak. It felt as if it was a fever dream. Moral of the story: if you got tickets feel extremely lucky. The Eras Tour is a once in a lifetime experience that you must get.