How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour became a near-religious experience

Taylor Swift’s Elas Tour, a “cultural juggernaut” remarkable in both scale and intimacy, ends this week. In the process, it became the most extraordinary live event of our time. And for many, it means even more.

This weekend, for the first time in 20 months, 149 performances will be held. blockbuster concert movie And after millions of friendship bracelets have been exchanged, Taylor Swift’s Elas Tour finally comes to an end in Vancouver, Canada.

More than a live show, the Eras tour dominated headlines as the cultural heavyweights hit 53 cities on five continents. boosted the national economy (and craft sales), caused a small earthquake And broke countless records. Most profitable tour It’s the highest price ever (experts believe it will be more than $2 billion (£1.6 billion) – and this doesn’t include goods). Since she began performing live in March 2023, Swift has released three albums (Speak Now, a re-recording of 1989, and The Tortured Poets Department) and four albums. The album won Album of the Year, making him the first artist to win a Grammy Award. embarked on a high-profile relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce ( made a cameo appearance on the Eras tour). She called the end of the tour “the end” The most special chapter of my life so far”.

From its record-breaking attendance to its three-and-a-half-hour setlist, the scale and cultural dominance of the Elas Tour is undeniable. In almost two years, it has become a news cycle in itself. Even if you weren’t there, you’ve probably seen the video below. prince william or tom cruise Dancing or listening to a show World leaders plead with Swift The purpose is to visit their countries to revitalize the economy. We live in an era of blockbuster live shows, but never before have there been anything this huge. It’s hard to see how anyone, including Swift herself, will make it to the top anytime soon.

Still, Swift’s show was notable for its scale, but also for its quirky intimacy. Going on the Eras tour felt more like a grand sequin-clad get-together than a bow down to a global megastar. Earlier this year, Variety magazine called her “The World’s Greatest Community Organizer.”

Being relatable has long been Swift’s calling card. Even though her fame and fortune skyrocketed (she Joined Forbes’ list of world’s richest people (earlier this year), she has kept her fans believing that she is actually not that different from them. This starts with her song. Universal experiences such as heartache, betrayal, loss, revenge, and regret are described in surprising detail. But she’s also carefully cultivated that sense of inclusivity in her live shows.

From a stage that stretches two-thirds of the way into the stadium, Swift will spend most of the show in the middle of the crowd, but her use of “we” and “we” (“We’re about to The whole thing feels like a collective experience, right down to the LED wristbands that make the audience part of the show (we pioneered this at Coldplay’s live shows), to the little adventures we go on together…” It’s designed to make you feel. Swift first ejects from a pastel-colored parachute with an ecstatic, ear-piercing scream. For a few minutes, she stood on the raised platform and looked divine. Then she smiled and said, “Oh, hello!” Untouchables suddenly become available, as if greeting an old friend.

Although the show progresses like clockwork, Swift brings enough variety to give the audience a unique impression each night. She never repeated the same combination of surprise songs and deep-cut mashups during her short acoustic set. She greeted the crowd in languages ​​including Welsh, Portuguese, Spanish and French. In each city, one of her backup dancers, Kameron Saunders, utters a vernacular phrase during “We Are Never Getting Back Together” (in Ireland it’s “your necks”). In London it was “Up Your Own…” and in Edinburgh it was “Bolt”) (Hi Rocket”). In May, Swift added a new segment to her setlist, featuring songs from this year’s Tortured Poets Department, including the single “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart.” songs written about doing things).

This tour was like a rolling stone, collecting new traditions and meanings, not moss, along the way. Fans created their own rituals that were incorporated into the show. A long, jubilant round of applause after the song “Champagne Problems” (Swift politely feigns surprise every time), chanting the “Bad Blood” line from Kendrick Lamar’s remix, and… Of course, friendship bracelets are a tradition that originated with the lyrics of her song “You’re On Your Own Kid.” At every stadium, thousands of forearms carry the weight of handmade bracelets, exchanged by strangers, security guards, and even at the London show. sir paul mccartney. For fans, participating in these moments is as much a part of the experience as the music.

It’s also customary for fans to yell, “Take me to church” when Swift belts out the high notes of her Reputation-era song “Don’t Blame Me.” philosopher Simon CritchleyHis recent book, On Mysticism, explores the transcendent powers of music and art, arguing that they may already exist. “I think her fans go to church, or the closest thing to church,” he told the BBC. Critchley, who sees music as “perhaps the last bastion of something like religious transcendence,” thinks Swift is scratching a metaphysical itch in her fans. “They don’t think she’s a god, but to them she’s a very special person, and she mediates a kind of community belonging that they lack in other areas of their lives. I’ll give it to you.”

Hard-core Swiftie enthusiasts, as well as those who don’t want to miss out on an era-defining cultural event, are eager to experience the Elas Tour. The ticket is Famous for being difficult to catchsome fans pay thousands of dollars on resale sites. many fans traveled all over the world To participate in the show. Those who could not attend gathered outside the stadium. In Munich, 40,000 fans without tickets gathered on a nearby hill, not only to get closer to their idols, but to each other. Eras tours draw hundreds of thousands of people every night. Watched a live stream of rough fan filming of online programs. When Swift’s Vienna show was canceled due to terrorist threats, fans gathered on the street To sing her songs and exchange bracelets. “This is a dedicated practice, and the fans are making a pilgrimage,” Critchley said. “It’s as if hardship is part of the experience. If you think back to medieval pilgrimages, they were really difficult.”

Live shows are in high demand as people return to in-person experiences post-pandemic. “The feeling of disconnection from each other and the resulting distrust caused by COVID-19, and the feeling that many of us have become monks and nuns within ourselves, wondering what we are missing. “The fact that… there’s a strong metaphysical need to feel like you’re with other people,” Critchley says.

Swift herself recognizes this. In the foreword to the newly released Elas Tour book, she writes: “We do things like this because people want to escape the harshness of their lives. Even if it’s just for one night, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime honor for them. , we live this big, scary life all by ourselves, yet somehow it doesn’t feel that way when we’re singing the same words as 80,000 other people with glittery face paint. It is.”

She’s not the only artist leaning into the communal aspect of the live experience. Explaining her decision to stop making music videos and focus on her live shows, Beyoncé said: GQ Magazine: “Fans all over the world got visuals. Everyone got visuals on tour.” Charli XCX’s Brat tour is more like a warehouse rave. The Chapel Lawn provides a theme for the show and fans are encouraged to dress accordingly. “I love crowd participation.” Roan told Nylon. Dressing up for the occasion is now a big part of live shows. Swifties emerged as their favorite ‘era’. With ticket prices soaring, fans want to make the most of these experiences.

The Eras tour is part of a live music boom that will see 2023 record year All over the world – but this industry is top-tier and the biggest artists benefit the most. Globally, last year’s 100 biggest tours grossed more than $9bn (£7bn). In the UK, the value of the music industry to the national economy has reached an all-time high of £7.6 billion ($9.7 billion). Thanks to the tour of famous artists. At the same time, grassroots music venues are closing at an alarming rate. Musician Kate Nash recently described her live performance as “ “Passion project of many artists” On the other hand, “a select few in the industry can become millionaires and even billionaires through touring.”

Where once people built their identities within different musical tribes, there now appears to be a yearning for something resembling a monoculture. “We live in an asynchronous world, where no one is experiencing the same thing at the same time, and everything is fragmented,” Critchley said. “So what’s left to unite us? Live sports and live concerts.”

In the age of social media, fans expect to feel connected to pop stars, and that applies to live experiences as well. Watching the spectacle is not enough. People want to feel part of something.

Things get complicated when the desire to feel part of the artist’s world turns into an expectation. Summer live, Chapel Lawn broke down in tears on stage.told the crowd that he was struggling with his rapid rise to fame. The moment went viral, with fans praising her for her vulnerability. But when Roan canceled some shows earlier this year citing “overwhelming pressure”, she said: faced with backlash For letting people down.

Recent Charli XCX revealed in variety She suffered nerve damage to her neck from performing, which causes her to experience “huge pain” on stage. “I really have to physically push myself to perform in a way that I feel is good enough,” she explained.

Artists are expected to surrender themselves more than ever before, both physically and emotionally. Swift has had to learn to overcome it, but she hasn’t given up, even if the demands of the Elas tour have taken a toll. At the penultimate show in Toronto, Swift got emotional on stage. “I’m just having a moment,” she told the crowd. “We’ve spent so much of our lives doing this, and you’ve dedicated so much of your lives to be with us.” After nearly two years in the spotlight, literally. She’s certainly earned the long break, but knowing Swift, it won’t be long before she’s ushered in a whole new era.

The Eras tour concludes on December 8th in Vancouver, Canada.