The Eras tour is both a triumphant victory lap and a beginner's guide to the joyous world of
Taylor Swift. Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Frances Beach.
Taylor Swift's Eras tour is all about big numbers. Eighteen years of music celebrated across an ambitious three-hour set, with at least 45 different songs and mash-ups taking fans on a "grand adventure". Tonight is show 104 of the record-breaking tour, and also the first-ever gig Taylor has played in Wales. 67,000 people have turned out for the occasion.
From the opening parade of 'Miss Americana And The Heartbreak Kid', the show delivers a non-stop spectacle. Taylor causes chaos in an office for '
The Man', escapes to a cabin in the woods for the 'Folkmore' chapter and disappears under a downpour of fireworks at the end of '
Lover'. There's confetti, fire, and fake snow, but perhaps what's most impressive about this show is how intimate it feels.
Taylor's music has always created a closeness between her and her audience. Diary-entry storytelling that isn't afraid of vengeance, fury, heartbreak, pain or triumph, she's lived her life in the spotlight and encouraged a similar level of fearlessness from her fans. Tonight, they turn up in sequins and glitter, ready to trade homemade friendship bracelets with strangers. Light-up wristbands make every corner of the stadium feel included in the extravaganza.
Despite the sheer scale of the production, Taylor trusts her music to shine. Sure, '
Bad Blood' ends with everyone on stage destroying a car with neon golf clubs while '
Look What You Made Me Do' traps dozens of dancers in glass cages, but it never gets between Taylor and the crowd. She spends the bulk of the show in the middle of a runway that splits the stadium in two, embraces a fan at the end of '22' and playfully commands the space.
"I'd prefer it if we crossed this bridge together," she smirks during a joyous '
Cruel Summer' while the jazzy '
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart' begins with a physical comedy routine between her and two dancers.
The surprise portion of the show is what might just be the most exciting acoustic set in the history of pop and allows Taylor to make each event unique. "I like to challenge myself to do something different every night," she explains, dedicating a lot of time to thinking about what her fans want. "The loudness of the singing lets me know if I've got it right," she grins.
A piano mash-up '
I Forgot That You Existed' and 'This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things' is interrupted when Taylor can't finish a line about forgiveness with a straight face, while Cardiff also sees the live debut of '
I Hate It Here'. "Wish me luck," Taylor says beforehand, but the screams say it all.
The power of the Eras tour means that everyone's favourite chapter gets acknowledged. 'Red' is all giddy pop swagger, '
Reputation' is a swaggering rock epic, and the coming-of-age '
Fearless' is wide-eyed and hopeful. The "female rage" of 'The Tortured Poets Society' is vicious and biting but cathartic, while the closing '
Midnights' is grinning and empowering. From the costume changes and the visuals to the original emotion behind it, Taylor fully embodies each and every Era.
Introducing the 'Folkmore' section of the show, Taylor explains how it was more than an album. "It was an entire escape mechanism. I would just pretend my life was totally different, and I think we all do that," she says. Fantasy is a recurring theme throughout the night, from revenge to happy ever afters, creating a fiercely inspiring but welcoming atmosphere.
'Champagne Problems' gets such a deafening reaction that Taylor takes her in-ears out to soak in the moment. "Cardiff, this is one for the books. This is different."
The Eras tour is both a triumphant victory lap and a beginner's guide to the joyous world of Taylor Swift. It's an impressive showcase of a legacy that's still blossoming. "I wrote these songs about my life, my feelings or a story I made up, and maybe that's what you think about when you hear them," explains Taylor, aware of how invested fans are in her story.
"That's about to change," she promises. "After tonight, when you hear these songs, you'll think about us and the memories we made here together."
Taylor has earned the right to flex about a career that's been defined by perseverance, belief and uncompromising trust in her vision, but tonight, she champions the communal togetherness that she's created with her music. It's simply awe-inspiring.
