Beginning in March of this year, one name was on everybody’s lips: Taylor Swift. The Grammy award-winning pop sensation headlines of one of the biggest concerts this summer, the infamous The Eras Tour. With over 50 dates in the United States and continued legs in South America, Europe and more countries around the world starting in 2024, thousands of people have had the chance to see Swift in concert.

Aside from the entertainment value, Swift has completely shifted the current economic state of the country.”Time Magazine“ reports that her concert tour alone has created over 5 billion dollars in consumer spending, and many cities to which Swift has toured have reported a booming increase in their hospitality and food industries, with “Swift weekends” creating more revenue in a couple days than the entire summer.

Many have wondered why this concert series in particular has generated such a buzz when there are hundreds of artists, some of whom are arguably more popular than Taylor Swift, touring each year. So-called “Swifties,” or fans of Taylor, offer an explanation.

Swift’s concert is one of the first major headlining events to occur post-COVID-19, with the idea of a sold-out concert in a major concert venue being a mere impossibility a couple of months earlier. This tour comes on the heels of disappointment in the lack of in-person events throughout the early 2020s, such as Swift’s canceled Loverfest.

The immense excitement has generated a large demand for tickets, a demand that is oftentimes not met. Ticket hopefuls have started to describe their experience with Ticketmaster, a platform that sells and distributes tickets to various events, as “The Great War,” paying homage to one of Swift’s newest tracks. Millions have tried to secure tickets, and resale prices have soared into the thousands, even for partial-view nosebleed seats. The competition is fierce, and the struggle to purchase tickets has kindled the Swift-craze even further.

The Eras Tour is also one of the first major concerts in recent years to cover all different aspects of an artist’s discography. Although Swift released her tenth studio album “Midnights” in October of last year, the focus of the concert is a journey through the different time periods, or “Eras,” of Swift’s past.

Swift has been producing music since the early 2000s, and fans from all different walks of life are able to experience an “Era” from whichever time period of their life they found Swift most impactful. Covering over 40 songs, Swift’s setlist pulls from nine out of ten of her albums and stretches over three hours, which is an unprecedented length for a concert.

Buzz has also been generated through Swift’s inclusion of “surprise songs,” or songs that are beloved by fans but did not make the official cut for the setlist. Fans at each concert can look forward to previously unplayed songs that are unique to their concert night. Out of the hundreds of songs attributed to Taylor Swift, the unique twosome each night has become legendary, with some international fans or fans who were not able to get tickets staying up late into the night in order to watch the announcement of the surprise songs on a grainy livestream.

The atmosphere of the concert has also received immense praise and acclaim, with many fans choosing one of Swift’s many “Eras” to dress up as. Concert-goers often spend hours creating friendship bracelets bearing the name of Swift’s songs to trade with others.

The Eras Tour excitement has swept through Carmel as well, with many students attending or planning to attend the concert. The Atlanta dates were the most attended concerts by Carmel students based on a survey sent out, although Cougars have traveled all the way from Chicago, Illinois to Inglewood, California.

Polled students expressed their excitement about their concert outfits, with almost every single Era represented by a student at her concert. Between the creative outfits and friendship bracelets, many credit the atmosphere of the concert as one of the best concerts they have attended.

The surprise songs also produced immense excitement, with Carmel Cougars witnessing fan favorites such as “Gorgeous” and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.” The release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on October 27 will introduce some new vault tracks, and some Swifties who have yet to attend the concert are hoping for those vault tracks to be their surprise songs.

Along with the students, CCS teachers Sophie Muir-Taylor, Kylie Brydon and Chloe Sprinkle also attended the Eras Tour and shared their experiences as well. All three have admired Swift’s creativity and have been able to experience her shows numerous times throughout the years.

Ms. Muir-Taylor

Ms. Sophie Muir-Taylor’s earliest memory of the pop sensation was when she was 11 years old and attended the Speak Now tour in Nashville, Tennessee. At the time, she was unfamiliar with who Taylor Swift was but states, “My friend invited me because her dad received free tickets, so I bought a pair of cowgirl boots and drove to Nashville.” She ended up loving the concert and remembers the special moment of Swift going over the crowd singing her iconic song, “Love Story.” Ever since then, she has been listening to her music. Muir-Taylor shares, “She was there for every step of the way throughout high school and college.” Muir-Taylor also had the opportunity to attend several other concerts: The Red Tour in Chicago when she was 13, the 1989 Stadium Tour in Tampa at age 17 and finally the Eras Tour in Nashville at age 23.

When asked about her favorite album, she states that in her childhood to teenage years it was “Red”; however, the “Folklore” and “Evermore” combination changed everything.

The concert process consisted of doubts regarding tickets, possible travel options and many expenses to worry about. Muir-Taylor received a pre-sale code from Ticketmaster and allowed her best friend to get into the queue to potentially grab tickets. After dropping from the 1,000 members and refreshing, finally, she was able to get floor seats in Nashville!

Ms. Muir-Taylor attended the concert with her best friend since Kindergarten. She shares that throughout their years of being friends, “Taylor Swift was something we loved from an early age.”

Night three of the Nashville section of the tour was delayed due to weather conditions. Muir-Taylor shares that the fans were evacuated to a nearby awning for three hours. She shares that it was storming and cold, and people were packed in together in close quarters. Although the waiting was trying, she was able to make friends with the people around her. 11 o’clock struck, and Taylor took the stage.

Regarding the outfit choice, she wanted a romantic, “Love Story” look but could not find anything she truly loved. A last-minute impulse, she ordered sparkly heels and a black dress to embody the “Reputation” Era. Although she shares that the heels weren’t the ideal choice, she doesn’t regret it because “it was all for Taylor and it was worth it.”

Ms. Muir-Taylor recollects the performance of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” and the surprise song “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” as her favorite moments from the show. She does not plan on attending the second US tour, stating, “I felt like I had my moment. It was what I needed.” When asked to describe the atmosphere in three words, she chose “fulfilling,” “unifying” and “nostalgic.”

Kylie Brydon & Chloe Sprinkle

Kylie Brydon and Chloe Sprinkle are an elementary school teacher duo who have known each other since their early childhood. After college, both returned to CCS to teach and became close friends through their mutual love of Taylor Swift. Their earliest memories of Swift date back to middle school. Brydon recollects her attempt at performing “Picture to Burn” in her playroom, and Sprinkle remembers the moment when she first heard “Teardrops On My Guitar” playing on Disney XM radio and immediately fell in love. Alongside the Eras Tour, Sprinkle attended Red in Raleigh and 1989 in Greensboro, and they both attended the Reputation Stadium Tour in Louisville and Atlanta.

The ticket process did not go as smoothly for the girls as it did for Ms. Muir-Taylor. Both describe the Ticketmaster war as “the worst process ever”; however, they bonded through the search of finding tickets. After weeks had passed and still no tickets, the girls made a pact: “We told each other that if we find tickets, we will grab them and go anywhere. We were in this together.” The two stuck by their pact and had family members, friends, husbands and even their students’ parents searching for them. Sprinkle shares a moment from last May: “At the end of the school year, my class surprised me with a Taylor Swift card, and inside was money that I could put towards a ticket to the concert.” This turned into weekly searches from January to June to find tickets. During the last week of school, with the Chicago show in mind, both began to make bracelets and plan out their trip to Chicago. After the tumultuous searching, Brydon’s husband, Mac, called and said he had found the tickets. After making sure he wasn’t joking, they both celebrated with tears, screams and excitement.

Because of the uncertainty with tickets, the two had planned their outfits in advance so that they could be ready at any time to go. Brydon decided on the “Lover” Era due to the cancellation of Loverfest back in 2020—“I was in the mindset of “Lover”: pink, sparkles, feathers, fun, colorful,” she stated—and wanted to fulfill what she missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sprinkle’s goal was to find a cute outfit, and whatever the outfit matched is what Era she would go as. After visiting store after store, she found the perfect navy-silver dress that matched the “Midnights” Era perfectly.

Sprinkle’s goal was to find a cute outfit and whatever the outfit matched is what era she would go in. After going to store after store, she found the perfect navy, silvery dress that matched the Midnights Era perfectly.

When asked about their favorite moments of the concert, Chloe shared that she loved the whole “Reputation” performance, especially “the moment of the song transition of “Don’t blame me, don’t blame for what you made me do.” Brydon loved the “1989” Era, specifically her performance of “Blank Space.” They also mentioned her performance of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” and the two surprise songs were highlights of the show.

They partook in all the Swiftie festivities including bracelet trading, standing in long lines for merchandise and singing along with the people around them. Sprinkle describes the environment by stating that “the entire weekend, Chicago was taken over by Swifties.” When asked if they would be attending the second US tour, both responded, “Yes, 1,000 per cent,” and are in the process of getting tickets. When asked to describe the atmosphere in three words, both chose “electric,” “bonding” and “magical.”

Whatever their journey was to acquire the tickets, students and teachers alike credit the Eras Tour as one of their favorite experiences. In fact, many are reliving the experience at “The Eras Tour” film in theaters. Swift’s concert not only has been an opportunity to celebrate a favorite artist but also a chance to experience an electric atmosphere unlike any other.