A New Era

2025 marks a new era for Music Bubble, but 2024 was quite significant for a certain other era: The Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift came into my life in her 1989 era, as the ultimate pop album for a pre-teen me, and I spent hours singing along to tracks such as 'Style' and 'Clean'':I remember sitting in the back of the car with my iPod, listening to the album on repeat. I'd also hugely fallen in love with a pair of Sophia Webster's I saw her wearing.

Although I was not fortunate enough to attend the tour in person, I had a first class seat in my living room watching on Disney+. In true 'me' fashion, of course I analysed the whole show, and I picked out my top 5 stand out elements from the tour below:

1. Staging and Production (including Post Production)

    Watching 'The Era's Tour', the production was a major stand out element for me: the transitions between Eras, the set design and the atmosphere produced as a result.

   Seeing how each Era had been themed and executed so seamlessly was a joy to watch. The stage dive is, of course, iconic but personally I loved the 'Evermore' transition: I felt like I had gone from watching a country show to being in a West-End theatre. Not only the staging, but the thematic use of props and acting created a set that wouldn't be unseen in a theatre. Taylor became the main star in her own musical of 'Evermore', and the same can be said for 'Folklore' and 'Midnights' .

   
   

   In terms of post-production, the transition to the 'Reputaion' era was executed superbly with a visual of a snake wrapping around the stage, and slithering into the audience. My only niggle here, is that I felt there was too much editing, taking away from the choreography and music through fast paced cuts. Although in line with the music,I felt some were unnecessary and felt a bit out of place, but this doesn't take away from the experience of watching. There were many up-sides in the 'Reputation' production, from the stamping lightning bolts to the utilisation of the raising blocks to create an added sense of height and depth to the performance. Although not production, I do have to add here that I am a HUGE fan of the way the 'Reputation' Era's setlist had a rocky twist to it.

   
   

   The light up wristbands were a nice touch too, as it added a revolutionary atmosphere to the show throughout: especially watching on the screen, I thought it was clever how these light up bands were used as part of the post production.

   
   

2. The Outfits

   The 'Speak Now' gown, the custom Louboutins, the sparkly co-ords... need I say anymore?

   
   

3. Audience Bond

   One of the greatest feelings is standing in a room - whether a grassroots venue or stadium - and looking around at the peak of a really emotional song, often when people have their phone lights in the air. I try to do this at every gig I attend, and often find myself welling up over the sheer amount of emotion I feel in that moment: x amount of people, all having the same experience, but feeling it emotionally in different ways. Every person in that room has a connection in some way or another to the music and you can almost feel the wave of memories and emotion hitting each person as everyone shares the experience. It is something quite magical. Something I found, watching 'The Eras Tour' through a screen, was although I didn't get to experience that myself, it was a beautiful moment seeing the audience's reactions and bonds created on the night through the fanbase. I have seen countless videos about proposals, friendship bracelets and wholesome memories being made here, all united by their love for the same music.

   
   

4. Surprises

   With so many shows, it was hard for me to imagine how they aren't repetitive. And then I found out the answer: surprise songs. A section of the show where Swift performs a batch of undeclared songs, often tailored to the audience location that night. As if fans didn't already feel connected to her through her heartfelt and often relatable lyrics, the surprise songs added an extra layer of understanding and connection between Swift and the audience. Added surprises to this set often included artists that she has collaborated with - my personal favourite being the duet with Ed Sheeran, which featured 'Everything Has Changed', 'Thinking Out Loud' and 'End Game', delighting fans of both artists, and of old and new eras alike. Watching Taylor and Ed's friendship and their on stage surprises and duets over the years, is really moving, especially seeing it culminating to 'The Eras Tour'.

   
   

5. How One Woman Can Command a Stage (and the World)

   Ultimately, the fabric of the show is Taylor through and through. Although unknown to many personally, many of us do feel a personal connection to her (and each other) through her music. One thing about this show, was it felt very authentically Taylor: Fun, yet meaningful, creative, brave and bold. And at the centre of it all, was one woman who can command an audience with the point of a finger.