GO LIVE: Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour in Swiftinnati Ohio!

Ending the month of June with a huge celebration in Cincinnati – or should I say Swiftinnati!

Ending the month of June with a huge celebration in Cincinnati – or should I say Swiftinnati!

Kicking things off a few days before Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour to Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati Ohio, Mayor, Aftab Pureval, declared June 30th as Taylor Swift Day during a press conference on Tuesday, June 27th 2023.

Thousands upon thousands of fans flocked into Cincinnati Thursday/Friday. Fans were lining up at the gates of the stadium in the early hours, anxiously awaiting to get in to either grab their merchandise or head right to their seats to get ready for the moment the Queen of the Swifties takes the stage. I must say, the dedication that these fans have is insane- it was very humid and hot out and no matter what they still wore their custom made costumes with pride. And we were ALL FOR IT!

After the opening acts, Gracie Abrams and MUNA performed their sets, right at eight o’clock sharp, the giant clock appeared on the LED board with a countdown that sent fans into an absolute frenzy. Once the clock started ticking down the screams grew louder. Once the clock hit zero, an opening in the giant screen opened just a bit and Taylors dancers took the stage with giant props that resemble fans/or feathers that they twirled around the stage. Once they were all in position at the center of the stage they then hovered over the opening in the middle as the intro played. I had goose bumps. The intro highlighted the elements of Fearless, End Game, Speak Now, gold rush, evermore, Red, Lavender Haze, Lover and Bejeweled.

After the intro- her dancers pulled the props away from the center and out came Taylor Swift, being elevated into the air on a riser as she kicked things off with the Lover Era. As Swift emerged she opened the night with a shortened version of Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince before moving into Cruel Summer. Taylor then addressed the crowd about being a strong independent woman and flexed on everyone in the crowd. The stage crew quickly transformed the stage into an office like setting, then assisted Swift with putting on her sparkly blazer – she then moved on to performing The Man. Swift also performed You Need to Calm Down, Lover and ended with The Archer as she wrapped up the Lover Era part of the set.

Moving on from Lover Era we were treated to the Fearless Era where Swift performed Fearless, You Belong with Me and Love Story. After a huge moment of nostalgia for those who grew up with the Fearless era and onward- it was time to take a bit of a breather and slow it down as we entered into the Evermore era. Swift performed a shortened version of ’tis the damn season, willow, marjorie, champagne problems and tolerate it.

Once the Evermore era came to an end it was time for a “set change” the giant LED screen slowly started to display a giant snake slithering around on the screen. Instantly fans knew where this was going, it was time for the Reputation era. Fans absolutely lost it once Swift took the stage and the band started with the intro to …Ready for It? (On a side note, I must confirm- I think this was the era I completely lost my voice to) moving on- in this era Swift performed Delicate, a shortened version of Don’t Blame Me and ended the era with Look What You Made Me Do.

This is the only slightly “negative-ish” thing I have to address- I was quite bummed we only got one song from the Speak Now era, but that’s okay the surprise song that Swift throws into the set closer to the end definitely made up for this shortened era. (ALSO- t-minus a few more days until Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) will be released and I am so absolutely excited and PROUD of Taylor of continuing to take back what’s hers and make these Taylor Version records so special to us Swifties). During the Speak Now era she performed Enchanted. Which made my heart flutter considering how much that song meant to me.

Next up was the Red Era (the intro contained elements of “State of Grace”, “Holy Ground” and “Red) the song that she kicked off the Red Era with was 22 and wow! INSANE!!! Everyone was off their feet, dancing, jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs. There was absolutely no doubt that every single person in this 60,000 plus crowd was singing word for word. Closer to the end of the song Swift and her dancers made their way to the end of the catwalk doing the Rockettes style kick, smiling ear to ear as they did just so.

During the Red Era, songs performed were We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, I Knew You Were Trouble and before the final song of the Red Era, Swift stood there with no dancers, no movement. Just a guitar in hand and played a few chords before asking the crowd if she can have a solid ten minutes of their time before moving on with the show – at that point fans knew exactly where she was going with that. Swift said over the screams that she was going to play the 10 minute version of All Too Well, and let me put my two cents in- I WAS ECSTATIC! I mean who wouldn’t want her to perform the 10 minute version?! Its all or NOTHING!

For a whole ten minutes Taylor Swift and her 60,000 plus background singers sang the entire 10 minute song word for word. At one point in the song she goes “FUCK THE PATRIARCHY” and when that moment came everyone in attendance screamed that at the top of their lungs which made Swift smile so hard. After the powerful performance of All Too Well, Swift then disappeared from the stage. The stage crew then moved into the next era- the stage displayed a set that included pine trees, a cabin and a moss-covered piano. Before the start of the next era- the intro was “seven” a spoken word poem which contained elements of Wildest Dreams.

Swift kicked off this era with a song called the 1. At one point she then started talking about the inspiration behind folklore and how she wrote/recorded it during the pandemic and how she envisioned the record and how she pictured the message/vision of this record in particular. Swift performed seven songs from Folklore which consisted of Betty (which she gave the inspiration behind the song), the last great american dynasty, august, a shortened version of illicit affairs, my tears ricochet and ended with cardigan. Just to point out the obvious again, it was super hot and humid out so us fans in the crowd definitely needed things to slow down for a wee bit just so we can catch our breath. The Folklore era was an absolutely beautiful set. Not only was the music absolutely brilliant (of course) but the stage set up was just everything and more.

It was time to pick things back up after slowing it down for an era – next up Swift presented the 1989 Era! It was so colorful and vibrant as she took the stage opening up with Style. The crowd who continuously stayed on their feet went from swaying back and forth during the Folklore era back to jumping up and down and screaming at the top of their lungs. During the 1989 Era, Swift performed Blank Space, Shake It Off, Wildest Dreams and Bad Blood.

One of my favorite parts about being a Swiftie is how we all come together and get their “Sherlock Holmes” on to try and crack which show will get what surprise song before the last era of the night. And at this very moment, here she is, Miss Americana herself with a guitar in hand at the edge of the long catwalk. She addressed the crowd , ”I am gonna play a song now that I wrote when I was 13,” when introducing “I’m Only Me When I’m With You.” Now mind you, this was the first time Taylor has performed thing song live since 2018! Swift also went on to say “I wrote this before I even thought I would ever have a first album. So it’s kind of like the self-titled debut era representation. But it’s also, like, this kind of middle school era for me. I was, like, 13 years old when I wrote this, and didn’t ever think I’d get to play a show for you that, like, 200 people would come to. So this just takes me back and makes me so grateful to be here with you tonight.” The fans went absolutely CRAZY!

(On a personal note: My cousin and I went to attend the show together this was one of the many songs I was hoping she would play considering as a young child when this song came out (no shame here) I would make my barbies sing along to this song, so with that being said I was so absolutely excited. So it meant a lot to me that she performed this!)

Even acoustically Swift stopped mid song to make people jump up and down and that they did. Word for word the song was sung. After performing I’m Only Me When I’m With You, Swift made her way over to the piano just to her left, it was time for the second surprise song. It was the live debut of Evermore.

It was time for the last era to be performed. Recently Taylor released a new record called Midnights and don’t get me wrong, I have loved every single record from day one but for some reason as an adult now- Midnights has been so insanely relatable to me. I was absolutely pumped.

The set began with giant lavender clouds all around the middle stage, the dancers danced around as Swift began singing Lavender Haze, the intro to the Midnights era. The night was electric, the energy in the stadium was at an all time high, from the moment Taylor Swift took the stage to the very last song of the night. During the Midnights era Swift performed Anti-Hero, Midnight Rain, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, Mastermind and ended the night with Karma.

As a millennial, Taylor Swift has written the soundtrack for so many of our lives, whether we are in our teens, early adult hood or late adult hood. She has and will always be the voice of our generation. Swift will continue to do so for as long as she graces us with her music. Not only is she the voice of our generation, an overall amazing person she is also one of the most incredible performers in the entire industry.

The production of The Eras Tour are absolutely top notch. From the detailed choreography, the very well executed setlist, the lighting/digital design of the tour to the wristbands that put on a high quality light show that is synchronized to the music and the insane fireworks show at the end of the night, absolutely top notch. The Eras Tour is a very well thought out tour and Swift gives her devoted fanbase more than just your typical concert. She gives each and every one of them a once-in-a-lifetime experience they’ll never forget. And that is something we will cherish forever. This tour is absolutely perfect, and I had the time of my life.

With that being said- to Taylor Swift and her devoted team (PR, MGMT, Band, Crew, Marketing etc.) thank you for giving us Swifties something we can hold near and dear to our heart and we will forever be grateful for the memories we share with you all.