You’d have to have had your head buried in the sand these past couple of years to have missed news of Taylor Swift’s epic Eras Tour snaking it’s way around the globe for a massive 149 3+ hour shows in countries across five continents. The sixth concert tour from West Reading, Pennsylvania-hailing megastar, Eras promised to touch upon each of the singer’s previous musical “Eras”. But due to the prolific nature of Swift’s output, she couldn’t help but put out a new record while the tour was in progress, with 11th LP The Tortured Poets Department dropping in April 2024, requiring subsequent shows to be altered to encompass new songs from the record.
Taylor Swift @ Wembley Stadium
During Swift’s European leg in the summer of 2024, she stopped in the UK for 11 dates, including equalling Take That’s record of 8 shows at London’s 92,000-capacity Wembley Stadium across 3 shows in June and 5 more in August. I went along to the second of those August shows to experience Eras for myself, in all it’s glory, in the height of a warm London summer.
From the early years of Fearless and Speak Now, her pop crossover during Red and 1989, folk experimentation with twin records Folklore & Evermore to her latest LPs Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department, no Era was left behind in what was truly a magical concert, the likes of which haven’t been seen in decades. This was a production like no other, a massive sprawling runway stage that extended into the middle of the stadium with a diamond-shaped, central focus area that was fitted with a multitude of rising platforms. A constantly changing main stage ensured those at the front enjoyed the evening when the star was behind them (most of the show), and flames and confetti thrown in for good measure. A truly once in a generation event.
Of course, regardless of the Eras tour being a truly well-oiled machine, Swift and her tireless troupe of band and dancers made sure that each and every night felt truly special, both for those for which the night would be their only experience of Eras as well as those who followed the star to as many dates as they could manage (and afford!) across the months. While the majority of each set was the same (bar the aforementioned subtraction of previous songs for the addition of those from her newest LP), each night included surprise songs partway through the set, some with Swift on acoustic guitar and others with her sat behind a grand piano. Tonight’s surprises came by way of the suitably fitting London Boy from 2019’s Lover record, Dear John from 2010’s Speak Now and, delivered from behind a piano, Sad Beautiful Tragic from hit crossover LP Red.
Eras will be hard to top, and in many ways it seems as though it was never meant to be. This was the biggest star the world has seen at the top of her game, reflecting at a truly spectacular career. Still, we can’t but wonder what’s next.
Photography of Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium on 16th August 2024 by Kalpesh Patel. Images taken with a Sony RX100 VII compact camera.
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