An Enchanted Night at Wembley (Eras Tour Review)
- blondevibrations
- Jul 12, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 11, 2024
Important notice: This review contains far too many puns, wordplays, and references to Taylor's songs. Please proceed with caution.
'Lover' Taylor Swift, 'I Bet You Think About Me' Taylor Swift, Stevie Nicks, and a 'secret garden' all attend the Eras Tour.
On Sunday 23rd June, almost 90,000 individuals hauled into Wembley Stadium to celebrate the invisible string, tying every last person in attendance together: Taylor Swift. Let's just say, it's been a long time coming.
Making her breakout in 2008 with the release of her self-titled debut album, Swift has enhanced the lives of people of all ages, from all walks of life. Her discography has enabled so many to make sense of their emotions, feel an insatiable joy in the happy moments, and wallow within a safe space in times of heartbreak and loss. Her music has evolved as she, and the audience alike, have grown up and taken on different experiences within the world and the complexities they have to offer including grief, betrayal, and the multi-sided entity of love. Her music has been a safety blanket and the connection and respect for the fans who have grown her career to incredible heights has created a legacy for her as an icon and role model.
After countless Ticketmaster battles, waiting as Taylor performed for over 100 different audiences throughout her run on the Eras Tour, and the application of many (many !!!) face gems later, it was finally our turn to experience the most anticipated night of the year.
I feel like, along with many other young women our age, Taylor has been with me every stage of my life from single-digit ages to my twenties. The Eras Tour is the perfect combination of nostalgic reflections of the albums that we have loved for so many years along with showcasing Taylor's growth and newer (more mature?) discography with albums like Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department. It was an experience that I have waited a lifetime for, and will remember it fondly for the rest of my life. -Lilyemma
It was all too tempting to glance at our phones every second, eagerly waiting for the moment Taylor would take to the stage and it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that time stood still for a moment when a clock graphic appeared on the big screen, signifying that this moment would be imminent. As Taylor was unveiled before us, nothing else mattered as she began her over-three-hour-long set. Having watched the Eras Tour movie, as well as countless videos on social media, nothing could have prepared us to watch her appear from underneath the tapestry as Taylor begins to sing 'Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince' - our bodies went into shock that after all this, Taylor Swift was just a little bit in front of us, and was about to be there for the next three hours. She was simply spritely while performing tracks like 'You Need To Calm Down' and 'Cruel Summer'. Honestly, finally getting to hear the words 'You're kind of making me feel like the man' in person was as gorgeous as you would imagine. It's safe to say, Taylor's flattery of the audience, made us feel like the man in the exact same way.
Seamlessly taking us through each era of her career, I couldn't help but reflect on each time of my life and the journey each of us had also been through. I wonder if, during the release of original albums like 'Fearless' (2008) and 'Red' (2012), Taylor herself could have even imagined showcasing them like this, to fans that had quite literally grown up listening to these tracks.
I remember being a teenager, setting 'I Knew You Were Trouble' as my alarm before school. Red has always been my favourite album by Taylor and the fact that this night has captured the memory of hearing these songs live, surrounded by my best friends, is simply beautiful. It made me feel like... The Lucky One. Taylor is an absolute powerhouse of a performer and very few could capture the attention of a stadium for such a lengthy duration. This was always going to be a night to remember, but she somehow still managed to exceed our expectations. -Eliz
One particularly beautiful moment took place as we transitioned into the, arguably far too short, era of 'Speak Now' (2010). Taylor's performance of 'Enchanted' really was every bit as magical as you would imagine, based on the studio version of the track. However, it was the crowd participation that truly elevated the atmosphere. Hearing thousands of people, from every direction and angle, chanting 'Please don't be in love with someone else / please don't have somebody waiting on you' was both freeing and empowering. Swift captured the essence of infatuation within this track and this feeling did not waiver in her live rendition. Combine this with everyone relating to this notion at one time or another, we all shared this moment with Taylor, transforming us back to wanting that fairy tale romance.
With Taylor's most recent stadium tour being from the 'Reputation' (2017, tour taking place in 2018), as COVID-19 cancelled Taylor's 'Lover' (2019) tour, the stakes were super high for the organisation of this segment of the show. As expected, however, Taylor rose to the occasion, and made 'Reputation' a true highlight of the show. At the time of release, I felt as though 'Reputation' was an underrated Taylor Swift album, with its infamous snub at the Grammys in February 2019, but I feel with the commercial success of 'Midnights', which definitely shares some similar sonic tones, many newer Swifties turn to 'Reputation' and find its multi-layered perfection. The transition from 'Don't Blame Me' to 'Look What You Made Me Do' still gives me goosebumps ever since hearing of it in the initial leg of the Eras Tour. Finally, the inclusion of Taylor's dancers dressed up as different past versions of herself in 'Look What You Made Me Do' means that you can't help but take part in the classic Swiftie conspiracy theories (after the 'Speak Now' dancer was an Easter egg for the Taylor's Version edition to be released!) 'Reputation', both as an album but also as its live segment, highlights Taylor's incredible vocals - as an album that was a response to people critiquing both her character and discography - it was truly a pleasure to see this once more in 2024, well into her rerecording process.
A complete shift in energy (and a sign of Taylor's versatility as an artist) for the show was the fan-titled 'folkmore' set, which is a combination of Taylor's lockdown albums, 'folklore' and 'evermore' (both released in 2020). Upon the editing of the setlist to fit in Taylor's new albums, fans were heartbroken to see the albums' sections be merged and consequently shortened. With this being said, as a huge fan of the sister albums - as Taylor calls them - it feels as though Taylor manages to capture the energy of both bodies of work across the eight-song set, though some songs like 'illicit affairs' are shortened in order to save time. These two albums are some of Taylor's most storytelling-heavy songs, and the world that she conjures in the albums is strengthened even further in the 'folkmore' set. While incredibly aesthetically pleasing, the inclusion of the 'folklore cabin' and matching mossy piano really sets the scene and transports watchers to the lyrical, fictional realm that Taylor built during lockdown. This part of the set is some of the most theatrical and creative parts of the entire show, and really draws the crowd in, while potentially being at a difficult point for attention spans.
Taylor, like many touring artists today, relishes in the idea of surprising a crowd and that is exactly the case during the section of the show dedicated to her most recent album, 'The Tortured Poets Department' (2024). Those in attendance had the sheer shock of witnessing Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, take the stage for his Era's Tour debut, as an extra during the skit included to introduce the track 'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.' The crowd roared as Kelce, dressed for the part donning a suit and tie, complete with a top hat, mimicked the fixing of her makeup and outfit after carrying her across the stage. This moment immediately went viral online and made for a truly joyous moment to mix up the usual choreography and give the crowd something only they were present for.
This sentiment carried on into one of the most highly anticipated segments of the evening, where Taylor selects any songs from her enormous discography for a surprise acoustic performance. Tens of thousands of fans tune in to livestreams every night to ensure they don't miss any breaking announcements, or new mashups; that's how important this segment is to Swifties. Fans, whether or not they are in attendance, will put their finest detective hats on to predict tracks from her impressive archive of songs and even manifest those with the most meaning to them personally with hopes that they will be played - us included, so if you found a sheet of paper with 'Taylor Swift will play 'Nothing New' on June 23rd' written on it ninety times, you didn't see anything...
First up, the guitar song. The crowd's nerves increased as Taylor did her usual preamble, hinting at the song yet to be played - you know the whole 'Welcome to the acoustic section! Here, I get to play songs that I think you'll want to hear...' Taylor likes to remind the crowd that she too is 'chronically online', as she hints that she listens to and learns from what fans are discussing at the time online, which will dictate the direction the surprise songs will take. A true mastermind. We were surprised to hear that this would be a live debut of a track, 'us.' by Gracie Abrams, featuring Taylor. This surprise increased tenfold as Gracie herself then presented on stage to perform the track alongside Taylor. In true Taylor - cough, millennial, cough - style, she begins the song and then apologises that it just doesn't sound the same without Gracie's harmonies, and knowing-behold, Gracie appears in the middle of the stage. The song had only been released just a few days before the concert, so now listening back to it, my mind is filled with the memories of this night, surrounded by friends and fellow fans, unified in the notion of not quite believing our luck that we get to experience this.
Our luck continued following this, as Taylor graced us with a beautiful piano ballad mash-up of 'Out Of The Woods', 'Is It Over Now?' and 'Clean', all found on '1989 (Taylor's Version)'. There's nothing quite like singing along to something while your brain hasn't quite processed what you are even hearing. It was a great evening to be in attendance at Wembley Stadium, but a not-so-great evening to have a Harry Styles phone case...
Three and a quarter hours had never flashed by so quickly, and the sun had set over London and our evening at the Eras Tour. Taylor took control over the Stadium one last time, compelling everyone to extend the party for one last time as she played hits from the Grammy Award-winning album 'Midnights' (2022), even giving us the fan-favourite lyric change during 'Karma' that 'Karma is the guy on the Chiefs / coming straight home to me!' It's impressive to see that Taylor's energy never dips throughout the night, even during the final moments. As the fireworks climax above the stadium, and the eras-coloured confetti falls upon the standing section, you can't help but feel like a core memory is being made, stood side by side with your closest friends.
As Taylor sings 'Ask me why so many fade / but I'm still here?', you have to take a moment to acknowledge her achievements, ever-growing relevance and listenership, and somehow still blossoming stage presence as she has the crowd wrapped around her finger, yearning for the night to continue. In a post Harry Styles' 'Love on Tour' (2021-2023) world, it becomes increasingly apparent how important it is to build a concert community. Taylor Swift does this effortlessly, with her fans coming together in impressive costumes that have taken days to make, and intricately made friendship bracelets. People will remember their moments from the Eras Tour for the rest of their lives, and those who couldn't get a ticket will yearn for the day that she returns again.
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