It’s been the highest-grossing tour of all time and the first to pass $1billion in revenue, with millions flocking to attend from all over the world.
But after two years and 149 shows, Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras Tour is set to draw to a close with one final performance in Vancouver tonight.
Comprising of distinct ‘eras’ based on her 10 studio albums, the singer has broken an abundance of records with her three-hour-long, 40 song setlist.
Eras – with its glitz, glam and celebrity guests – has seen Taylor become the first ever person to be crowned a billionaire predominately from music, and the world’s richest female musician.
The impressive spectacle pulled in more than four million fans flock to arenas around the world, with A-listers, political figures and even royals all competing to be the ‘biggest Swiftie’ out there.
But the tour has been just as dramatic and spectacular behind the scenes – as Taylor herself has made headlines for her devastating break-up from Joe Alwyn, fling with Matty Healy and eventual love story with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
As Taylor Swift finally wraps up her Eras Tour after nearly two years, FEMAIL takes a look at the highs and lows of the $1billion extravaganza
The Eras Tour has redefined the idea of the concert as we previously knew it – with beloved fan traditions, the three-hour setlist and competitive battle for tickets changing the sphere of live music perhaps forever.
But unsurprisingly, such a massive production – one that had the power to boost the London economy alone by £300million – has come with its share of difficulty.
Taylor has met with personal and political controversy along the way, while a terror threat during the latter half of her European shows threatened to derail the tour completely.
As Taylor finally wraps up her Eras extravaganza after an extraordinary two years, FEMAIL takes a look inside the tour from start to finish – from show secrets backstage to what the pop superstar may have up her sleeve next.
FROM AN IDEA TO THE STAGE: HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Taylor had always intended to begin her Eras tour with the Lover album, after being forced to cancel her tour in 2020. Pictured at Wembley Stadium in June
In 2020, a devastated Taylor Swift first postponed, then cancelled, the tour promoting her latest album Lover due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fast forward three years later and she’d released new albums folklore (2020), evermore (2020) and Midnights (2022) – as well as re-recorded versions of Fearless (2021) and Red (2021), which contained bonus ‘vault’ tracks not originally included with the album.
By 2023, Taylor had not performed a tour since 2018, when she embarked on the Reputation stadium tour.
Under normal circumstances, Swifties would expect Taylor to perform a tour to promote her latest album as she’d done for each of her past Eras – meaning she would lead the way with Midnights.
But while working on Midnights, a novel idea came to Taylor – and one that would forever redefine the concert as we knew it.
‘I’ll never forget the call when I explained the concept for the Eras Tour to my team,’ she explained in the official Eras Tour book, which was released in the US on November 29.
‘We’re going to call it the Eras Tour and each album will have its own chapter, its own world,’ the Karma hitmaker wrote.
Taylor revealed that she had ‘fallen back in love’ with her vast catalog of music while recording the Taylor’s Versions of them.
Taylor begins her tour with the ‘Lover’ Era, singing Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince
Taylor had come up with the idea for the Eras tour while working on her album Midnights, released in October 2022
By 2023, Taylor had not performed a tour since 2018, when she embarked on the Reputation stadium tour (pictured)
This was what inspired her to create the Eras Tour, where she planned from the inception to ‘fully commit to each era, musically, stylistically and aesthetically’ with the ‘longest, most ambitious show’ of ‘time capsules.’
The tour was designed to ‘celebrate both new fans and fans who have been there since day one.’
But, she wondered ‘HOW on earth’ she would play 45 songs live – which averages out to three hours and 15 minutes of singing and constant motion each night.
Taylor decided she would pay special homage to Lover during the Eras Tour, as a tribute to the tour she’d been forced to cancel.
And so the iconic opening of the tour was born. After the ‘Midnights’ clock countdown at the start of each show, Taylor’s first song was Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince from Lover – also the namesake of her 2019 documentary with Netflix.
‘It’s been a long time coming’ – the lyrics before the song’s first chorus – were now the opening chant of the show’s upbeat and glitzy beginning.
In her book she writes: ‘I always knew the Lover Era should open the show, and specifically the line ‘it’s been a long time coming’.
‘Because it had been! I’d never gotten to tour the Lover album and so this was a brand new era we were creating.’
IS SHE READY FOR IT? TAYLOR’S WORKOUT ROUTINE
Taylor embarked on a rigorous workout routine to prepare for her high intensity Eras performances
Preparing to sing 40 songs over 3.5 hours while performing fast-paced choreography was no easy task.
To make sure she was ready for the task ahead, Taylor began her training six months before the shows started, with a personalised routine curated by her trainer.
In her interview with TIME Magazine when she was named Person Of The Year in 2023, she said: ‘I knew this tour was harder than anything I’d ever done before by a long shot.’
‘Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud,’ she said. ‘Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs.’
‘Then I had three months of dance training, because I wanted to get it in my bones,’ ‘I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought.’
Although the star admitted that choreography was not her ‘strong suit’, Taylor said that Mandy Moore ‘completely changed her relationship’ with dancing.
Speaking to Dance Dish, Mandy explained how she spent 10 days in Phoenix with Taylor ahead of the first show where they ‘blocked’ out the performances.
Discussing the difficulties they faced, the choreographer explained: ‘In three days, we barely got through the 46 numbers and it’s also a video floor so there was no way to have marks […]
Pictured: Taylor dancing during the Eras Tour. The star started training six months ahead of the tour
‘[Taylor’s] a superstar. She works her tail off, she’s not afraid to get notes if she messes up.’
Taylor also revealed she cuts out alcohol during the tour’s busiest periods, saying: ‘Doing that show with a hangover. I don’t want to know that world.’
What’s more, the tour’s choreography has proved so popular that fans have started learning it for shows – with the ‘Bejewelled’ dance being one particular favourite.
In recent years, Taylor Swift has been spotted leaving Body by Simone – a gym which was founded by n personal trainer Simone De La Rue.
The gym endorses the ‘BBS’ [Body by Simone] method, which is a mixture of high-intensity dancing and weight training.
In May 2019, the singer was also pictured taking part in a late night gym session in West Hollywood while she was working on her Lover album.
RELATIONSHIP DRAMA: A VERY PUBLIC BREAK-UP AND FLING WITH MATTY HEALY
News of Taylor’s break-up with her long-term love Joe Alwyn made headlines just a month into the tour. Pictured together in 2019
Emotional: The singer appeared emotional during a performance of Champagne Problems, which tells the story of a failed proposal
Taylor’s love life propelled the tour to an unprecedented level of public scrutiny – which began just a month into the tour in April 2023 when news broke that she’d split from her boyfriend of six years, British actor Joe Alwyn.
The news of the singer’s break-up began a flurry of attention around her love life – while attention around the Eras Tour was greater than ever as fans searched for clues in her performances.
‘The relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows,’ an insider told ET at the time.
Taylor and Joe first met in 2016 at the Met Gala afterparty, which she sang about in her album Lover on the song Paper Rings: ‘Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet / now I’ve read all of the books beside your bed.’
In Dress on her Reputation album, she added: ‘Flashback to when you met me / your buzz cut and my hair bleached’ (Taylor had dyed her hair at the time).
Throughout the couple’s six-year relationship, they kept things relatively private – never making a red carpet appearance together – although Joe did make a brief cameo in her 2019 Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, and was given writer’s credits on several songs from folklore under the name William Bowery.
While performing her tragic hit Champagne Problems during one Eras Tour show, fans noted that Taylor was struggling to hold back tears – and were quick to connect it to the break-up with Joe.
The song tells of a failed relationship and declined proposal.
In May 2023, The Sun reported that Taylor was dating Matty Healy – after they first met in 2014
The couple’s six-year relationship was marked by countless rumors they had gotten engaged – fueled by the the appearance of a large ring on her finger in the 2020 documentary Miss Americana – and that they’d even been secretly married.
One verse of the song reads: ‘She would’ve made such a lovely bride, What a shame she’s f***ed in the head, they said, But you’ll find the real thing instead, She’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred’.
In May 2023, Taylor released You’re Losing Me – a vault track from her album Midnights.
Though it was written in 2021, the song very clearly depicted the end of a relationship and address rumours around marriage once again, with Taylor singing: ‘I wouldn’t marry me either / a pathological people pleaser / who only wanted you to see her’.
Also in May, The Sun reported that Taylor was dating Matty Healy – after they first met in 2014.
The 1975 frontman was spotted attended her Eras Tour show in Nashville in May 2023 and the two were later photographed holding hands at New York City’s Casa Cipriani.
After a whirlwind romance which included meeting each other’s in-laws, in June, People Magazine reported that they had broken up after just two months.
THE DAWN OF ‘TAYVIS’: TAYLOR’S RELATIONSHIP WITH TRAVIS KELCE
Taylor officially ‘hard launched’ her relationship with Travis during a performance at Wembley Stadium in June
Taylor’s romance with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce has taken the world by storm – and it’s beginning was all thanks to the Eras Tour.
The Karma singer and the athlete first sparked dating rumors in September 2023, after Swift attended a number of his games.
In July Kelce had been spotted attending Taylor’s Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium, which is where he plays for the Chiefs.
He was pictured watching the concert from a private box, and even trading friendship bracelets with fans at the venue.
The NFL heartthrob revealed how he tried – and failed – to make a move on Swift at her concert.
He said he had his phone number inscribed on a bracelet, which he planned to present to the pop star.
However when he attended one of Taylor’s concerts in Kansas City, he was unsuccessful in his attempts to meet her backstage.
‘So she doesn’t meet anybody and she doesn’t – or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal,’ he quipped on his podcast New Heights to his brother Jason Kelce.
Taylor Swift’s romance with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce has taken the world by storm; The pair seen January 28
Swift surprised fans when she showed up at Kelce’s game on September 24, 2023 (pictured). She was seen watching the game from a suite alongside his mother Donna
In September, Travis revealed he’d invited her to watch him play a game for the Kansas City Chiefs, which Taylor attended.
Travis heaped praise on ‘ballsy’ Taylor for sticking to her word and turning up at his Chiefs game – and said she ‘looked amazing’ in his suite.
Speaking alongside his brother Jason on their popular New Heights podcast, Travis said: ‘Shout out to Taylor for pulling up. That was pretty ballsy.
‘I just thought it was awesome how everyone in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. The friends and family. She looked amazing, everybody was talking about her in a great light.’
The pair went public with their relationship in October 2023, when they stepped out holding hands at a Saturday Night Live afterparty.
They cemented their love in January with an amorous display after the Chiefs secured their place at the Super Bowl, with Kelce heard saying ‘I love you’ to his pop star girlfriend for the first time.
Speaking in her TIME Magazine interview in December, Taylor spoke publicly about her relationship for the first time: ‘This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell.
‘We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other.
‘By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.’
Taylor and Travis passionately kissed on the field after the Chiefs star lead his team to the Super Bowl
‘When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,’ she added.
‘The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.’
In June, Taylor and Travis went Instagram official when he was included in her ‘royal selfie’ with Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George.
In her third show in London, Taylor sent fans into a frenzy as she brought Travis up onstage, decked out in a tuxedo and top hat for her performance of I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.
The tight end beamed as he carried his girlfriend, gently placing her on a red couch at the center of the stage.
ERAS TOUR TRADITIONS: FROM FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS TO SWIFTIE CHANTS
Fans have been trading beaded friendship bracelets, often bearing phrases from her lyrics. Pictured: Bracelets at Wembley Stadium in August
From start to finish, the Eras Tour has produced a number of heartwarming traditions, allowing Taylor to interact with her fans.
Flocking to the Eras Tour stadiums, fans have rocked up to the venues in cowboy boots and trading hundreds of colourful beaded friendship bracelets.
Swifties first started making the bracelets due to a lyric in fan-favourite You’re On Your Own Kid from the singer’s album Midnights: ‘So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it / You’ve got no reason to be afraid.’
Fans have been trading beaded friendship bracelets, often bearing phrases from her lyrics.
Taylor’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, even admitted he once put his number on his bracelet to catch her eye before they began dating.
There are also several fan traditions dotted throughout the concert itself.
Fan traditions during the concert include making heart with her hands while singing Fearless
Each concert Taylor gives a young fan the hat she wears during 22 – and it contains her autograph
During the Fearless album, fans and Taylor would form a heart with their hands after the bridge – a tradition that dates back to her original 2008 tour. In You Belong With Me, any devoted Swiftie would know to clap two times during the bridge.
Swifties have also memorised chants for some songs including Bad Blood and Delicate, where they shout ‘one, two, three, let’s go b****!’ before the first verse.
One of Taylor’s sweetest traditions is giving out her black bowler hat to a young member of the audience while performing 22 from the Red album.
And if that wasn’t special enough, in Taylor’s book she revealed that the lucky fan also receives her autograph, which is hidden inside the hat.
The pop star has also been known to switch up her outfits for each Era at her concerts, with fans hoping each one will provide a clue – or ‘easter egg’ – for a new album.
ERAS TOUR SHOW SECRETS
Well-informed Swifties are aware that Taylor is transported to the stage each night while hidden in a ‘cleaning cart’
Taylor has said her parents helped her stick jewels onto the guitar she sings with in Fearless
It’s surprising that such a famous production can maintain any shred of secrecy, but Taylor delighted fans by unveiling some hidden details in her Eras Tour book.
Well-informed Swifties are aware that Taylor is transported to the stage each night while hidden in a ‘cleaning cart’.
Though the act of getting the popstar up on stage was meant to be shrouded in privacy, fans had managed to put two-and-two together within the first few months – with many craning their necks to catch sight of the cart before each show.
As she published her book, Taylor not only confirmed the cleaning cart theory – but also gave fans a sneaky look inside.
The Eras Tour book featured a picture of the cart’s interior with Taylor crouched inside, and it was decorated with fairy lights and a printout of her cat Meredith, labelled the ‘animal of the day’.
Fans were shocked when they realised a crew member was underneath the rotating platform in The Tortured Poets Department section of the set
Taylor also revealed that her glitzy ‘Fearless’ guitar was actually hand-finished by her parents, who stuck the jewels on using ‘super glue and a free afternoon’.
There were also a number of surprises in the later stages of the concert.
In her book, Taylor revealed said that her dancers actually perform a chess game during the ‘Mastermind’ choreography, illustrating a checkmate.
And the rotating platform she stands on during The Tortured Poets Department – affectionately nicknamed the ‘Tayroomba’ by fans – actually has someone inside to keep her moving.
‘The ‘rover’ platform I travel on actually is operated by a crew member, who lays inside the platform and drives it from inside,’ she writes in the Eras Tour book.
BREAKING THE INTERNET WITH *THAT* ROYAL SELFIE
Taylor Swift posted a selfie with the royals and her boyfriend Travis Kelce wishing the heir a happy birthday
Prince William, George and Charlotte take a selfie with Taylor Swift before rocking royal breaks out his best dad dancing
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official X account posted: ‘Thank you Taylor Swift for a great evening!’
In June, Prince William took Princess Charlotte and Prince George to see Taylor perform her first show at Wembley Stadium.
Before she began her epic three-hour voyage of her albums, The Queen of Pop Taylor Swift posed for a selfie with the three royals, as well as her boyfriend Travis Kelce.
The Prince of Wales was among the 90,000-strong crowd in London for the hottest ticket in town as Taylor kicked off the London leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Prince Louis, six, stayed home with mother Kate Middleton.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official X account posted the adorable photo with the caption: ‘Thank you Taylor Swift for a great evening!’
Soon after, the popstar posted a selfie with the royals and her boyfriend Kelce to say: ‘Happy birthday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start’ in a touching message to the heir for his 42nd birthday.
In the photo, Kelce was seen wearing his Team USA Olympics hat.
Prince William and megastar Swift have long known each other – the pair shared the stage at Kensington Palace to perform Livin’ On A Prayer with Jon Bon Jovi at a charity event in 2013.
SURPRISE GUESTS AND CELEBRITY APPEARANCES
Taylor Swift (L) and Sabrina Carpenter perform onstage during night two of The Eras Tour at Caesars Superdome on October 26, 2024 in New Orleans
Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine and Taylor Swift perform onstage during The Eras Tour at Hard Rock Stadium on October 18, 2024 in Miami Gardens
Taylor brought Phoebe Bridgers on stage for a performance of Nothing New in Nashville
As well as royal guests, A-listers have been a common sight at Taylor’s concerts and were filmed singing and dancing to her greatest hits.
In each Eras show, Taylor performs a series of ‘surprise songs’, which could come from any of her 10 ‘eras’.
In the later shows, the acoustic surprise song set would consist of a couple of songs on the guitar and a couple on the piano – often comprising of ‘mash-ups’ of several at a time.
The songs would often have some relevance to the city Taylor was performing in at the time: for example, in London she performed London Boy, The Black Dog (rumoured to be based on a pub in Vauxhall) and Come Back, Be Here, which contains the lyrics ‘I guess you’re in London today’.
Tom Cruise is among the thousands of attendees at Taylor Swift’s concert in London
Another key element of the surprise song setlist would be the chance that Taylor would invite a celebrity guest onto stage to perform with her.
These included the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch, Ice Spice and Hayley Williams.
Also of vast interest for each show was the ‘VIP Tent’ boasting great views of the stage, where Taylor would invite her celebrity friends to watch her perform.
In London alone, Travis and Jason Kelce were spotted alongside Tom Cruise, Hugh Grant, Greta Gerwig, Sir Paul McCartney, Ashton Kucher and Mila Kunis.
Meanwhile Taylor’s pals Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have been spotted in the audience in several shows, as well as Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Emma Watson and many more.
DANCING IN A STORM, FEARLESS: HOW TAYLOR REDEFINED CONCERTS WITH HER RAIN SHOWS
Taylor has redefined what is possible in concerts, and has performed in the pouring rain. Pictured at the Nissan Stadium in May 2023
With a monsoon in the weather forecast, many had expected that the show wouldn’t go ahead
Taylor’s first ‘rain show’ of the Eras Tour was a particularly wet night at Nashville’s Nissan stadium in May 2023.
With a monsoon in the weather forecast, many had expected that the show wouldn’t go ahead.
Taylor has only cancelled a handful of concerts throughout her nearly two-decades long career – once due to illness on the Speak Now tour (which she later rescheduled) and a military coup in Thailand during the Red Tour.
Despite torrential downpours – and the show being pushed back several hours due to lightning strikes – Taylor persevered to put on an unforgettable show for her fans.
And the pictures that came from the show as she pushed through the heavy amounts of rain have become some of the most iconic of the entire tour.
Where other artists would have considered cancelling the show, Taylor’s rain show once again cemented her as a musician willing to go above and beyond for the sake of her art.
She wrote in an Instagram post at the time: ‘I know there’s talk of a rainy weather vibe tonight but I’m ready to play, see you sooon!!’
Fans had been told to shelter-in-place for three hours amid a severe weather advisory in the area, with it finally kicking off around 10pm and playing well into the night.
The show was delayed for hours due to the weather warning, meaning Taylor and her dancers performed well into the night
The pictures that came from the show as she pushed through the heavy amounts of rain have become some of the most iconic of the entire tour
Posting on Instagram on May 9, 2023, Taylor reflected: ‘WELL. We had our first rain show of The Eras Tour. And it was SO MUCH FUN. The dancers, band, crowd and I all pretty much turned into little kids joyfully jumping in puddles all night.
‘I wanted to thank the crowd again for waiting for the weather to clear. And my amazing crew for keeping the stage, lighting and equipment all dry and working so we could play. That was a late, great night I won’t forget.’
At a later show at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Swift explained how it had poured for the ‘entire 3.5 hour show’ in a ‘full on deluge that never let up’.
The following night, the rain clearly had an effect on her piano, which began to play on its own.
Speaking to her audience, Taylor said: ‘It was like a water park on the stage. You have no idea.’
After beginning the European leg of Eras, Taylor told her crowd in Hamburg, Germany: ‘I don’t know if you’ve heard this about us, but here on the Eras Tour, we absolutely adore a rain show.
‘I think a rain show only chooses a crowd that’s completely worthy and ready to party with us all night in the rain.’
The rain shows have now become seen as a badge of honour and Taylor herself is known to enjoy them, telling the crowd at Gillette: ‘When you’re standing in the pouring rain with people, you just kind of feel, like, this romantic sense of camaraderie.’
POLITICAL UPHEAVAL AND CONTROVERSIES
Taylor caused political upheaval this year when she hugged known Donald Trump supporter Brittany Mahomes
In Taylor’s 2019 Miss Americana documentary on Netflix (pictured), she tearfully expressed her support for the Democratic Party
Such a massive production and economic disruption for a music concert would not go ahead without a hitch – so the controversies surrounding some of Taylor’s shows will hardly come as a surprise.
Unsurprisingly, Taylor’s political opinions have been speculated about almost as much as her romantic life.
When Taylor was pictured hugging known Donald Trump supporter Brittany Mahomes while watching the US Open in New York City in September, fans were quick to brand her as ‘spineless’.
Many fans took to social media over the weekend to voice their disappointment in Swift still being friends with Mahomes, despite Brittany’s support for Trump.
Some even called the global pop star ‘spineless’ for continuing to be friends with Mahomes despite not only her support for Trump but also for defending her brother-in-law Jackson Mahomes amid sexual assault allegations and more.
Fans referenced Taylor’s 2019 Miss Americana Netflix documentary, where she clearly confessed her support for the Democratic party, saying: ‘I need to be on the right side of history.’
The documentary showed her concern over sharing political opinions publicly for the first time, before finally doing so in autumn 2018 amid speculation she was a MAGA supporter.
She emotionally said: ‘I need to be on the right side of history. … Dad, I need you to forgive me for doing it, because I’m doing it.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to the Eras Tour has since caused political unrest in the UK
‘This was a situation where, from a humanity perspective, and from what my moral compass was telling me I needed to do, I knew I was right, and I really didn’t care about repercussions.’
Taylor was forced to put rumours to rest and later that month endorsed Kamala Harris, calling the Democratic nominee a ‘steady-handed, gifted leader’.
Unwittingly, her visit also led to political upheaval in the UK – later becoming known as ‘Taylorgate’.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had a ten-minute chat with Ms Swift and her mother backstage after accepting four free tickets to her sellout Eras tour in August.
Meanwhile Taylor was also granted a royal-style blue-light police escort for her visit.
Downing Street had initially refused to say if the PM had met Ms Swift when she performed at Wembley.
Sources revealed they were granted a private audience on August 20 – the final night of her tour – after Sir Keir received £2,800 of tickets and hospitality from her record label Universal.
Susan Hall, chairman of the police and crime committee on the London Assembly, said: ‘The public deserves answers. How much political influence did the Government place on our police?
Ana Clara Benevides died at the concert in November due to heat exhaustion, police said
‘They should answer to an independent inquiry, which I have called for, urgently.’
Shadow paymaster general John Glen told the Mail: ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Prime Minister was transparent with the public about his freebies and which pop stars he spends time with?
‘He said he wanted a new era of clean government – this doesn’t feel like it.’
Tory MP Louie French said: ‘Sir Keir needs to come clean and explain how he got these tickets and backstage VIP access after his Government tore up the protocols so they could provide a police escort to a billionaire celebrity.’
It is estimated that Taylor has sold 4.35 million tickets to the Eras Tour – and clearly arranging it has been no easy task.
But Ticketmaster has caused outrage over how it has dealt with the event and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment was sued over monopolising the live events industry in the US.
Swifties hit out at the ticketing giant after a fiasco sale for her sell-out Eras tour saw a general release of tickets cancelled.
Fans were left furious after a pre-sale event saw all tickets sold – meaning the general release could not go ahead.
In November 2023, a young Brazilian fan fell ill at a Taylor concert in sweltering temperatures in Rio de Janeiro and passed away.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, collapsed at the Nilton Santos Stadium on November 17 while attending the first of six shows in Brazil as part of The Eras Tour.
She was taken to an on-site medical station and later transferred to the Salgado Filho Hospital, where she died.
The concert came amid Brazil’s record-breaking heat-wave in November, with Rio recording on that day its highest-ever levels at the time of the so-called heat index, which combines temperature and humidity, at 59.3 degrees Celsius (139F).
Show organizers T4F acknowledged they could have taken more measures to help fans cope with the extreme heat in Rio, including changing the start time for shows and publicizing that fans could enter with cups of water.
Following the news of Benevides’ death, Swift wrote on Instagram that she had a ‘shattered heart’ and was ‘devastated.’
She postponed her second Rio concert the next day due to scorching heat, but went ahead with the remaining shows on the Brazilian leg of The Eras Tour.
Fans complained the conditions were unbearable at the event as the city soared.
Writing on social media after the event, several claimed to have needed medical treatment as temperatures soared to over 100F (37C).
User @autoranya said she left the event with three severe burns as ‘the metal plates that covered the floor turned into hot plates at 40°C’.
Taylor was unaware of the tragedy during her performance and issued a statement expressing her devastation over Benevides’ death
Another said the conditions were ‘inhumane’ inside the stadium, with crowds pushing up against each other.
‘When they opened the entrance, I was pushed and fell to the ground HOT. I got two second-degree burns that wouldn’t stop burning in the sun.’
Fans also claimed they were banned from bringing water into the stadium, as Taylor Swift directed staff to hand out bottles.
During the set, Swift was forced to stop the event and called for water to be distributed among concertgoers.
In one video, she was seen saying: ‘There’s people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back.
‘So whoever is in charge of giving them that, just make sure that happens. Can I get a signal that you know where they are?’
TERROR THREAT AND CANCELLED SHOWS
Heartbroken Taylor fans sang together outside St Stephen’s Cathedral following the cancellation of her concerts in Vienna
The popstar was due to perform at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion on August 8, 9, and 10
In August, Taylor was forced to cancel her three shows in Austria after two suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack on each of her Vienna concerts.
The popstar was due to perform at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion on August 8, 9, and 10.
Swift’s concert promoter Barracuda Music posted a statement which read: ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Vienna Shows Cancelled Due to Government Officials Confirmation of Planned Terrorist Attack
‘With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.
‘All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.’
It was later revealed that the CIA had helped thwart an ISIS terror attack, intended to kill ‘tens of thousands’ of fans.
On August 7, Austrian authorities arrested two people accused of plotting a terror attack, and others were arrested in following days.
Later that month Taylor broke her silence about the threats after returning to London to perform her final shows there.
Returning to social media for the first time since her cancelled shows in the Austrian city, Taylor admitted the incident ‘filled her with a new sense of fear’ and a ‘tremendous sense of guilt’.
In August, Taylor was forced to cancel her three shows in Austria after two suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack on each of her Vienna concerts
Later that month Taylor broke her silence about the threats after returning to London to perform her final shows there
Opening up, Taylor took to Instagram as she wrote: ‘Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions.
‘Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.’
The star went on to thank the authorities who helped take the correct security measures.
She said: ‘I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.
‘I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London.
‘My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.’
Stranded Swifties in Vienna made the Fearless heart with their hands after the concert was cancelled
Taylor made a brave return to the stage to finish her final shows at Wembley Stadium
Taylor also explained why she had until that point chosen to remain silent on the circumstances and confessed her priority was finishing the European leg of the tour safely.
She wrote: ‘Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows.
‘In cases like this one, ”silence” is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.’
The latter end of the Eras’ European leg marked a difficult time for Taylor, as the threatened terrorist plot came shortly after three young girls were murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Stockport, Merseyside.
GENEROUS DONATIONS AND PHILANTHROPY
The Love Story singer has put her cash to good use, donating generously to food banks at each stop. Pictured on June 21 in London
The Eras Tour has made Taylor Swift a billionaire – and the first to have become so primarily through music.
The Love Story singer has put her cash to good use, donating generously to food banks at each stop, and giving to charity in every city of her UK tour.
While visiting Cardiff, Taylor’s money went towards emergency food parcels for 925 people.
When the amount went public, the Cardiff Foodbank issued a touching statement thanking Taylor for the assistance she gave them.
‘We are incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift not only for her generous donation, but for shining a light on the global issue of poverty,’ they wrote on Facebook.
‘We have spent Taylor’s generous donation and are grateful to the continued support of the general public,’ the statement continued.
It was reported that Taylor awarded over $55 million in bonuses to her tour crew. Pictured on November 14 in Ontario
‘As we head into the busiest time of the year, if you’re able to do so please donate food or money to help us make sure that no one in Cardiff goes hungry.’
In the past, she has donated $1 million toward disaster relief efforts in Tennessee following storms in December 2023.
She also made a $100,000 donation to assist the family of a woman who tragically lost her life at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February.
It was reported that she awarded over $55 million in bonuses to her tour crew, including dancers, sound technicians, riggers, and catering staff.
One trucker told Rolling Stone the amount they received was ‘game changing’ and was even allowing people to buy their first homes.
SHE’S NOT CALLED SWIFT FOR NOTHING: HOW ERAS TOUR SAW THREE NEW ALBUMS, A FILM AND A BOOK
As well as performing on the Eras Tour, Taylor produced three new albums, a film and a book
Taylor Swift released a film about the tour, which is available to stream on Disney+
Taylor also released The Tortured Poets Department, and added another section to the tour
Taylor is pictured in the music video for Fortnight, the lead single from The Tortured Poets Department
If you thought that performing 149 shows all over the world would be enough for Taylor to be getting on with at once – you’d actually be very wrong.
In addition to her jaw-dropping Eras schedule (and cultivating her new relationship with Travis), Taylor has managed to release a whopping three new albums, a feature-length film and a comprehensive Eras tour book, published by her own company.
Taylor released re-recorded versions of Speak Now (July 2023) and 1989 (October) – announcing each release during tour dates, and accompanying them with music videos and never-before-heard songs.
In February this year she shocked fans after winning Album Of The Year at the Grammys, announcing in her victory speech that she would be releasing yet another record, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD).
And that was not all: when TTPD was released in April, Taylor surprised fans by revealing it was a double album, meaning she has effectively released the equivalent of four albums throughout the tour.
She’s also released a film – now available to stream on Disney+ – and a book documenting the Eras Tour.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR TAYLOR?
Fans have speculated that Taylor could be releasing a re-recorded version of Reputation next. Pictured during the ‘Reputation’ segment of the Eras Tour in Florida in October
After releasing five new albums, four re-recorded albums, a film, a book and completing a whirlwind world tour in the past five years, many have suspected Taylor will take a well-earned rest after the tour.
But for a woman who seems to have had little rest of the past few years, it remains unclear whether Taylor has it in herself to actually stop and take a break.
In her Eras Tour book, she already hinted at the ‘next era’, signing the prologue with ‘See you next era… Taylor.’
What’s more, she still has two re-recorded albums to release: her debut record and fan-favourite reputations.
Many fans are hoping for a big announcement during the final concert to complete what has been a show-stopping tour of glitz and glamour from the outset.
But whether Taylor can Shake It Off remains to be seen – and it’s likely we still have a lot to see from her in the coming years as she looks forward to her post-Eras Tour career.