Show review : Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour arrives in Denver
Photos courtesy of TAS Rights Management.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is in full swing. Without a doubt it has proven to be the biggest event of the year. HVNLY was lucky enough to catch the Eras Tour as it arrived in Denver and transformed the city into the center of the universe for Taylor Swift fans. From the tour’s announcement to the Ticketmaster fiasco in November, and now finally to its materialization in Stadiums across the US (and soon to be the globe), there is no denying that every ounce of the immeasurable anticipation was worth it.
The topic of Taylor’s arrival in Denver was part of everyone’s conversation throughout the city, fan or not. The Denver tour dates sold out in minutes and over 150k fans were set to make the pilgrimage to Empower Field between the two nights. The city was buzzing with all things Taylor Swift.
The Eras tour has felt like a massive testament to Taylor reclaiming her music. With the release of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ just a week prior to Denver’s shows and the subsequent record-breaking streams, sales, and Billboard rankings; Taylor rightfully sits on the throne as the queen of pop music.
Taylor has brought a rotating selection of opening acts through each leg of the era’s tour, treating fans in different cities to amazing standout artists that deservingly received the Taylor Swift boost. Many enjoying the opportunity to play in an arena for the first time. Gracie Abrahams and MUNA got the night in Denver off to a buzzing start as the stadium packed in quickly with thousands of friendship bracelets, ‘Eras outfit’ adorned fans. The anticipation and eagerness for Taylor’s arrival radiated through the massive arena.
As MUNA closed out their set (and their final show with Taylor on this tour) with an amazing rendition of ‘Silk Chiffon’ featuring Gracie Abrahams, nearly every fan was in their seat giddily dancing. The crowd connection from the moment gates opened was incredibly friendly. Strangers became friends and exchanged homemade friendship bracelets. Many kind enough to even give some bracelets away to fans that are new to the practice. Every new friendship in the arena built on the shared love for Taylor Swift.
Not long after MUNA’s performance, a clock appeared on the massive screen behind the stage and began counting down the seconds until the show was to start. The roars from the crowd were already deafening and Taylor had not even graced the stage yet. The clock hit 0 and the arena erupted and continued to erupt with cheers and chants in an absolute wave of projected admiration and love for Taylor. From the moment Taylor made her theatric arrival to the stage and began her first song (starting the night with the Lover era) it was clear that this concert was unlike any other.
Taylor is an artist that touches fans no matter their age or gender. So many fans in attendance had grown up with Taylor’s music and like Taylor are now in their early thirties. What was even more exciting to see was these late 80’s early 90’s born Swifties enjoying the show with their children. who were just as captivated by the stunning performance and heart piercing songs as their mothers.
The Eras tour is a family affair. Not just the literal family members that were in the crowd, but the connected family of swifties, including all varieties of people no matter what age, race, gender, or background. The only factor mattering is that they all have been touched by Taylor’s music at one point in their life or another. With how many eras of music Ms. Swift has brought to the world it is more likely that they were touched by more than a handful of songs during multiple periods in their lives. This is exactly what made the Eras Tour so amazing.
Each performed ‘Era’ brought on a wave of nostalgia. It truly was a Time Machine of human emotion. Transporting you back to 15 singing ‘You Belong With Me’ during a car ride with your high school love. To 18 screaming ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ in a college door room with your new chosen family. To 21, getting a ride home from the bar after a few too many drinks, the windows down blowing wind through your hair and ‘Style’ blasting from the speakers. To 26 in the uncertain world of covid, locked up in your apartment drinking too much wine reflecting too deeply on past loves listening to ‘the 1’. Every memory and nostalgic emotion brought to the surface as everyone in the crowd sang each lyric back to Taylor in a cathartic connection from deep in the soul that you can only feel with your favorite artist.
An extra touch to create a one-of-a-kind show experience and further the fan connection has been Taylor performing 2 “secret” acoustic songs each night. These songs touch on different albums and Taylor occasionally brings out a special guest to perform with. Denver was treated to Red’s ‘Starlight’ and a piano version of Speak Now’s ‘Back to December’. The striped down acoustic performance is a beautiful juxtaposition to the higher energy ‘1989’ and ‘Midnight’ eras that the secret songs were performed between.
Being a 3 and 1/2 hour long show with 45 songs and multiple set, outfit, and stage changes; there are not enough words to break down the amazing event that is the Eras tour. Every song is performed with so much intention and energy. You can see that in the 5 years since Taylor’s last tour so much planning, work, and effort had come together to create this stunning event. Taylor herself brings her unmatched charisma and through every moment of the night connects with the crowd in a way that other musicians can only dream of. She does it all so effortlessly and earnestly.
This was far from a short concert but by the time the fireworks hit the sky and Taylor and her backing band and dancers took their bows, it was impossible to not yearn for more. It is clear after witnessing an Eras Tour show that Taylor has truly solidified herself as the queen of pop music. There will never be another artist like Taylor Swift and there is no other concert experience that can compare to the once in a life time event that is the Eras Tour.
