This month, Taylor Swift concluded her record-breaking Eras Tour after 149 sold-out shows around the world. I was lucky enough to get tickets to see her myself, on Night 3 of her Edinburgh shows. But even before I went to the Eras Tour—before getting tickets was so much as a possibility, in fact—I had this sense that we were witnessing something historic. Something that would be referenced decades from now as a significant moment in the history of entertainment.
It’s quite rare to feel cognizant of being in a “moment” before it’s passed. But right from the get-go, something felt different about this tour. Not only was it obvious early-on that it would become the bestselling concert tour in music history—a record it now holds by a considerable margin—but there was something deeper going on, something that transcended figures and stats. The Eras Tour had become a cultural event, in the same way that Barbie was more than just a film. It was something that, week by week, people all across the world—Swifties and non-Swifties alike—tuned into across social media in the form of viral clips and memes. It was a political football that world leaders tussled over, with many presidents and prime ministers across the globe making public pleas for Taylor to bring the Eras Tour to their country. Each show brought an economic boom to the city that hosted it, with it being reported that the Eras Tour had revitalized the hospitality industry back to pre-pandemic figures. It became the first music tour to reach over $1 billion in sales, and by the time it ended it had made over $2 billion. Think about how crazy that is!
The hysteria around the Eras Tour was unprecedented. Fans reported experiencing memory loss in the wake of the concerts, with scientists saying that extreme levels of euphoria can sometimes have a similar effect on the body as PTSD. Several fans said the last thing they remembered was “Cruel Summer”, with them blacking out afterward the same way you do when experiencing something traumatic. Now that’s metal. That’s what I call a show, baby! There were many iconic moments throughout the Eras Tour’s 149-show run, and so with it having come to an end I wanted to rank my favorites. I’m someone that thinks endlessly about posterity, legacy, and meticulous record-keeping for the sake of future archives. So I wanted to do my bit here on this site to ensure that these moments are preserved for the historians of tomorrow. Just for clarification, these are all specific, one-time incidents. So I’m not including things that were regular or occasional features.
There were many strong contenders for this list. Honorable mentions go to the time Taylor injured her hand in Houston, which had to be bandaged halfway through the concert (April 22, 2023), the time a local geology professor recorded seismic activity from the Seattle shows on par with a low-grade Earthquake (July 22-23, 2023), the time Swifties gathered in Vienna for an impromptu vigil in the wake of the canceled Austria concerts (August 8, 2024), and the big group hug between Taylor and her dancers at the end of the tour’s last show in Vancouver (December 8, 2024).
10. Taylor calls Sabrina Carpenter while on stage
No disrespect, but I didn’t know who Sabrina Carpenter was a year ago. You have to remember that I’m not very clued in to modern music; I usually discover people long after they’re established. But even so, it seems like Sabrina has exploded in popularity in 2024. At the beginning of 2024, Sabrina was opening for Taylor in Australia and Singapore. When she returned to the Eras Tour at the end of the year, she did so while in the midst of performing her own wildly successful concert tour. In those intervening months, Sabrina had dominated 2024 with smash hits like “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please”, on top of releasing a successful new album, Short n’ Sweet. Her name was everywhere. So it really felt—from my perspective at least—that when Sabrina took the stage in New Orleans, it was a full-circle moment. That she was no longer the talented young prospect, so to say, but Taylor’s peer and equal, a successful pop icon in her own right. Like when an ambitious young consul returns to Rome after conquering a little Carthaginian territory and gets awarded a triumph by the senate. And it was a memorable return too, with Taylor calling Sabrina mid-show and asking her if she wouldn’t mind stopping by for a little jam, only for Sabrina to reveal herself and enter the stage moments later. The two sang a duet of “Espresso” (the most streamed song on Spotify for 2024), which again felt like an acknowledgement on Taylor’s behalf of Sabrina’s having had such an incredible year.
9. The incognito Swiftie
What’s great about the Eras Tour is that it’s not just Taylor and her fellow performers that have made it special. There’s all the little fan contributions along the way that no one could have predicted, that have since become lasting images of the tour—as much an integral part of its magic and legacy as Kam Saunders’ “Bejeweled” solo dance or the moment Taylor dives into the stage. So with this in mind, I thought I’d pick my favorite meme from the tour, in which an as-yet-unidentified Swiftie gave a TV interview while incognito. Covered in what I can only assume must be either a woolen blanket or a star-patterned beach towel, complete with a pair of sunglasses so that people can tell where her face is, the lady in question was waiting in line for the merch trucks ahead of one of the Cincinnati concerts. She told the interviewer for the local TV network that she had called in sick to work in order to go to the Eras Tour, and that she was hoping to get one of the gray quarter-zip sweaters. The image of a TV microphone being offered to a head completely covered in a sheet, which I’m guessing is a nod to the cryptic ghosts of Taylor’s past in the “Anti-Hero” music video, quickly became an online sensation—illustrating the lengths fans were going to in order to attend the tour. I like the photo a lot, because it captures not only the kooky, playful side of Swifties, but also the sense of FOMO that the Eras Tour generated. If you were lucky enough to get tickets, you simply had to do anything you could to make sure you saw Taylor do her thing.
8. Munich crowds
Of all the many images to have come out of the Eras Tour, the photographs of the crowds gathered on the hill outside Munich’s Olympiastadion struck me as having the most historic significance. With over 50,000 people crowding onto the hill in order to watch the concert from afar, the photos are a testament to the insane popularity of Taylor Swift and the unprecedented demand for the Eras Tour. They reminded me of the photos or archive footage you see of the screaming girls at Elvis Presley concerts in the 1950s. It feels very much like we’ll see those photographs of the Swifties gathered on the hill in Munich many decades hence in documentaries or encyclopedias. At just 35 years old, it’s clear that Taylor Swift is the biggest phenomenon since Elvis Presley and The Beatles—and I say that as a direhard Elvis Presley fan. In terms of the sheer hysteria she generates, her global reach, her near-ubiquitous popularity, Taylor deserves to be placed alongside those two. And these images capture the Swiftomania of the early 2020s perfectly for the future historians.
7. Taylor defends a fan
Taylor’s stop in Philadelphia was nothing if not eventful. We saw the kid who created the “Bejeweled” strut on Tik Tok (Mikael Arellano) get the 22 hat, and we saw Phoebe Bridgers join Taylor on stage to perform their duet “Nothing New” from Red (Taylor’s Version). But perhaps the most viral moment from those shows in Philly came on Night 2, when Taylor noticed an altercation happening between a fan and one of the security guards. Apparently, the security guard was in this woman’s face, accusing her of leaning too much over the railing or something along those lines. Taylor noticed what was going on and came to the edge of the stage, yelling “Stop!” and “She wasn’t doing anything!”. What’s amusing about the incident though is that all of this takes place during “Bad Blood”, where Taylor’s already affecting an angry expression and surrounded by blazing flame cannons. It just fit the situation perfectly. And to top it all off, Taylor doesn’t stop performing. You can see the mock-frown she’s putting on for the combative lyrics deepen into a genuine scowl while she’s singing. And with perfect breath control, she manages to yell at the security guard between each line of the song. Apparently, Taylor gifted the woman tickets to the next evening’s show to make up for the experience.
6. The Edinburgh engagement
This happened the night before my concert. I was at Edinburgh Night 3, and during Night 2 a particularly special moment was caught on camera. Two women in the Front-Right Standing section got engaged in the closing moments of the song “Cardigan”, which I can only assume was the favorite song of the woman being proposed to. If you look up “Eras Tour engagement” online, you’ll find a lot of videos of people asking their significant others to marry them while at the concert. A lot of them take place during “Love Story” when Taylor sings the line “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring” for obvious reasons. If you’re not a black-hearted misanthrope to whom wholesome content elicits your gag reflex, then it’s worth checking out some of the videos. They might even fool you into believing that true love exists. Every engagement is special, but this one stood out to me because Taylor actually noticed it while performing. The Edinburgh Night 2 engagement quickly became a viral moment on social media when videos surfaced of Taylor pointing out the proposal, congratulating the couple, and then thanking them for sharing such a special moment at her concert. I’m sure artists are aware that fans like to get engaged at their shows, but it’s rare for the artist to actually notice it while it’s happening. But it was a light summer’s evening and I guess the two women were close enough that Taylor could see what was going on. When I watched the video of her reaction, I thought that seeing two folks get hitched at your show must be one of the most gratifying experiences an artist could possibly have. At one point, “Cardigan” was just an idea in Taylor’s head. And now, years later, it’s so special to someone that it’s inextricably tied to a core moment in their life.
5. Kobe Bryant’s daughter gets the 22 hat
I think one of the aspects of the Eras Tour that made it so effective in terms of its viral appeal was the inclusion of its many interactive or highly theatrical moments. Taylor leading entire stadiums of 100,000 people in a giant Mexican Wave during YNTCD, Kam Saunders’ bespoke riffs on the “like, ever!” lyric from WANEGBT, the vaudeville comedy routine that precedes ICDIWABH, the fans exchanging friendship bracelets, et cetera. Chief among these is the moment during the song “22” where Taylor gifts a preselected member of the audience her signature black fedora. Obviously all of these interactions are special, and it’s nice that each one is something unique to that concert. But since I’m a Kobe fan and this is my list, the one that sticks out most strikingly in my memory is the one where Taylor gives the 22 hat to Bianka Bryant on August 3rd 2023, Inglewood Night 1. Kobe’s passing in 2020 was probably the celebrity death that’s hit me the hardest in my life so far. And it was made all the more tragic knowing that his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died beside him, and that their remaining family had to continue on without them. So it was really touching to see Bianka get a big hug and kiss from Taylor as she received the hat. It was also a full-circle moment in many ways, as Kobe Bryant had joined Taylor on stage during the 1989 World Tour in 2015, presenting her with her own championship banner at the Staples Center in recognition of her breaking the record at the time for the most sold-out shows at the venue.
4. Karma is a guy on the Chiefs
When it was revealed in 2023 that Taylor was dating the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, the relationship captured the public imagination. I can’t say precisely what it is about this specific pairing that’s garnered so much interest, but I think a lot of it is down to the two being from different worlds. And what’s more, that they’re exemplars of their respective fields. Taylor is the biggest music artist in the world, and Travis is the best tight end in the league (possibly the best of all time). Personally, I think it’s nice to see her go for someone that’s comfortable with all the attention and hysteria that follows her—someone that actually embraces it and, in his own words, “has fun with it”. No more must she be hidden away by these brooding, British, tortured artist types, like some kinda Victorian kept woman, dragged into fleeing cabs and publicly unacknowledged. No! Now her light isn’t dimmed. A diamond’s gotta shine and all that. If you make her choose between you and sparkling, she’s ultimately gonna pick her need to sparkle every time I’m afraid. This became clear for the first time when Travis went down to Argentina to watch one of her shows there. Even though he’d been to the Eras Tour as a fan before, this was different. Tens of thousands of zealous Argentinian Swifties were singing his name to the tune of the “Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé” football chant. Seeing him taking it all in reminded me of the scene in God Emperor of Dune where the Duncan Idaho ghola sees the emperor’s all-female army congregated for a ritual, and he’s terrified by the sheer power of their religious fanaticism. Each one of them would give their life for the emperor, and I like to think the Swifties would do the same for Taylor. Taylor started a trend at this show, changing the lyric “Karma is the guy on the screen” in “Karma” to “Karma is a guy on the Chiefs”. Brilliant stuff! Earlier this year I dressed as Travis Kelce for one of the popular Taylor Swift club nights we have here in the UK, Swiftoggedon. As the “guy on the screen” lyric approached in “Karma”, I felt a group of presumably amorous ladies nearby watching me. And when it came, they all pointed at me and screamed “Karma is a guy on the Chiefs!”. I tell ya, I felt like a million bucks in that moment. So I have Taylor to thank for that. You can see footage of Travis at the moment she says “guy on the Chiefs”, and her father goes to celebrate with him as if to say “How about that, ay?”. The excitement didn’t stop there, either. After the show, as Taylor departed the stage, waving to the fans, she spotted Travis waiting for her outside this tent and ran toward him in her heels, a big grin across her face. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and ki#ssed him dramatically like a scene from a movie, as though he were the only thing she was aware of in that moment. It was a nice little moment that illustrated just how comfortable they are having their relationship out in the open, and it’s undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments from the Eras Tour.
3. The “I Can See You” music video premiere
Somehow, despite the insane toll that the Eras Tour must have taken on her, Taylor released three fuck-mothering albums during its run (Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and The Tortured Poets Department). The woman just can’t stop. She seemed at the peak of her powers, firing on all cylinders, with limitless creative inspiration and a tireless work ethic. These albums were more than just recordings of songs, however. They included music videos too, and what was fun was that Taylor debuted some of them at her concerts. It must have been so cool to see the music videos on the big stadium screen and watch it alongside the woman herself. I chose the “I Can See You” music video premiere for this spot, because the actors from the video actually joined her on stage for the premiere and larked around for a bit. This took place on July 7th, 2023 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO (a stadium no doubt familiar to many Swifties by now). The fans in attendance that night were the first people in the world to watch the music video. And ain’t it a helluva song!
2. The Foxborough rain show
There’s something truly magical about Taylor Swift performing in the rain. She seems to revel in it and kick things up a gear, as though she’s feeling the lyrics more intensely and belting them from the deepest pit of her soul. It always makes for some striking and dramatic images. There were several rain shows throughout the Eras Tour, but perhaps none more torrential than the apocalyptic downpour that drowned the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. I don’t know how Taylor was able to see the edges of the stage, let alone the crowd. This was some Jurassic-Park-level shit, but Taylor seemed to be having the time of her life kicking up great splashes of water as she ran across the stage gipping the hem of her dress during “August”, hair plastered to he skin and a giddy, childlike grin across her face. Who can forget the way the rain pummeled the piano during the show’s surprise songs, as she sat there in her soaked-through green dress desperately brushing great waves off of the top? Taylor thanked the crowd for their energy and perseverance, memorably quipping “This is the rainiest rain show that ever rainshowed, ever-ever-ever!”. I feel like Taylor must have gotten sick after that. I know there was one show where she told the crowd she had a cold and asked for a tissue during the Folkmore set, but I don’t know which night that was and whether or not it came after a rain show. Throughout the whole tour she didn’t cancel any shows due to sickness and by all accounts her standards didn’t drop. But given the physical toll it must take to perform 3.5 hours of singing and dancing with no breaks, and to do this night after night for months on end, I find it hard to believe that she didn’t get ill once or twice. Either her team pumped her full of drugs or she’s got the immune system of a goddam bull shark. What’s certain, however, is that the rain shows are a testament to her professionalism, the high standards she sets for herself, and the respect she has for her fans.
1. Travis Kelce takes the stage
It’s been difficult to rank some of the items on this list—with one exception. I knew, as soon as I set out to write this post, that Travis Kelce’s debut at the third London show would take the number one spot. This, to me, was the height of the Eras Tour, the very peak of its excitement. Nothing that happened before or after matched its level of hype and hysteria. It seemed crazy enough that Taylor had given him that shout-out with the “Karma” lyric change. It would be completely understandable, completely normal, for someone in her position to keep their professional and private lives distinctly separate, with one’s partner merely supporting quietly along with the rest of their family at a dignified distance. After all, the Eras Tour is a highly choreographed production, with an enormous amount of effort and investment put into it by many hundreds of professionals to make it the success that it is. It never crossed my mind that Taylor would go so far as to actually get him on stage. So I was flabbergasted when I woke up the Monday morning after London Night 3 and saw videos of Travis’ big grinning face beneath a top hat as he took the stage in full costume alongside Kam Saunders and Jan Ravnik. It likely took the fans in the stadium a few seconds to realize what was happening, probably not clocking right away that three men rather than two had emerged from the platform that rose from beneath the stage. But once the giant screen showed him marching forward like a shaved bear in a tuxedo, they erupted in screams of pure disbelief. This guy was confidence personified. He didn’t miss a step as he joined Taylor, Kam, and Jan in the silent vaudeville comedy routine where the dancers “bring her back to life”, even carrying her down the stage with effortless poise. This guy’s my goddam idol, I thought. It looked like a scene from a fairytale or something. A close friend of mine later told me that it was “the hottest thing” she’d ever seen. It was certainly an incredible moment. It showed how unaffected Taylor and Travis are by the public scrutiny on their relationship, and how comfortable they are sharing their love with the world. You had the feeling watching them that this was their world and we’re just living in it. He did such a good job that people speculated as to whether he’d do it again. While I think he would have had the time been right, I’m kind of glad he didn’t, as it makes his cameo on London Night 3 more special.
TumbleweedWrites 