Imagine a three-and-a-half-hour event with sixty thousand people or more, all locked in on the same vibe: to have the time of their lives. That is The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift‘s latest worldwide tour. Not many traditional concerts can match major festivals in terms of size, production, public expectations, or the artist’s capabilities. However, one artist pulled that off in 2023 and 2024, and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to check out why.
Taylor Swift is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) music artists of the past 20 years. From her debut single, “Tim McGraw” in 2006, to now, she has sold over 114 million album-equivalent units worldwide, won 14 Grammy Awards, released 11 original studio albums, 4 re-recorded albums, 5 extended plays (EPs), and 4 live albums. Although her team hasn’t released any official boxscore from her current tour, it’s clear that Taylor’s “Midas touch” goes beyond “Chevy doors”, since “The Eras Tour” is set to become the biggest tour in the world and has already surpassed the $1 billion revenue mark.
This astonishing figure reflects the immense demand for tickets, as fans had to engage in a cyber battle to secure their spots—a struggle not unlike the one EDM lovers face each year to attend one of the biggest festivals in the world: Tomorrowland Belgium.
Tomorrowland is known for its high demand and limited ticket availability, making it a tough festival to get into, and creating high expectations months before the event, even before tickets go on sale. Swift’s tour experienced the same high demand, with some concerts selling out a year in advance (like the Miami shows). Outfits? Many people plan their festival looks far in advance, and the same is true for Swifties, who often plan or craft their own outfits months before their concert date, building an atmosphere of excitement leading up to the big day. The Belgium festival expected around 67,000 people per day for its 2023 and 2024 editions, which is actually less than the 72,000 average attendance at Swift’s U.S. shows, proving that size is no issue for the American singer.
Every year, festivals like Tomorrowland and Ultra wow us with different stages, using cutting-edge technology to enhance the experience and create visuals that blow our minds, even if we’re far from the stage. Swift’s team seems to have taken notes on this and created a meticulously planned presentation, with large screens and camera shots so well-rehearsed it felt like Taylor was “looking at you”—a moment reminiscent of the intimacy found in “Out of the Woods”—even from afar. Often unsung heroes, the production teams for both festivals and concerts are spot on. From lighting technicians, who made sure that the “lights were so bright, but never “blind” me”, to designers, sound system engineers, and the security crew keeping everything safe and clean, Swift’s concert truly offered festival-level quality. Things like interactive light bracelets that match the theme of each Era, numerous outfit changes (including a debut of the golden Reputation bodysuit), and iconic moments like the “Don’t Blame Me” song where lights create a holy, choral atmosphere, and the seamless and powerful transition from “Don’t Blame Me” to “Look What You Made Me Do”, are just a few reasons why this tour matches EDM festival production levels.
At festivals, attendees can jump from stage to stage and listen to whoever they like most. Swift, on the other hand, has the task of keeping her audience entertained for the entire duration, a feat she accomplishes during her 44-46 song setlist, divided into 10 acts that fly by. You only realize the time has passed when you stopped “feeling like 22”, and your legs and back start to ache from dancing and jumping along for hours. Swift’s stage presence is both smart and fun—she moves around to get close to all her fans in the floor section without overexerting herself, all while singing for more than three hours. A highlight of the night is her performance of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)(Taylor’s Version),” where the entire stadium sings with her for ten straight minutes, words carried by personal meaning and smiles all around. In an era where attention spans barely last a minute, forming a ten-minute connection with your audience is remarkable, a feat typically only achieved by A-list DJs like Eric Prydz or Solomun.
Can we say that “The Eras Tour” is the Tomorrowland of music concerts? Not quite—that would be disrespectful to their unique identities and misses the fact that they belong to different worlds. But can we say they both excel at delivering unforgettable experiences, reaching star quality levels that are hard to match? Absolutely. “Long Live” Swift and her team know how to put on a show and give their audience the time of their lives. I can say “I was “Enchanted” to meet” with the opportunity to experience the biggest tour in the world. Saying goodbye to “The Eras Tour” is “Death By A Thousand Cuts”, but knowing the striking force Swift is —”a real tough kid”— she is “still writing pages” that will keep her outside the bubble that she once broke.
- Fun fact: Swift had a taste of the EDM field years ago. She is credited as the lyricist, composer, and backing vocalist of the EDM track “This Is What You Came For” by Calvin Harris and Rihanna.
