LEWIS: Taylor Swift’s impact: The Eras Tour in retrospect

Art by Chloe Witt

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour has swept across the world since it kicked off in Glendale, Arizona, in March of 2023. As the tour comes to a close, with Swift making her last stops in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, it’s time for reflection on the 20-month tour. 

The pop star has reached new heights of stardom by setting ticket sales and attendance records in many stadiums. According to an Instagram post by Swift, she brought together a total of 207,000 fans to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Each night of the concert broke the attendance record there. 

The Eras Tour is infamous for its lofty ticket prices. In fact, the situation surrounding Swift’s ticket prices has initiated conversation around Ticketmaster and LiveNation, resulting in a civil antitrust lawsuit within the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The Eras Tour has grossed over $1 billion, making it the highest grossing concert tour of all time, reported during Pollstar’s chart year of November 2022 to November 2023. Those dates include only the first leg of the tour in the United States. 

Swift hasn’t only been generating financial success for herself, her impact on local economies has been dubbed by many as the “Swift Lift.”  When The Eras Tour was in a town, spending at restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the stadiums increased by an avenge of 68% per day, according to a report from Mastercard. 

Research done by the Common Sense Institute Colorado indicated that Swift’s two shows in Denver were expected to contribute to Colorado’s GDP by $140 million. The research also shows concertgoers partook in over $200 million in direct consumer spending around the Denver concerts, whether that was for hotels, travel, merchandise or tickets. 

Cities across the country have been vying for the effects of Swift’s attention. Glendale’s mayor renamed the city “Swift City” for the two days Swift was in town. Tampa Bay’s mayor went a step further and gave Swift a key to the city, making Swift the honorary mayor for a day. 

Despite the barrier of high ticket prices, many fans found ways to watch the concert without actually attending a show. TikTok livestreams of the Eras Tour have been an extremely popular way to watch the show. Someone who is present at the concert holds their phone up for the entire show while livestreaming, providing a low-quality watching experience for those at home. 

Even though the quality is subpar, sometimes these livestreams reach tens of thousands viewers at a time. Views spike when Swift gets to the “surprise song” section of her setlist. Every show, she plays two different songs that can come from any part of her discography. 

A group of fans decided to create an app surrounding these livestreams, Swift Alert. Within the app, there’s a guessing game called Mastermind. Fans across the world can submit their guesses for which outfits Taylor will be wearing and which surprise songs she will play. There are leaderboards and often giveaways of Swift’s merchandise for the winners. 

“(Seeing The Eras Tour) was quite literally the best day of my life. (I'd) just been waiting for it for so long I cried like four times, because (I was) just that emotional,” Karly Harris, a sophomore forensic science major and Taylor Swift fan, said. “It was so beautiful to see a community like that. I met so many people.” 

Swift’s fanbase, known as “Swifties,” have long supported Swift on her music journey. A Swiftie tradition that started during The Eras tour has been the exchanging of hand-made friendship bracelets. Some fans show up to the concert with arms full of friendship bracelets. 

The sensation was inspired by Swift's song lyrics, “So, make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.” The song, “You’re On Your Own, Kid” was released on her album, “Midnights” just weeks before The Eras Tour announcement. 

“I bought the merch because it shows that I'm a fan, and you can talk to me about it. It's such an easy conversation starter, especially in high school, when I was a shy girl,” Lily Coash-Johnson, a freshman journalism and broadcasting double major and Swiftie, said. “A lot of people wear bracelets, and then it's like, ‘Oh, you have a bracelet. Are you a fan of Taylor? What's your favorite song?’ It's just easy.” 

The Eras Tour has seen an emergence of new fans, evident in Swift being named Spotify’s 2023 top artist, with 26.1 billion global streams from Jan. 1 from its over 574 million users. While on tour, Swift has released three new albums: “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” “1989 (Taylor’s Version) in 2023 and “The Tortured Poets Department” in 2024. 

Swift’s concert film, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” is the highest grossing concert film to date. Its theatrical release saw the continuation of the friendship bracelet trend. The film was eventually released on Disney+, bringing The Eras Tour into living rooms.

“I went on the day that it got released to the movie theater with my family. I was worried it was gonna be kind of boring, but it was a really fun experience,” Emma Sullivan, a freshman business law major and Swiftie, said. “People were singing and these little girls were coming around and giving out friendship bracelets, which was the cutest thing ever. They were dancing in front of the screen. It was so fun.”

The cost of being a Swiftie can be high, whether it's from extreme ticket prices or expensive merchandise. However, Swifties have found plenty of ways to engage with their favorite artist at a lower financial burden. Engaging with fellow fans through homemade friendship bracelets and watching the shows on live streams have connected people to the Swiftie culture regardless if they could attend a concert or not. 

The Eras Tour has had unprecedented success, making impacts around the world. From Swift’s own financial success to the stimulation she’s brought local economies, The Eras Tour is clearly unparalleled. As the tour draws to a close, all eyes will be on Swift for her next move. 

Published in the Daily Nebraskan, read here.