Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, lasting over three and a half hours and spanning her entire musical career, is currently the highest-grossing tour of all time and the first-ever tour to earn a revenue of over 1 billion US dollars (Economic Times). It began on March 17, 2023, and now, on Dec. 8, 2024, after over one and a half years and the release of two re-recorded albums and one new album, is coming to an end.

Swift’s performance on the tour has been nothing short of phenomenal. The show is divided into 10 different sets, each set possessing a unique aesthetic and representing an album, or era, of her music. It demonstrates Swift’s versatility across genres, from country, to pop, to indie, as well as her impressive stamina as she sings over 40 songs with little rest. 

Over the course of the tour, fans have witnessed Swift mature as a performer as she grows more comfortable with each show. “I think you can see her becoming more confident with each performance,” sophomore Mouna Dantata said. “It’s like she’s absorbing all the energy from the crowd.” 

Swift’s ability to connect with her fanbase is exceptional, creating a warm and positive environment with each show. Fans are very friendly with each other, and traditions such as exchanging friendship bracelets have developed in the community.

Another unique aspect of Swift’s interactions with her fanbase is the easter eggs she drops for fans to decode. These easter eggs may be in the form of visual cues in music videos or lyrical references in social media posts, and they provide fans with a fun way to engage with her work. In fact, she announced the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) during the massive shows in Nashville and Inglewood, respectively. 

Swift also continued her tradition of “surprise songs”—songs not on the setlist that she sings while playing the guitar or piano—with The Eras Tour. Though she initially avoided repetitions, Swift’s surprise song performances have evolved into creative mashups that seamlessly combine multiple songs. She has also invited other mega-artists to perform surprise songs with her, the most notable among these being Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams.

Another change that Swift made to the tour was the addition of The Tortured Poets Department set at the beginning of the European leg of the Eras Tour in Paris. The new set features songs such as “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”, both of which include theatrical performances and visuals. Swift’s hard work shines through, as this high-quality set was added less than a month after her new album was released. 

Whether fans went to watch The Eras Tour before or after Swift made these changes, though, they all enjoyed the concert. “It was just a really great experience and I’m very happy I got to be there,” Dantata said.

Now that the tour is wrapping up, fans are left wondering, “What’s next?” Many speculate that “reputation (Taylor’s version)” will be Swift’s next release, with new theories about the announcement emerging continuously. Fans were especially excited to see a new bodysuit for the “reputation” set at the beginning of the second US leg of the tour in Florida, as it was the first variation in costume for that set. No matter what Swift has in store for fans, though, it is safe to assume that her dedication to her craft will shine through and that fans will not be disappointed.