Since last November, Swifties across the nation have been prepping for the long-awaited Eras Tour, and as one of the final stops on the North American run, Denver fans (and those from surrounding states) watched with anticipation as their favorite artist dazzled crowds across the country. What songs would she play? What was she going to wear for each era? Would Paramore’s Hayley Williams grace the stage for a secret song? What would she play for her secret songs? Since March, the Mile High city eagerly awaited the two nights at Empower Field, and it’s safe to say that the show lived up to the hype and then some.
In fact, it felt less like a concert and more like a movie, a play or even a Taylor Swift convention, complete with costumes, costumes and plenty of glitter. Fans of all ages pulled out all of the stops with their outfits, just as their favorite artist pulled out all of the stops with her spectacular setlist and production. Complete with a towering LED wall, a long catwalk that made even the fans at the back of the bowl feel like they had a front row seat, interactive light-up wrist bands that made the entire stadium come to life on top of countless costume changes and celebrations of every era, The Eras Tour felt absolutely massive, yet intimate at the same time.
Taylor Swift was all smiles as the crowd erupted into screams and applause between the first few songs, eyes shining as she gazed up at the filled-to-the-brim stadium. Nearly four months into the tour and she still managed to look surprised at the adoration of over 73,000 fans. The surprise truly seemed genuine, too, especially when she received a standing ovation that lasted nearly a full minute just after “Enchanted” as fans stomped their feet in a way that the locals would refer to as the “Rocky Mountain Thunder”. It was a sight (and sound) to behold as the entire stadium literally shook and rumbled, and even Taylor was momentarily rendered speechless by the outpouring of love.
It was a testament to the dedication of Taylor’s fans and her abilities as a songwriter and performer that there didn’t seem to be one down moment of the set, either. As an artist with an absolutely massive catalog of ten full-length albums as well as three recently re-released Taylor’s Versions, one might assume that a few songs throughout her massive, forty-five song set might fall flat, or be the cue to run to the restroom for a quick break, but that moment never came. It didn’t matter if she was belting out “You Belong With Me”, wowing the crowd with the enchanting “’tis the damn season” or playing the full, ten minute long version of “All Too Well”, there was never a dull moment throughout the entire night. Although, there were certainly some highlights, like when lightning flashed in the distance during the entirety of “All Too Well”, when even the parents danced along to “Shake It Off” or when pyrotechnics lit up the crowd during the explosive “Bad Blood”.
Despite the theatrics, the dancers, the intricate choreography and a three-hour long set to top it all off, Taylor also managed to make every fan – from those who worked their butts off to get front row all the way to those who felt lucky to be in the nosebleeds and everyone in between – feel like the night was for them. In between songs, Taylor talked to the crowd like they were all close friends, explaining her inspiration behind the Eras Tour as a way to celebrate her past and new albums that she hadn’t yet had a chance to play due to the pandemic. There was a tender moment when she leaned down to give her hat to a fan during her Red era, and a feeling of united excitement between both Taylor and the crowd when she finally got to perform songs off of her newest album, Midnights. It was a full, 73,000-person sing-along during both her newest hit, “Anti-Hero” as well as her secret songs, “Picture To Burn” (played for the first time since 2010) and “Timeless”, which received its live debut in Denver.
As fans left the stadium in a daze at the end of the night, it was almost hard to believe that one of the largest, most talked about and most iconic stadium tours… ever, really, had finally arrived in Denver. And as the first of two nights, excitement was already buzzing for night two before everyone made it back to their cars. For the parents, skeptics and casual fans in attendance, the massive performance was more than enough to prove exactly what all the hype is about, and for the die-hards… well, they already knew all too well.
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