It’s been a long time coming but The Eras Tour finally arrived on UK shores and I was lucky enough to be there for Taylor Swift’s first show at Anfield in Liverpool.

After securing my tickets back in July last year and having experienced the tour through so many livestreams, vlogs and social media videos over the past year, it’s safe to say that I was more than ready for it when June 13th rolled around.

I first saw Taylor perform live on her Reputation tour in 2018, those of you who have been here a while might remember my write-up at the time. I’ve been desperate to see my favourite artist in concert again ever since so when Taylor first announced The Eras Tour and its concept, I was intent on being there not only to sing along to some of my favourite tunes but also to celebrate Taylor and her incredible career. 

Through my ever-changing taste in music, Taylor has been the one constant in my playlist with her albums serving as soundtracks to different eras of my own life. It’s no surprise then that I was beside myself when all the stars aligned and we ended up in the same room at the same time once again. 

Let’s talk about my Eras Tour experience.

BOOKING TICKETS

Swifties appropriately coined the attempt to buy tickets as ‘The Great War’, a battle that was even more intense for disabled fans.

If you’ve read any of my previous concert related posts, you’ll know of the barriers that exist when it comes to buying disabled access tickets.

With Taylor being the biggest artist in the world right now, I anticipated a gruelling wait for tickets having endured up to six hour long phone queues for the likes of Coldplay and Ed Sheeran previously. Spoiler, the total for Taylor was four hours but whilst I’ve always been placed on hold when booking for other shows, knowing that the call would eventually connect, no such certainty existed when trying to get through to Anfield due to so many people dialling at the same time and being unable to join the queue as a result. 

The process of buying concert tickets, especially for stadium tours, is always a little demoralising as a disabled person. I saw so many people on social media, celebrating their purchase whilst frantically clicking the call button for the 1000th time.

That’s right, I made over 1,000 phone calls to Anfield’s access team, being cut off every single time before finally being placed in the queue over three hours later. I anxiously waited another 45 minutes before I was connected with someone on the other end of the line who mercifully confirmed that there were two tickets available for Taylor’s first show at the stadium.

It’s always a bittersweet feeling when the result at the end of the long wait is a positive one. Whilst I felt incredibly lucky to have secured tickets knowing how difficult the process had been for disabled people, not only at Anfield but other stadiums too, the oh-so familiar frustration lingered due to the ever-present barriers that exist when it comes to trying to access gigs.

Concerts are meant to symbolise fun, joy and freedom and yet it’s so easy to feel like you don’t belong when the process of booking tickets is so laden with barriers. 

There was also uncertainty around the codes needed in order to purchase tickets for the Eras Tour. It wasn’t clear whether these codes were required to buy disabled access tickets and despite it not being the case for Anfield, I wasn’t sure of that fact until my purchase was complete. 

I’ve said it before but I’ll parrot it for the umpteenth time, disabled access tickets are not accessible if it takes this length of time to buy them. The process of booking tickets is stressful for any music fan but that is magnified for those of us who set aside hours upon hours of our time, not only exhaustively clicking the ‘call’ button or listening to the never-ending loop of hold music, but also researching the process of booking for a certain venue and emailing beforehand to glean any information we can’t find after scouring the internet. Things need to change to make it a simpler, more accessible process for every gig so that disabled fans can share the elation of securing tickets without feeling simultaneously weary as a result of the battle.

THE OUTFIT

I don’t have photos of my outfit for reasons you’re about to discover so this section might seem a little redundant but as someone who has heavily invested in everyone’s ensembles since the tour kicked off last year, I simply had to share details of my own.

We all know how much I love fashion so it’s no surprise that I was giddy by the prospect of getting all glammed up for the Eras Tour. 

Pre-UK dates being announced, I had my heart set on wearing a Red inspired outfit as a nod to one of my favourite albums but when I secured tickets to see Swift at Anfield, you best believe that there was no way I was rocking up in Liverpool’s colour as an Evertonian. 

Thankfully, the blue hues of the Midnights era served as the perfect opportunity to rep my team’s colours and so began the weeks of planning, hours spent reading inspiration laden articles and clogging my phone’s bookmarks with links to different pieces.

However, that all unfortunately unravelled when a wardrobe malfunction struck just as I was about to leave for Taylor Town, resulting in me having to make an emergency substitution when it came to my dress. 

My back-up still saw me sporting my beloved blue but it felt like more of a 9 o’clock hue rather than the midnight colour that I had my heart set on. 

Celestial accessories compensated for the lighter tone of the dress with silver gems adorning the braid I’d styled my hair into and, of course, I couldn’t possibly attend the Eras Tour without rocking a pair of white ankle cowboy boots. These ones from Office provided all the comfort I needed for a three and a half hour long show.

Speaking of which…

THE CONCERT

‘You’re making me feel like tonight, I get to play my very first sold out show in Liverpool!’ Taylor Swift told the 62,000 strong crowd at Anfield after performing opening hit Cruel Summer, a number she later shared had broken the all-time attendance record for the stadium. Fans naturally matched her enthusiasm through screams and cheers that only grew louder as we were guided through each era, starting with Lover and ending with Midnights.

‘You and I, we’re about to go on a grand adventure together,’ Swift said whilst teasing the opening chords of Lover on her guitar. ‘That adventure is going to span the last eighteen years of music and we’re gonna be doing this one era at a time, how does that sound to you, Liverpool?’ It was a promise everyone knew was coming with the Eras Tour having already been captured in film and livestreams that have allowed fans to experience the three and a half hour long spectacle on its journey across the world. And yet, Taylor and her crew succeeded in making every performance feel new and exciting, her voice a magnet that kept the crowd tethered to her from the first note to the last.

In the same speech, she said that we were already off to a great start having been treated to a set by Paramore who are a headline act in their own right. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed such an enthusiastic reception for a support act before but the band’s procession of hits including Misery Business, Ain’t It Fun and Still Into You, coupled with Hayley Williams’ impeccable audience engagement elicited the first screams and cheers of the evening. 

It’s tricky to know how to condense a three and a half hour long show, comprising of over 40 songs into one post especially as a Swiftie who would like nothing more than to write and reminisce about all the details about all the emotions I felt during each performance but as Taylor herself taught us through axing crowd favourites from the setlist to make way for her new material, some sacrifices need to be made.

I was particularly excited to be attending the first night in Liverpool, not only because of it falling on the 13th, a lucky number both Taylor and I share, but also for the significance of this being the 100th show of the tour.

Answering the question on everyone’s lips of how she would mark this milestone, Swift explained during her All Too Well speech that the celebration meant acknowledging and admitting to herself for the first time that the Eras Tour is going to end in December.

She was honest and sincere in sharing that this tour has been ‘exhausting and all-encompassing’ to the point that she doesn’t recall what her hobbies were before it.

‘All I do when I’m not on stage is sit at home and try to think of clever acoustic song mashups and think about what you might want to hear. When I’m not on the stage, I’m dreaming about being back on stage with you.’

In the same breath, she said that it has been ‘the most joyful, most rewarding, most wonderful thing that has ever happened’ in her life.

‘I want to spend the 100th show just thinking about that and living in this moment with you, being here with you. Just know that I appreciate every single ounce of everything you’ve put in to being with us when this tour reaches triple digits of show so thank you.’

The roar that greeted her in return somehow transcended the noise created during the Lover and Fearless eras, reaching a particularly poignant moment of connection as everyone simultaneously screamed the incredibly personal lyrics to her 10-minute long tune. 

This felt like a pinnacle moment, a high that is usually kept until the end of a concert but we were only three eras in meaning that somehow, the best was yet to come. 

Some of my favourite performances came during the Folklore/Evermore sister set with Champagne Problems being a particular highlight, as it seemed to be for most considering the 2-minute long cheer that followed, a moment of appreciation that has become tradition for fans at each stop to indulge in. 

The set didn’t disappoint and whilst my vocal cords were straining against the continuous use, I was fully invested in each singalong.

Whilst the skies were grey and the wind was relentless, weather features that made for a cinematic show, according to Taylor, Anfield was a riot of colour for most of the evening. The bright lights only faded into black and white to match the hues of The Tortured Poets Departments set and remaining subdued for the acoustic section that required no eccentricities as Taylor, as always, had us in the palm of her hand, charming us with performances of I Can See You blended seamlessly with Mine on guitar and a mash up of Cornelia Street and Maroon on piano.

Whilst I Can See You was almost a given considering its music video was filmed in Liverpool, I couldn’t have predicted the addition of the other three songs that featured in the set. Fans have a penchant for speculating what she might bring in each show but Swift’s allure is in how she transcends those expectations and presents something that not only evokes excitement, smiles and tears in the moment but encourages conversation and a sense of community long after the final note is played.

Things like the acoustic section keeps the show fresh, so too does Taylor’s engagement with the crowd in-between songs. The winter-like weather had provided plenty of Eras Tour moments throughout the evening with the wind whipping Taylor’s hair across her face during performances, forcing her to take her in-ears out during her Betty speech so she could focus on the crowd and as the temperature dropped further, she quipped, ‘Don’t worry, I can do it with a sniffly nose,’ repurposing her hit I Can Do It With A Broken Heart before settling into the surprise piano performances.

After the emotional rollercoaster of the already 3-hour long show, it was time for a final injection of energy which came in the form of the Midnights era.

Hits such as Lavender Haze, Anti-Hero and Bejewelled went down a storm with Karma crowning what had been an incredible display of talent, stamina and pure entertainment.

The wristbands that comprised the final part our outfits lit up in tandem with each era, creating a sea of pink, red, blue and green, glimpses of which I stole as the long UK daylight hours gave way to darkness.

It’s no secret that it’s a huge production and whilst Taylor’s voice is at the epicentre of it all, as a vision impaired person, I couldn’t help but wonder what the experience would be like had there been audio description available. I’d heard that the service was on hand to those attending the Edinburgh shows a few days before (I’d love to know if anyone took advantage of it and what it was like), and it would have been great to see this rolled out across more stops on the tour.

From the staging to the outfits, there are so many visual elements to the show that audio description would bring to life but I did feel like I was equipped with some context thanks to the AD on the Disney+ film. All we need now is an updated film featuring the incredible TTPD set so VI fans can have descriptions of that too.

It’s safe to say that The Eras Tour is a concert like no other I’ve attended before, the friendship bracelets that were passed around on our travels to the city was a unique touch that’s enough to make you smile before the gig even begins, asserting a sense of unity amongst thousands of strangers. 

The show itself exceeds all the hype; it’s a spectacle that lets you truly appreciate Taylor’s talent, her unbelievable stamina, the way in which she experiments with genre and how she captures and communicates the most complex emotions through her music, making moments from her own life and the characters she creates relatable to thousands in the same room. 

Whole worlds were created in a matter of seconds, allowing the crowd to lean into their inner grungy pop-rock energy during Reputation, to feeling all the whimsical vibes that came courtesy of the introspective ballads of Folklore/Evermore, or get their dancing shoes on for the hits of Fearless, Red and 1989.

This was Anfield (Taylor’s Version) and boy do I feel lucky to have been there to witness this incredible woman at the peak of her stardom.

To add to the sentiment of the evening, I even met a reader of my blog who was sat in front of us, experiencing a Taylor Swift concert for the first time with her daughter. Having a moment like this one amongst the frenzy and excitement of the evening was unexpected but so incredibly lovely. With so much of my blog related interaction happening online, it’s rare to meet readers out in the wild as it were and even more special for it to happen at a Taylor Swift gig. If you’re reading, I hope you had the best time!

As for my thoughts on the night as a whole…

Awe-inspiring, compelling, enchanting – The Eras Tour was everything I expected it to be and more. It presented an opportunity for everyone to be the loudest, proudest version of themselves and I, for one, definitely lived out my wildest dreams. 

Have you attended The Eras Tour or are you planning to in the next few months? I’d love nothing more than to gush, reminisce and clown with my fellow Swifties. 

Elin x