I remember thinking the queue to Shepherds Bush Empire was manic on March 6th 2009 and that people were incredibly committed to have been queuing since midday. This of course is now nothing in comparison to the eras tour! Three consecutive days at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, Swifties had taken over the city and the outskirts in full force that had you not known she was in town, you would have been in for a big shock to get into the city centre for those three days.

Swiftie’s had been camping over night to get a front row spot inside the stadium. Thankfully I had an allocated seat so didn’t have this worry and my Pit days are long behind me. In fact, even since the Fearless tour I was happy in my seat but then again the ability to purchase third row on the floor was easy as pie. It’s astonishing to see how far Taylor has come and I feel proud of her which is a funny thing to say about someone you don’t know personally!

It was the final night of the three shows at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Sunday 9th June 2024. I had a hospitality ticket after a panic buy but it was definitely worth it! (See our review here! ) A great seat in section W19 we were on the lower deck right opposite the diamond part of the stage. This gave us a great view of everything.

The atmosphere was already unbelievable. Swifties everywhere dressed up in full costume from sparkly outfits to costumes only a hardcore Swiftie could understand. Each fan polished up real Nice telling anyone who knew them “by the way, I’m going out tonight”! Lady Gaga’s Applause played loudly across the stadium and we knew she was about to take stage. We had already seen the cleaning cart (with Swift inside) and her dancers and band members arriving so the crowd started to scream. A countdown on the screens, as soon as it hit the number 13 the crowd roared and even louder for 5,4,3,2,1.

Boom! The stage set opened as the dancers flowered on stage for the opening number which was a cut down version of Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince. Immediately going into Cruel Summer from the Lover album, the crowd sang along to the bridge in a beautiful anthemic way. The Queen of bridges’, there are many anthemic moments in a Taylor Swift concert. Her songs are all pretty iconic and each one means something to Swifties. The Man is a stand out moment in this tour as of course marks a moment of breaking free from her previous label and starting a new one where she could own her masters which of course would never have been criticised had she been a man. The Fearless section was massively nostalgic and I kind of wish she could have invited former members of The Agency along such as Caitlin, Liz and Grant. It’s still lovely to still have Paul, Amos and Mike though. Despite her music having matured since her fairytale days, there is still something so incredibly magical about the early era and hearing Fearless, You Belong With Me and Love Story on a much bigger scale was just as mesmerising. It was really quite emotional and moving!

You can’t help but get the feels when Taylor gives her 22 Hat to a young child! It’s so sweet! Gone are the days when she was able to walk through the crowd and high five and hug fans (I remember those moments all too well) but it’s wonderful to see she still does something! It wouldn’t have been right to not have All Too Well (the 10 minute version) on the set list. That moment was incredibly impactful as us Swiftie’s had been waiting for that for years even back when it was just a rumour. A special moment, what an experience to be part of 73,000 fans ish chanting those extra bridges and verses. It didn’t even feel like ten minutes at all!

She only gave us one song from Speak Now (wink wink) which was Enchanted! One of the more dazzling tracks off of the album, this night was certainly sparkling and we didn’t want to let it go. Swift was dressed in a beautiful purple gown which wowed the audience!

Things got darker and more sassy of course for the Rep era. The snake on screen to hint what was happening and the backdrop screen of her walking in her rep boots got the crowd going absolutely crazy! Were we ready for it? You bet we were! Ready For It is made for a stadium crowd, it rained down heavy on the fans sonically with each beat and note running through our veins. You could feel the ground vibrate and the whole place went wild! Delicate was atmospheric and ambient. Live, that song is spellbinding.

The folklore cabin and enchanted wood trees came out for a glorious rendition of cardigan. The album which proved to the world just how much of a remarkable songwriter and overall artist she is, the entire folklore/evermore section was just so wonderfully entrancing. betty was shortened but still magnetic. champagne problems was spectacular live and I fell even more in love with august in a live setting and that sample of illicit affairs is just so so incredibly powerful and emotive. I wish we had the whole song but you can’t deny the impact of that closing bridge. my tears ricochet resonated throughout the crowd as for many of us, it’s our story as much as hers. Swift often states how these are our songs as well as hers and we really do feel that way about many of them. 1989 era played host to the songs you would expect such as Style, Wildest Dreams, Bad Blood, Blank Space and Shake It Off but that isn’t a negative! 1989 is a stellar album and those songs offered more engaging moments than a lot of the songs on the set! Did anyone else chant “Sydney”?

The Tortured Poets Department/ Anthology may have been released a few months ago but it felt like they were songs we had been chanting out loud for years! But Daddy I Love Him was beautifully epic! These songs are no longer new to Swifties. 31 songs, you better believe we know them all by heart already! After all, these songs are part of the incredible journey we have been more than happy to be a part of since the beginning.

The most eagerly anticipated moment comes from the acoustic surprise song section! Fans speculate this before every show! Not a fan of dorothea prior to the show, I did find a new love for it after and it was great with its It’s Nice to Have a Friend mash up! The second and last song from the Speak Now era, Taylor took to the piano for a stunning rendition of Haunted which blended in and out of exile. Haunted was a particularly special moment for me as she didn’t perform it on her European leg of the Speak Now tour nor did she play Mean so I am yet to get that song too!

Closing with the Midnights era, songs like Anti-hero were stupendous and one of the last crowd chanting moment of the evening along with Bejewelled. Closing with Karma, it felt fitting seeing as this tour has sold out every show in a ridiculous amount of stadiums across the world and is something that those who mistreated her in past business deals, don’t get to be a part of! With Taylor Swift being the biggest name in the music industry right now and practically being the music industry, I bet there’s a lot of “kicking themselves” moments going on.

Despite recent press quotes stating other artists thinking a three hour show is ridiculous, it didn’t even feel that long. The time went so fast. With so much material to choose from, we could have easily handled much more and not even broken a sweat! There isn’t a Swift song us Swiftie’s don’t know word for word and that’s including some of the OG unreleased tracks that we shouldn’t even really know about!

The stage setting was visually stunning throughout, the costume changes spectacular! The dancers, the band, every part of the show was mind blowing and couldn’t have been done without each and every person involved. There was no expense spared. Swift wanted to ensure she gave her fans the best value for money as if an impressive three hour plus show wasn’t enough.

It’s the era’s tour so of course we got to relive each era but sadly that didn’t include debut which hurt a little as is an incredibly nostalgic album for me as have been a fan since it’s release. However, having been to the Fearless tour numerous times where she performed many songs from Debut, I can’t complain.

Taylor’s past tours were phenomenal, I loved every moment of them and it’s incredibly hard to compare them to this as the arena shows were more intimate and Taylor was more innocent with her loveable awkward dancing and goofy personality. They were also more engaging because they could be, it was a smaller event. That being said, even in a stadium she can make each person feel part of something really special, that’s just part of Taylor’s charm, she has this amazing ability to make every fan feel like family!

The Era’s tour was a magical, mystical masterpiece and a truly celebratory moment of her entire career. Phenomenal, inspiring, and wonderfully enchanting, there isn’t a moment that you aren’t captivated by and she makes you want to go to the tour again and again. We were in Swiftie land and we didn’t want to leave!

Even on the next day you would see people everywhere wearing Taylor Swift merchandise. Even some of the buses were covered in Tortured Poets Department advertisements. This is how big she has got now.

Long Live the walls we crashed through as Swifties. Taylor, we had the time of our lives with you and we can still make the whole place shimmer!

If you’re a Swiftie, check out my friends book Into The Taylor- Verse here