The remarkable first leg of Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” came to a close on August 9th in Los Angeles after five months on the road for 53 memorable shows. It was a heartwarming and electrifying experience for everyone – making an impact on all in attendance or viewing on live streams. Fans, both new and old, had spent a long time waiting for this tour.
“There’s so many words to describe it,” Lambert AP Environmental Science teacher Mrs. Helm said. “I got to go with my sister and my best friend, and they’re two most important people in my life so going with them was definitely like a special experience.”
The 3 hour-long show revisits some of the singer’s greatest hits and emotional ballads across nine of her albums. With beautiful stage design, intricate props and fun choreography, the show is a spectacle for the eyes. However, it’s not just that; Helm believes one of the best aspects of the show is the dedication of all of the Swifties in attendance. As Swift croons on stage, fans sing and dance alongside the acclaimed artist, making people feel connected with such a massive group of people.
While on tour, she’s also re-recording her first 6 albums. After losing the rights to her masters to Scooter Braun, Swift was devastated. This meant that companies would go through Braun to use her music and he would gain a massive chunk of profit. This sale was extremely detrimental for the artist as Braun had worked directly against her in many instances. In response,she re-released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)”. The most recent of these re-recordings was “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” which was released on July 7th. The record flew off the shelves and debuted at number 1 on the billboard charts. For Swifties who witnessed the first release of this album, this was the epitome of nostalgia.
“As soon as the album was released, I bought it off iTunes,” Mrs. Helm explained. “I guess it’s just nice to relive old memories by listening to the songs… It’s always nice to connect, go back, listen to songs, and remember this song reminds me of this time of my life. So it’s almost like a nice little trip down memory lane.”
For Swifties getting to experience the release of these albums for the first time, it’s very exciting and new. These albums that are so beloved by a majority of fans get to see a new light and a new sound. People can revisit aesthetics, listen to older songs and attach their own memories to these adored songs.
“It’s a lot more different because you really have to be there to feel how exciting it is for one of her older albums to be released,” Lambert sophomore Sahithi Rajaludevi said. “We were very young when the original versions were released. We didn’t really know. So it’s really exciting to get the opportunity to experience the excitement of Taylor re-releasing her older music as she’s on tour.”
Rajaludevi became a fan of Swift in the summer of 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Around that time, Swift released her two sister albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore.” When she went to The Eras tour, as many young fans did, she felt a unique attachment with many of Swift’s older music.
Beyond the re-release of “Speak Now” and while on tour, Taylor Swift managed to release two music videos, a remix and the “Til Dawn” edition of her hit album “Midnights.”
As the Eras Tour takes on the rest of the world, there is much more in store for Swifties. On August 9, Swift announced that she would be releasing the re-recording of her best-selling album “1989.” Fans are eagerly anticipating this new endeavor as many look forward to whatever Taylor Swift has up her sleeve.
