The Eras Tour has arrived in the UK and it is nothing short of spectacular writes Zara Hill who came all the way from London, staying overnight in Newcastle to attend the Taylor Swift concert with her mum.
The Eras Tour has taken the world by storm, and Swift’s three-and-a-half-hour show did not fall short of a spectacle at its UK opener at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium.
Taylor Swift stole the hearts of 73,000 “Swifties” on Saturday night as she took them on an entertaining journey through ten “eras” of her impressive long-standing career.
Starting off with “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince”, an upbeat anthem from her 2019 album “Lover”, opening with the lyrics “It’s been a long time coming”. Indeed, it has been a long time coming for Scottish fans as it has been almost a decade since she took her 1989 World Tour to Glasgow in 2015.
This did not go unnoticed by Swift as she admitted “My one regret is that I really should have come to play in Scotland
more” which was welcomed by a loud roar from the crowd.
Era through era, Taylor delivered a performance of a lifetime, making use of all areas of her massive stage. Her stamina and ability is something to be admired as she gave her all for every tune, with the Swifties following suit. I found myself gasping for air on multiple
occasions.
Another moment that left us breathless was during her Folklore/Evermore set where the song “Champagne Problems” concluded with a 3-minute standing ovation and some impressive cheering that prompted Taylor to remove her in-ears and take it all in. It felt like a real “I’ve made it” moment for her as the crowd grew louder and louder and there were no signs of stopping.
Although this was an unbelievably happy moment, I couldn’t ignore my suffering vocal cords from cheering so loud and for so long. The show was studded with so many magical moments outside of the setlist. One being a marriage proposal which Taylor acknowledged after “Cardigan”, praising the Scottish daylight hours for allowing her to notice the celebration.
While a three hour setlist is bound to have moments of lull, Taylor cleverly crafts hers to be a perfect mix of dance-anthems such as Shake if Off from her 1989 “era” and heartbreaking belters such as “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” and “illicit affairs” to name a few. While Swifties who know all songs are having a field day with the breadth of genres, those who may be only familiar with her radio hits were never too far away from a popular bop.
The famous acoustic section of the concert came around too quickly after her newly added “The Tortured Poets Department” era. I had been nervous for the ‘Surprise Songs’ as the thought of her singing a song which I wasn’t as familiar with filled me with dread. I had also perfected a list of my dream songs for her to sing, so I was hoping she would sing at least one of the 10 I had selected for her.
Starting on the guitar, the first chords were not identifiable, however, when she sang the first line of “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”, the
stadium truly went wild and screamed the lyrics back to a smiling Taylor. This was perfectly mixed with 1989’s “I Know Places” but a caring Taylor stopped singing to help a fan-in-need, but comedically kept strumming the guitar saying “I could do this all night”.
The brisk Scottish air put a spanner in the works, causing Taylor’s hand to cramp up. Again, another comedic addition to the surprise mashup. While she adjusted her “claw”, the stadium filled with giggles before she was able to carry on a few moment later. Moving onto the piano set, the crowd erupts as she begins to sing evermore’s “tis the damn season” – a song victimised by a setlist cut to make space for the new album.
These screams were heightened as she began to mash it up with Lover’s “Daylight”, a song that was on my previously mentioned list. I was very happy. The final era, “Midnights” was a spectacle of shimmer, dazzling dance moves and impressive stage graphics. With it only just getting dark past 10pm, the flashing wristbands for Scotland’s highest attended concert in history lit up Edinburgh’s sky. With “Karma” closing the show with fireworks and bright lights, the show came to as big a finale as its opening, leaving our hearts full and fans already waiting for the next tour.
Eras were lived, tears were shed and bracelets were traded. We thank Taylor for opening up her tour to Edinburgh and the rest of the UK, and we can’t wait for her return.
