RiverBender Blog: I Went to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour

This weekend, my friend managed to snag us tickets to the Taylor Swift concert. And so the adventure began.

Love her or hate her, it’s undeniable that Swift puts on an awesome show. She is currently on the Eras Tour, which means she is performing songs from each of her eleven albums.

My friends and I loaded into the car at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning and began the four-hour drive to Indianapolis, singing along to Swift’s music and practically vibrating with excitement.

We had done a lot of research to properly prepare for this concert. In the weeks leading up to the big day, we made friendship bracelets to trade, listened to every album, meticulously planned our outfits. Now here we were, en route to Indiana, and we were ready.

We arrived at our hotel at 1 p.m. EST. The concert started at 7. We had six hours to get ready, and we were absolutely going to take every second of that time.

Getting dressed for the show was half of the fun. We blared Taylor Swift music as we pulled on tights, laced up our boots, curled our hair, slathered on full faces of makeup.

I’d say we probably annoyed our next door neighbors with the music, except the entire hotel was sold out with other guests who had traveled to see this show. We passed girls in the hotel lobby who were wearing merchandise, glitter in their hair, their arms stacked with friendship bracelets. Everyone was on Cloud Nine, and we were in on the excitement.

At 4 p.m., we left our hotel and drove to Lucas Oil Stadium. There were thousands — literally thousands — of people milling outside the stadium, taking pictures with a giant projection of Swift on a nearby building. Lucas Oil Stadium can seat 69,000 people and it was a sold-out show.

The outfits were half the fun! We passed people in head-to-toe jewels, outrageous dresses, skin-tight suits. Glitter and sequins reigned supreme.

Once inside the stadium, it was pure chaos. There were 69,000 people in line for food and merch, searching for their seats, taking pictures. We stood in a line for two full hours to buy a t-shirt. That might sound ridiculous, unless you’re a Swiftie, and then you get it.

With any other group of people, the stress might have been too much. But with my buddies, we were having the time of our lives. Even as my feet ached in my too-small shoes and the line shuffled forward inch by inch, I was grinning so hard my face hurt. We traded beaded bracelets with a girl wearing a hand-made tiara. We speculated which songs Swift would play. We had the time of our lives.

I would say more about the actual concert, except I blacked out as soon as it started and only came to when everyone was screaming their applause at the very end. It was that good.

The show stays the same every time, except Swift plays two “surprise songs” toward the very end. This time around, she mashed up “Cornelia Street” and “The Bolter,” then followed it with a combination of “Death By a Thousand Cuts” and “The Great War.” Absolutely stellar choices. We shrieked the lyrics along with the crowd and joined in on the thunderous applause.

And then just like that, the show was over, and 69,000 people were released onto the streets of Indianapolis. It would’ve been overwhelming, except every one of those people were in fantastic moods.

We danced all the way back to the car. Even in the stress of navigating Indy’s crowded one-ways, nothing could put a damper on our attitudes.

I don’t know how Swift plays sold-out stadium shows for 3 ½ hours every weekend, because I’m exhausted just from attending it. We collapsed into the hotel beds and slept hard until 8 a.m. the next morning, when we pulled on our new merch, trudged downstairs for a complimentary breakfast, and got on the road.

Two days later, I’m still listening exclusively to Taylor Swift music and reliving the show every time I close my eyes. This was Swift’s last show in the U.S., and there’s no telling when she’ll go on tour again. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to attend with some of my best friends.

Now we’re just patiently waiting for the next album. Whenever you’re ready for it, Taylor.

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