As a Detroit night one Eras Tour attendee, I successfully survived The Great War of Ticketmaster, spent almost three months deciding on an outfit, and ultimately was able to attend a show that was part of the first leg of the Eras Tour. While my night only had a few minor mishaps, I have created a foolproof guide to attending The Eras Tour to make your show as seamless as possible. Whether you already have tickets or are still manifesting that you’ll be The Lucky One, I hope your experience is as Enchanted as it can be. Here are my top 13 tips for attending The Eras Tour:
- Arrive Early
If you take anything from this guide, one of the most important things to make the night as seamless as possible is to arrive early. I attended a show in late June, so it was very hot outside, and there were about 60,000 fans in attendance. I was grateful that my friends found an entrance that was not as crowded, as we were one of the first 30 people in line. We were able to get inside the stadium less than ten minutes after the doors opened, and had 2 hours to explore the stadium before the openers came on. The last thing you want to do is underestimate how much traffic there will be, or how long it will take for you to get ready, and risk missing the Lover set, which happened to be one of my favourite aspects of the show because you could feel the energy all around you.
- Bring a Clear Bag
With many venues having clear bag policies, this is something you may want to purchase before the day of the concert. There are many options available on Amazon, ranging from $10-$25. While you don’t necessarily need to bring a bag, because of how long the show is, it is not a bad idea. Some things I brought to the Eras Tour included a portable charger, bracelets to trade, my passport, a card holder, and makeup. You could also bring a portable fan, earplugs, tissues, hand sanitizer, a water bottle, and extra hair elastics. I recommend looking at the policies the venue puts out for each show, as there are different bag requirements for each stadium.
- Stay Hydrated/Eat
When it’s all said and done, the entire Eras Tour experience may last 4-10 hours depending on how early you get there and what time you are able to leave the stadium. It is so important to stay hydrated and eat some food, especially if you will be on your feet all night long. You do not want to miss out on having a great time because you did not fuel your body or stay hydrated, especially when you may be waiting outside for a long time.
- Bring a Portable Charger
This is your reminder to bring a portable charger to the venue or purchase one beforehand if you do not own one already. Even if you know your phone will last the entire night, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I ended up using mine for half of the show, as I had used my phone for most of the day. If you are getting picked up from the venue or need to get in contact with someone after the show, your phone should be charged. It is much easier to have a portable charger on you than to search for one in the stadium!
- Make Sure you Have Phone Storage
While I did not have this issue during my show, the last thing you want to happen is to not have enough storage to record your favourite song or moment at your show. I tried my best to live in the moment as much as possible, but I did take a good amount of pictures and videos because it was something I wanted to look back on for years to come. But if you are someone who likes to record almost every single part of the concert, don’t forget to clear up some storage!
- Find a Designated Pick up Spot
A lot of people underestimate just how many people are actually at each stop of the Eras Tour. I have attended many sports games and lots of concerts in the past, but this was the largest crowd I have ever seen leaving a stadium all at once. It was very tight and hard to go anywhere other than where everyone else was going. It was also dark out, so if you are getting picked up after the concert, that may pose a challenge. To make this process easier, determine one or two designated pick up spots for after the concert so that if one happens to be blocked off, you have another area to go, rather than just standing around the venue. Always remember to stay with your group as well, especially if it is your first time in that city, as it may be difficult to navigate at night.
- Have a Backup Outfit
Finding an outfit for the Eras Tour was one of my favourite things I got to do leading up to the show. I ended up choosing to dress up as the Fearless era, as it was during that era when I first started listening to Taylor Swift as a kid. I chose a gold, frilly sequin dress paired with white cowboy boots. What I failed to realize was that with all the dancing and jumping I’d be doing, cowboy boots may not have been the best option for shoes. They looked amazing in pictures, but halfway through the concert I ended up taking them off because of how uncomfortable they were. So, my best advice would be to choose two outfits for the tour, and then the day of the concert you can figure out which one you want to wear and which one you would feel most comfortable in. You might also just not like how something fits or looks the day of the tour, so if you have a backup outfit, you will be ready to go and will not be panicking about what to wear hours before the concert.
- Have Your Tickets Downloaded and Ready to go
This is just a quick reminder to have your ticket(s) downloaded and ready to go before you enter the stadium. Although I did have data and my tickets were already on my phone, I was freaking out as the doors were opening because we were very close to the front of the line, and my ticket was not loading at all. Luckily, about two seconds before it was my turn to scan my ticket, it loaded, so I was able to go in with no problems. Not being able to get into the venue should be the least of your worries, so just have your ticket ready as soon as the doors open.
- Make The Friendship Bracelets
One of my most memorable experiences at The Eras Tour was trading bracelets with complete strangers, as well as friends I attended the concert with. This was the first concert I attended where the fans collectively came together and added an aspect to the tour that brought people together. Trading bracelets was a great conversation starter, and I still talk to some of the people I met at the tour to this day. I recommend starting to make them a month or so before your tour date, as I made close to 50 bracelets 2-3 days before the concert, and by that point, a lot of the beads in stores in my area were sold out.
- Decide What Merch you Want Beforehand
As someone who really wanted Eras Tour merch, I did spend forty-five minutes in a crowded entryway in Ford Field for a t-shirt and a blue crewneck. While most dates have pre-concert merch sales around the stadium, I attended a show across a border, so I waited until the day of the concert to purchase my merch. Forty-five minutes felt like nothing as there were people that had to wait hours upon hours to get theirs in other cities. One thing I noticed was that when people would get to the front, some would spend up to ten minutes deciding at the last minute what they wanted to purchase. If you know which pieces you want beforehand, it may make the lines move a little quicker, and you will have more time to explore the stadium, take lots of pictures, and not miss any of the incredible openers at the shows!
- Know The Chants!
One of my favourite parts of The Eras Tour were the chants that everyone in the stadium would say at the same time. Some of the best chants were the Delicate chant, the Bad Blood chant, the Anti-Hero chant, and the You Belong with Me clap, just to name a few. While there are some more niche chants, if you know at least a couple of the ones I mentioned, you’re already more prepared than the average person. You can find videos explaining these chants on Youtube, Tiktok, and Instagram or you can read about them online if you are unsure what they mean.
- Listen to Every Single Song on the Setlist if you Have not Already!
While this one seems like a no-brainer, at my concert, I noticed a few people around me that were seated for the entirety of the Folklore and Evermore sets simply because they had no idea those albums even existed. While there is no shame in not knowing every single song and every single lyric to the 3 and a half hour show, I do think if you know the majority of the songs, you’ll have a lot more fun! In the months leading up to my show, I would frequently listen to an Eras Tour setlist so that I could become even more familiar with each song as there were some I listened to more than others.
- Have fun!
At the end of the day, rather than worrying about every little thing that could go wrong, the most important thing to remember is to “take the moment and taste it,” as Taylor would say. Not everyone is fortunate enough to attend this tour, or any concert for that matter. No matter where you’re sitting, how your pictures and videos turned out or what merch you were able to secure, or what surprise songs you got, just know that there are many people that would have loved to attend this tour, and as long as you’re having fun that’s all that matters. You get to be in the same room as Taylor and get to hear songs that span across 16 years of her career, you’ve already won!