Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was the talk of the summer, selling out stadiums across America for six months straight. As a Taylor Swift superfan, I watched the tour on TikTok live streams in March when the shows started all the way up until the very end of the tour in August. I was blessed by my friend who told me two weeks before the Pittsburgh show that she had an extra ticket and wanted to know if I’d like to come with her to see the show. Without thinking, I automatically said yes, hands shaking and heart racing. I didn’t even have a passport and with two weeks until the show, I had a lot of planning to do. By the same time next day, I had an expedited passport, planned an outfit for the show and was making a ton of friendship bracelets in preparation for what I knew would be the best day of my life. And it was. Here are my tips to have the most seamless Eras Tour experience, limiting your time in lines, finding the best outfit and having the overall best experience.
Finding an Outfit
The Eras Tour is basically a fashion show or a costume contest. Everyone chooses an era, a Taylor Swift reference or something along these lines to show up in. The easiest Eras to dress for and what I saw the most was definitely Lover or Reputation, which either involves a lot of pastel pinks and purples or a lot of red, black and snakes. Getting creative for this is extremely fun and shouldn’t be too stressful but keep in mind the show is over three hours long and comfort is key. I wore cowboy boots which personally worked for me but did keep my feet sweaty and a little hard to walk in after the show. Keep weather, comfort and the longevity of the concert in mind when choosing what to wear because nothing is worse than feeling uncomfortable while trying to enjoy the show.
Buying Merchandise
Prior to attending the concert, I had seen the insane merch lines inside the venue and people giving advice on when the best times to buy their sweatshirts were. As someone who saw those lines first-hand, I will assure you not to get caught up in buying merch before the show. They sold out of specific items so quickly and carrying around the merch bag to your seat is not fun when you’re trying to sing and dance. After the show is an option, however getting out of the venue is tricky enough that spending time purchasing items may not want to be done at 11 p.m. One trick is that they actually sell merchandise the day before the first show in the city your show is playing in at the venue. My friend and I ended up getting to the merch trucks around 7 p.m. the day before the concert and waited less than half an hour for our merch, as the trucks closed at 8 p.m. They were fully stocked at this point and less people showed up toward the end of the night, as they cut the line off around 7:45 p.m.
Bathroom lines
One of the very real issues with the Eras Tour is the fact that the show itself is over three hours of Taylor performing, not to mention the opening acts that are amazing as well. In Pittsburgh, the first opener went on around 6:30 p.m., Taylor starting at 8 p.m. and ending just after 11 p.m. That means for over four hours, you are standing squished between people, dancing and screaming loudly along. One of the things we did in order to ensure we did not miss a minute of the show was to show up when the venue opened, for us it was around 4:30 p.m. We only waited about 30 minutes to get into the venue and used the washrooms right away which ensured small lines. During the show, we shared one water bottle the entire show, sipping each time we got slightly thirsty. This ensured we not only didn’t miss the show but also didn’t have to wait in long bathroom lines.
Recording videos
The Eras Tour may have been the first concert I went to where I barely recorded the actual show. This was because I had seen so many videos of the show itself prior to my June show, as it was all over TikTok. I didn’t want to record videos from the 500 level if I could just watch the same video recorded by someone else in the front row later. Rather, I recorded my reactions to many of my favorite songs because watching the reactions of myself was much more fulfilling than watching the actual concert. It reminds me how happy I was that day and I find myself rewatching the few videos I did take more than any other videos of shows I’d seen before. It also ensures you can sing along and dance, enjoying the present moment rather than recording the whole thing.
In order to fully enjoy this show, you need to really emerge yourself into the experience. Dress up as extremely as you can; everyone else will be dressed up as well. Make and trade friendship bracelets even if you are timid to approach people, everyone at this show is extremely friendly and willing to do the same. Sing and dance as loudly as you can, don’t be afraid to cry and enjoy every single moment of this amazing three-hour show. With this, you’ll not only have a seamless experience but also have experienced one of the best days of your life.