Caitlin McKelvie, was thrilled to get tickets to the first of the six Taylor Swift concerts at the Rogers Centre in Toronto in November.
By Caitlin McKelvie
In the summer of 2023, my favourite music artist, Taylor Swift, announced the international dates for her famous “Eras Tour” and Canada did not make the list. However, Canadian Swifties never lost hope and were relieved when more dates were announced, including six shows in Toronto!
With the Eras Tour being in such high demand, I knew getting tickets wouldn’t be easy. Much to my own disbelief, I managed to get two tickets to the opening night in Toronto. On November 14, after a year and a half of waiting, the Eras Tour was finally in Canada!
To get to the Rogers Centre, we walked along Taylor Swift Way. The 22 street signs along the route, paid for by Rogers, are being auctioned off to raise money for the Daily Bread Food Bank. At the time of writing, more than $135K has been raised!
After an amazing performance by the opening act, Gracie Abrams, the countdown to Taylor began. The excitement amplified throughout the arena as 49,000 fans rose to their feet. I could barely hear my own voice over the cheering when the atmospheric intro began with “it’s been a long time coming.” For Toronto, as the second to last stop on the whole tour, it certainly had been a long, long time coming. Taylor acknowledged this by making sure Canadians felt appreciated. She specifically mentioned that she had always planned to bring the Eras Tour to Toronto.
Taylor also said she feels that the “folklore era belongs in Canada” since the visuals for the album were filled with forests and wilderness. This resonated with me because the beautiful lyricism of “folklore” makes it one of my favourite albums. Taylor’s ability to write poetic lyrics that are personal yet relatable is the reason I love her music. She is able to gracefully evoke emotions with her storytelling.
The whole concert she is telling a story as she moves through eight “Eras” spanning nine albums. Each Era features outfits and visuals that fit with the aesthetic of the album/albums they represent. Her versatility is on full display as she showcases her country, pop and alternative albums, each with a distinct sound.
Despite playing more than 140 shows, Taylor makes every night special with the surprise songs during the acoustic set. It is the ultimate showcase of her talent as she sings alone with only her guitar and then her piano.
The most incredible aspect of this experience to me was the sense of community I felt. While waiting for the concert to begin, I traded friendship bracelets with other fans. During the concert, it made me smile (even bigger than I already was) when I noticed others singing along with the same excitement that I felt. The Eras Tour has been an almost two-year long spectacular show of how music can bring people together. Now that it’s nearly over, I can’t wait to see what Taylor impresses the world with next.