I travelled from the North East to see Taylor Swift in concert four times this summer – and it was the best money I’ve ever spent.
If you asked any self-proclaimed Swiftie – it had truly been a long time coming, and we were all ready for it by the time The Eras Tour came to perform for her devoted British fans in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London.
After I snagged my tickets, I waited almost a year for Nashville pop megastar Taylor Swift to make her way to Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh for a three-day stint from June 7-9 after kicking off her Eras Tour extravaganza in the US back in March 2023.
I was lucky enough to be joined by my friend and fellow self-confessed Taylor Swift mega fan Olivia and around 150 friendship bracelets for what was expected to be the experience of a lifetime.
We had made the pile of bracelets and perfected our outfits in preparation for two nights at Murrayfield, followed by two more in August at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London.
But even before I hopped in the car in Darlington to make my way up to Scotland for my first shows and my first time ever seeing her live, I did have people asking me a barrage of questions.
My accumulated friends
They would say: She’s so overrated, why do you like her so much? Don’t you think it’s a waste of money? Seeing her four times... are you crazy?
Alas, even now after I’ve returned from my Eras Tour summer, I still face the same questions – which I no doubt will continue to hear as time goes on.
However, much to everyone’s disappointment, I have to say that it was the best money I’ve ever spent and I wouldn't change a thing.
For anyone who doesn’t know or understand the format or point of the tour, I’ll give you a quick rundown.
Ten out of eleven of Swift’s albums are represented on the tour from Fearless which includes the smash hit single Love Story which peaked at number 2 on the UK charts in 2009, all the way up to her latest release The Tortured Poets Department featuring fellow US star Post Malone.
Era by era, album by album, Swift transitions effortlessly through her catalogue starting with her 2019 release Lover, donning dazzling costumes with flawless production which could easily rival any music tour from the past decade.
The only difference between each show is the surprise song section. Swift performs a single (often a mashup of more than one song) on guitar and piano which could be some of the hundreds from her expansive catalogue, leaving fans speculating and guessing what they could be.
And so, after months of planning, waiting, and speculation, I found myself sitting on the grass in front of Murrayfield in the queue for front right standing at 10am on June 7 trading my friendship bracelets with other over eager Swifties up and down the queue - a few of whom were even from our neck of the woods in Newcastle.
In that time, we experienced all four seasons whilst clutching onto our drenched ponchos eagerly awaiting the moment the queue would budge and we would get our first glimpse of the stage.
At that point, I did begin to question my choices but was too committed to getting the best view of the stage as I could to back out. After all, I'd come that far and got up at silly o'clock to try and get as close as I could to the front of the queue.
In the end, we (much to my joy) ended up just feet away from Taylor at the barricade on our first night as she made her way up and down the stage, cordially waving to members of the crowd during her performance.
The following night on our second trip to The Eras Tour, we sat down in a crowd of thousands in the general admission pit and much to my surprise, began chatting to a family, who were from where? Darlington.
I was shocked by the odds as we exchanged bracelets and talked about the gig ahead of the opener, Paramore, and discussed all things Taylor including our dream surprise songs before she graced the stage.
The comradery, care and happiness you experience at the shows is like no other. I met people from across the world who I, ordinarily, would have nothing in common with but we could talk at length about Taylor Swift, our themed outfits and what we were expecting that evening.
All around you could see mums and dads who have been dragged to the show by their children, supportive boyfriends who can only sing Swift's arguably biggest 1989 hit Shake It Off and people of all ages smiling, ecstatic to be there.
Not just that - it was an extremely safe space for everyone.
At no point did I feel threatened or unsafe around my fellow Swifties, who most of the time were more focused on leading a group sing-along of All Too Well or were too busy manifesting their dream surprise songs.
After my Edinburgh shows and hearing Getaway Car as one of my surprise songs (if you know you know), I had The Eras Tour blues for two months before I travelled to London to watch my first-ever show at Wembley Stadium.
Once again, the atmosphere was a mixture of joy, anticipation and happiness as this time, from the nosebleed seats, I awaited that familiar Eras Tour introduction once again.
My second evening saw me back in the general admission pit where Taylor busted out I Did Something Bad from her 2017 album reputation (which she had never played on this tour).
I have to say, I was absolutely one of the 92,000 people in that stadium who lost their minds.
As I write this, it has been around than 24 hours since Taylor closed off her eight nights at Wembley Stadium in London - finally bringing the European leg to a close after delighting fans in Paris, Stockholm, Madrid and Warsaw to name a few.
She'll be back in Miami in mid-October to do it all again - but unfortunately, my Eras Tour experience ended on August 17.
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Having met people from the North East and as far as Washington state in America during my adventures, I know I'm not the only one who was committed to journeying hundreds of miles to see Taylor live - some would even argue it's a pilgrimage.
If you're from the North East and you are thinking of hopping a flight across the pond to see her live before the tour concludes in December, I wouldn't recommend it enough.
My Eras Tour summer (which was anything but cruel) is one I'll never forget - and I know it's an experience I'll be able to share with fellow fans from Sunderland, Darlington, Newcastle, Durham and beyond as time goes on.
And perhaps one day we could see her right here in the North East on her next (breathtaking, no doubt) tour. That may never happen... but one thing is for sure - the memories I made this year will last a lifetime.
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