This Summer, I had the privilege of being able to attend the Eras Tour, at Taylor Swift’s first show in Cardiff.

 Taylor Swift is one of the most popular and influential artists of our time, amassing over one hundred million listeners per month. Therefore, it is no secret that her concerts are extremely difficult to book tickets to, with some people waiting in digital queues for hours to buy them. And that’s not even mentioning the prices! That’s why when I received the news over a year ago that my aunt had managed to buy not one, not two, but four tickets to the Eras Tour in Cardiff for herself, my sister, my cousin and I to go, I was ecstatic. 

 When we arrived in Cardiff the day of the concert, it was easy to tell that there was a Taylor Swift concert going on. The vicinity of the stadium was infested with people wearing pink, blue and purple clothes, sparkly dresses and skirts and gems in their hair or on their face. In addition, restaurants and shops around the city had put up pink signs and banners to celebrate the occasion, some even offering discounts for people going to the concert. It was heartwarming to see so many people so excited for the same event. It felt as if we all had a connection, as if we all were linked through this concert, despite the fact that we likely wouldn’t see each other again afterwards.

 Arriving at the stadium was an exciting experience as well. As soon as we entered, the atmosphere felt charged with the audience’s anticipation, as the stands filled up. Once I had found my seat, I began to take in just how many people were there. Thousands of people were seating themselves, almost all of them in bright, colourful outfits. There were many different groups of fans there to watch. Families, friends, couples, even people who had arrived by themselves;everyone was ecstatic and awaiting the start of the concert, staring at the large screen at the back of the stage.

 Before Taylor came on, however, we watched the opening act, performed by the band Paramore. I had never listened to Paramore before the concert, but I was enthusiastic to see their performance, nonetheless. They did not disappoint! The band played nine songs, and put their heart and soul into each one of them. The band’s lead vocalist, Hayley Williams, put everything she could into her songs, and anyone could tell how enthusiastic she was to be part of the opening act from her energetic dancing and demeanour, and that’s not even mentioning the rest of the band! Every member looked ecstatic to be there, and their excitable energy radiated off of them, infecting the crowd. 

 The team continued to give us a feeling of expectancy as the minutes counted down to Taylor’s first appearance on stage. With two minutes till the show started, a clock appeared to count down the seconds until the show started. The lights dimmed, the crowd cheered, and the air was thick with anticipation. The clock reached zero, a cheer erupted (some parts of the crowd even chanting Taylor’s name) and the show began.

 The show itself was truly a magical experience. The vocals, the visuals, the choreography, every part of the show was full of thought and the sheer effort the team put into it. Taylor herself was amazing, and it was extremely impressive how she performed for three hours straight, and still managed to put in every ounce of effort she could. Every note, every step oozed with her passion for the stage;the wide smile on her face as she performed betrayed how delighted she was to be there. 

 Every era that Taylor performed in the show had its own atmosphere and feel. For example, during Red, the screen lit up with red borders around Taylor’s face, and her clothes were changed to casual clothing that befitted the tone of the album. During Reputation, there was lots of snake imagery on the screen and the stage (in line with the album’s themes). While The Tortured Poet’s Department was being performed, the screen and the stage projected black and white visuals, and all the performers wore black and white outfits.

  Every audience member was given a bracelet that lit up according to the songs, creating patterns across the crowd, such as hearts during ‘Love Story’ and snakes during ‘Look What You Made Me Do’. The screen lit up with different visual effects, either displaying Taylor’s face as she sang or clips accompanying the songs. In between transitions to different albums, the screen would show enchanting transitions to hype the audience up for their favourite songs while Taylor prepared herself. The outfits for each era were impeccably designed and stitched, some sparkly, some colourful, some dark, and all of them fitting the theme of each album perfectly. The choreography was gorgeous, as Taylor and her backup dancers were perfectly in sync, moving along flawlessly with the songs Taylor sang. My favourite visuals were during Reputation, the segment exhibiting black and white lights on the floor, and the screen showing snakes when it wasn’t showing Taylor wonderfully dancing, along with her backup dancers and belting out every note with passion.

 Before Taylor performed the last era (Midnights), she played an acoustic segment which comprised four songs, songs that change during every concert. In this concert, she played ‘I Forgot You Existed’ and ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ on the guitar, and played a rendition of ‘The Lakes’ and ‘I Hate It Here’ on the piano, intertwining the two. This was one of my favourite segments, as every note felt personal, and filled with emotion and love.

 The show came to a close with the last segment and the last era, ‘Midnights’. Near the ending, Taylor introduced her phenomenal backup dancers and backup vocalists, before they took a bow together and exited the stage.

 This concert is an experience that has become one of my core memories. Every aspect was thought out, every visual effect timed perfectly, and every song full of life. The feeling of being a part of the crowd, knowing that everyone was just as excited as me to be there, was one that I will never forget.