The Eras Tour is not immune to controversy

by SOPHIA TOMPKINS

Staff Writer

According to the Associated Press, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has grossed $1.04 billion and boosted local economies across the globe, but some fans—those who wrongly feel they are entitled to Swift’s attention—have negatively clouded the cultural feat with incessant complaints.

Before Swift had even stepped on stage, the tour kicked off with a fight between Ticketmaster and fans. Some waited hours just to be kicked out of the queue. Others who were able to snag tickets were met with high ticket fees by Ticketmaster. Those frustrated took to social media to share their experiences, often stating that it felt too much like the title of track 14 on “Midnights,” “The Great War.” 

Following the Swiftie outrage, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the company’s dominance in the industry. But the controversy did not stop there. The first noticeable instance that garnered international media attention was when Swift postponed Rio de Janeiro shows due to extreme heat following the death of a fan at the show. Fans were frustrated because they couldn’t stay due to work or couldn’t afford to reschedule their plane tickets. 

Shortly before Swift was supposed to have three shows in Vienna a terrorist plot was discovered and the shows were cancelled. The fans who were supposed to attend the show, now referring to themselves as Vienna Swifties, were devastated to hear the news. Many fans, including some Vienna Swifties, continued to grow frustrated as Swift started to promote the London shows without making an official statement on the cancellation. 

While Swift has comments on her personal Instagram account, many Swifties have taken to the comments of “TaylorNation,” which is essentially Swift’s public relations Instagram, stating their anger. On an Instagram post on Aug. 20, out of around 250 comments, 107 comments state that they are disappointed by the artist’s lack of a statement or comment. Other comments say that they feel ignored. This started on Aug. 5 of this year and continued until Swift posted about the cancellations on Aug. 21. 

For those who were not able to get tickets, or had to miss their show, many fans who attended a tour date live-streamed their show on social media so that others could watch it. These live streams brought even more attention to the tour. Fans grew invested in Swift’s setlists, which included two surprise songs each night, and costumes throughout the tour, and this extra documentation allowed them to observe these changes on their own.

While I was not able to attend The Eras Tour I have enjoyed watching live streams and playing “Mastermind,” a game where Swifties can guess what outfits Swift will wear and what surprise songs she will play. 

Undoubtedly, The Eras Tour has boosted Taylor Swift as an artist in many ways. Since the tour kicked off in March 2023, more people have been streaming Swift’s music than ever before. After the first 10 weeks of the Eras Tour, her streams increased by 79%. More people are listening, and with the Eras Tour concluding after over a year, fans wonder what is next for the international pop sensation. 

The Eras Tour brought so many people together in person and online, which is something Swift intended. In 2021, Swift officially canceled her Lover Fest shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While in lockdown, however, Swift released “folklore” and then “evermore,” two sister albums that took on lives of their own. She released merchandise, most famously the “folklore” cardigan, after the record’s second track, “cardigan.” Both records and their songs are titled in all lowercase, evocative of e.e. cummings and reinforcing Swift’s status as a poet in her songwriting.

Swift released three albums while on tour, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” and “The Tortured Poets Department.” She changed the set list after two of these albums were released, which invited even wider audiences to pay attention to the tour.

These re-recordings have been important to Swift and her fans because this is Swift’s attempt to own all of her masters after they were sold by Big Machine Records back in 2019 and once again in 2020. She only has two re-recordings left after “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” 

I have enjoyed the re-recording because it shows how much Swift has improved as an artist. There are also multiple songs “From the Vault” that were written back when the album was created but didn’t make the album for one reason or the other. These are fun to listen to because Swift is a very good writer and these songs showcase that even more. 

While I have enjoyed the re-recordings, some fans have complained about many different aspects. Some fans have complained about the vault tracks, saying that they are “Midnights” rejects. Others have complained about the changes in the aesthetics of the album. Most notably fans have been complaining about how “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” has a beach aesthetic rather than a city one like the “stolen version” of the album. 

According to Billboard, the tour prompted increased streams on Swift’s entire discography. The setlist songs have increased by double in weekly streams. Before the tour started Swift’s streams were 178.2 million. The first week the tour started, streams were 266.3 million. 

While Swift has not announced any new releases or plans since the release of The Tortured Poets Department in April, fans have their theories. Swift announced the release at the Grammy Awards in February, and some fans believe she has already started planting easter eggs for another announcement by the end of this tour. Some fans believe this will be her last tour. Regardless of what happens, the Swiftie Community will see a decline after the tour concludes next week in Vancouver on Dec. 8.

This tour is ending, and while I believe that the Swifties will calm down and get quiet for a little bit, I am excited to see what Swift has in store in the future.