The New Era of Concert Touring The Eras Tour Has Ushered In

As the Eras Era comes close, Taylor Swift’s concert traditions live on through the pop stars of tomorrow. 

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While the curtains may be coming to a close on the worldwide phenomenon of The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift’s legacy cultivates a new era of pop concerts.

Swift’s ambitious three-hour, 46-song trip down musical memory lane has been the name on everybody's lips since its debut in March 2023. The show has now influenced the entire concert tour industry by inspiring fans to use community-building traditions such as dressing up and living streams to connect fan bases across the music industry.  

“When I went and saw Melanie Martinez, everyone was trading friendship bracelets,” said Caroline Hyleman, a high school sophomore and a self-proclaimed “Swiftie since the womb.” “So, I think that she definitely has had an impact on everyone else in the music industry right now and their concerts.”

From ballgowns to bodysuits, Swift has changed how fans dress up for pop concerts. Gone are the days of wearing jeans and a band tee to a concert. Swift’s fans, lovingly referred to as Swifties, took the Eras tour as an opportunity to don their favorite era’s wardrobe or niche Swift reference. 

This treasured fan tradition of dressing up has carried over to other pop stars' tours over the past year including Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo’s tours respectively.

“Everyone is just complimenting each other on the little niche outfits,” Kaylee Ardinger, a massive Swiftie, said. “It's really cute.”

For those unable to attend the tour in person, maybe creators took to TikTok to live stream the shows so fans could see what costumes Swift chose to wear and what surprise songs were “lost” that night during her nightly acoustic set. 

TikTok live streams have taken over the concert world, allowing fans to keep up with their favorite artists' whereabouts and connect fans who are unable to attend shows to restraints.

“Not every night would I watch the whole thing [on livestream], but I did make sure to catch the surprise songs as often as I could,” Hyleman said. “It’s such an exciting thing.”

In October 2023, after finishing her first North American leg, Swift released the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film in theatres across the world—giving fans who were unable to see the show the opportunity to experience the performance, and those who had already seen the show live a closer look at Swift’s artistry. 

Following “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” box office success, cultural icon Beyoncé released her concert film, “Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé” in December of 2023 following her successful Renaissance World Tour. 

“Got invited to London by The Queen,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “‘Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé’ is in theaters now!!” 

Fans patiently await the final performances of The Eras Tour in Vancouver to see how Swift wraps up the recording-breaking tour, and what new precedents she will set for the pop stars of the future.

“I am not sad,” Leontine Dixon, a fan of Swift’s who attended The Eras Tour in Paris. “I feel like she is always producing and creating stuff, so it’s not the end of her doing concerts.”