Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium

As they trade friendship bracelets and delicately place last-minute gems on each other’s faces, London’s Swifties descend into Wembley Stadium in all their glittering glory. One could spot them a mile off, their cowboy boots clacking and beaded wrists jangling; the community in their costume means there’s no strangers around tonight, just 80,000 friends here for the same reason.

Taylor Swift is a contemporary icon. However good you’ve heard The Eras Tour is, double that, and double it again. It is a humongous event with an unheard-of runtime of three hours 20 minutes, spanning 18 years of music across ten albums. Each era gets its own time, complete with themed outfit and set changes – the snakes of Reputation slither into the woods of Folklore and Evermore, and the neon lights of 1989 flicker into the greyscale decadence of The Tortured Poets Department. No one can ever say that Taylor Swift does anything half-heartedly.

Lover era gets the opening spot and the crowd responds with earthquake like vigour, with the bridge of Cruel Summer so highly revered in her discography. Fearless is next and it’s the most nostalgic part of the night. Hearing the title track, You Belong with Me and Love Story back-to-back may just be life-changing for anyone who can remember the 2010s.

As we move through the albums, Swift does not miss a beat. She is the epitome of professionalism, performing with heart, never fearing the dramatics, and leaning into the aura of each era perfectly. Whether it’s the hard-eyed, pumped-up moves in …Ready for It?, the wind swept twirls in August, or the marching band stomps in The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, the singer gives it her everything, and the fans give it back.

With such a range of songs performed, picking a favourite moment of the night is near impossible. But after Champagne Problems the stadium erupts into an over seven-minute standing ovation, the volume so insane that many had to plug their ears. For those who hadn’t realised it yet, it then became undoubtable — this tour is history in the making.

Taylor Swift has reached levels of reverence that are deeper than just releasing good music. Each era has been a soul-shaking success, both commercially and intimately with her fans, and to put them all together into one night is beyond comprehension. The Eras Tour drills home the basic fact that, since she debuted in 2006, she has done it every time. She is inimitable, unstoppable, unbeatable. And she’s not done yet.

Talitha Stowell

For further information and future events visit Taylor Swift’s website here.

Watch the video for Fortnight featuring Post Malone here: