Gracie Bonaventure
Staff Writer
The Eras Tour holds the impressive title of being the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, bringing in over $1 billion. This begs the question, what has made this tour so successful?
One factor in the tour’s huge success was new content; Taylor Swift released one new album, “The Tortured Poets Department” and re-released “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” which resulted in over twenty fresh songs that were added to the setlist. The continued development of material caused the performance to change, as new songs, choreography and costumes were added. This created renewed curiosity and resulted in people who previously attended the show returning, looking forward to a different experience. Swift capitalized on this by performing two “surprise” songs every night, to spark the audience’s interest, keep them engaged throughout the entire performance, and leave them wanting more.
Additionally, the production aspect of the Eras Tour was also a huge contributor to the large profit margin. The production value of each performance was around $2 million. This budget addressed things such as costume changes, which occurred sixteen times, as well as lighting, projections, sets, crew, and special effects. Concerts, over time, have increased in technicality and production value. Swift, however, took this to another level. “The production aspects were stunning,” freshman Hannah Blake said. “My favorite was the opening sequence; it wasn’t just music. There were dancers and the costumes matched perfectly.”
She explained how her favorite part of the show was the seamless transitions, which were so engaging. Elements such as an animated snake during the introduction of the Reputation Era and a house featured in the Lover Era, dynamically engage the audience; every sense is involved when watching the Era’s Tour.
Her ability to break boundaries and raise the bar has also brought the Eras Tour much attention. Swift is the first and only artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year four times. She has won 324 out of the over 500 awards she has been nominated for. She has continued to re-release all of her albums with vault tracks and titling them (Taylor’s Version), except for the album Reputation. This allows for the rights and profits to be in her possession. Because of her continual domination of the music industry, she draws attention and keeps the spotlight on her achievements.
Lastly, Swift’s long career has been riddled with awards, accolades, criticism, and crisis, but her fan base has never wavered. Known as Swifties, these followers dress up as their favorite “Era” exchange friendship bracelets at the concert, and follow her content religiously. Arguably, they are the biggest contributor to the success of the tour, for without their full participation. The Eras Tour and associated concert film could have never accrued such massive wealth or ascended to such heights
Freshman Kathryn Almond explained that Swift’s fans set this concert apart from others she’s attended.
“Everyone is so enthusiastic,” she said. “That’s what really made it different; everyone dressed up and was so excited to be there. The place was just electric.”
Taylor Swift herself has addressed her fanbase, calling them “friends” and explaining that she produces work with them in mind; she stated, “I never want to change so much that people can’t recognize me.”
