Students headed to AT&T Stadium to catch Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour appearance in Arlington, Texas on March 31-April 2.

After nearly five years since her last tour, Taylor Swift returned to the stage with an unusual twist. Instead of focusing on one album, her concert featured each of her music eras, totaling around 45 songs in a 3 ½ hour show. 

“The entire week before the concert, all I could think about was seeing Taylor for the first time so close,” Ansley Denison, senior, said. “I’ve been a fan of her for so long, so getting that opportunity gave me so much nervous energy.”

As she revisited each of her 10 albums, Swift kept the audience engaged through costume changes, props, sets, dances, and moving platforms. Unlike other artists, she even switches up which songs she plays. For example, her song “the 1” from her Folklore album made its performance debut on night one of her Arlington appearance. “Her outfits were incredible, but I think the best one was the Folklore flowy dress she wore,” Denison said. “She looked magical.”

One special tradition that Swift does is an acoustic performance of two of her songs, having stated none of these songs will be featured more than once throughout the entirety of her tour. This has fans crossing off songs she plays acoustically and predicting which songs she will sing next. During her time in Texas, Swift sang “Sad Beautiful Tragic” and “Ours” on night one, “Death By A Thousand Cuts” and “Clean” on night two, and finished with “The Lucky One” and “Jump Then Fall” on night three. 

“Taylor Swift is one of the only artists who mastered multiple genres ranging from pop songs about revenge to slow guitar pieces telling a story about love,” Kate Mansfield, junior, said. “She has managed to create a brand for herself that appeals to almost everyone, which is something many artists haven’t achieved.”

Another unique aspect of the tour has been exchanging friendship bracelets between fans. Swifties will arrive with beaded bracelets decorated with song lyrics, album titles, or inside jokes to trade with others they meet at the concert. 

“Trading friendship bracelets at the concert was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had,” Mansfield said. “It was a way for people of all backgrounds to meet each other and bond in such a special way otherwise not possible.”

Performed in a sold-out AT&T stadium, the concert’s energy was high with all 70,000 fans singing and dancing along each night.

“Being in a stadium full of thousands of people with the same love and energy for Taylor was incredible,” Denison said. “[It was] truly an unforgettable experience.”

With around 20 total stops and over 28 shows, Swift will continue to perform this legendary show until August and will return to Texas in Houston April 22.