Taylor Swift - The Eras Tour - A Concert of a Lifetime - Lisbon night 1

 

Introduction Our journey to the Taylor Swift concert was less than peaceful. I didn't have the coveted code to enter See Tickets, so I tried to buy tickets everywhere, and the result was that I was almost scammed. Many people were scammed, and they lost a lot of money at the expense of opportunistic and horrible people. The information about the other apps was all negative and gave no guarantees, but Sofs and I had already decided to go with or without tickets. We would be left out of the stadium in the worst-case scenario. This situation did not stop Sofs from ordering a shopping cart on Shein with clothes inspired by the Speak Now album: earrings, hooks, matching ribbon and all the material to make the friendship bracelets that Taylor Swift sings in "You're On Your Own Kid." Sofs spent many nights studying and making bracelets, and I confess that I made some too.

It's important to highlight that I was the one who wanted to go to "The Eras Tour"! When I spoke to my daughter the first time, she wasn't very interested, but I was enchanted when I saw excerpts from her concerts on TikTok, so much so that when one from her "Reputation Stadium Tour" appeared with "...Ready for it?" I was in shock. I entered a period of research to better understand this album, and I fell in love. 1989 is her ex-libris and a masterpiece. Now, reputation had passed me by at that time. The entire story surrounding this album is extraordinary. Taylor Swift has shown herself to be a very strong, resilient person with a combative spirit to be reckoned with. No one in their right mind wants to go through everything she endured; it was vile. Reputation is one of my favorite albums, and Reputation took me to Folklore, a small but giant step. I drank the elixir and never wanted to stop. Folklore is completely different from anything she has done and is another masterpiece! Evermore continues this delightful narrative; they are two sister albums created during the pandemic. Folklore determined my desire to go to the concert, whatever the cost!

The saga that followed took a few months. Sofs, who was reticent, joined her mother's bandwagon and became a fan, and shortly after, she was the one who insisted that we go to the concert. A great deal of responsibility was placed on my shoulders. She bought several albums, including the first one, and fell in love with Speak Now. Almost a week before the concert, I got tickets on another app, and we went in. We enter the day of the worst possible organization for an event of this size. It couldn't be worse! We arrived at 4:30 pm, and the doors opened at 4 p.m. There was a sign saying floor 3, but I didn't worry too much since the doors were supposedly open. We went to buy the "merch" twice. The first time my MB Way didn't work, I had to go and collect money. In my head, everything was fine, except that the only door on floor no. 3 hadn't been opened yet. We went to the line, which never ended... We stayed there for a good hour, standing in the sun. The line that was supposed to be moving was standing still, and the time passed.

In the middle of the confusion, there are always those who are smarter, and some girls, who ran to the door despite having just arrived, told us that the entrance was very small, that two or three lines were narrow, and that there were few security guards. All this after passing to the other side of the barriers. We didn't know what to do—whether we should run and go there or wait in an orderly manner in this disorganization. We chose to go to the front with many of the people who were waiting. Furthermore, we got there, and it was actually a mess; there were no longer any queues; there were just people piled on top of each other. All this at 6:15 p.m.; the band Paramore performance was at 6:30 p.m., and we wanted to see them. We stood there, and people were shouting, "We want to come in, we want to come in!" and they howled with a thunderous sound. I already thought that we weren't going to be at the beginning of the Taylor Swift concert that started at 7:30 p.m. We took a step and stopped again; the chants continued, and I screamed too. After a while, I saw some cell phones filming in front of us. I looked at the trees, and I didn't understand anything. What could happen in the trees that is so interesting? It wasn't the trees that were filming, but some people were knocking down the fence. Suddenly, people began to disappear in this portal of hope that was opening for us. I went in with the crowd, but I told Sofs that we wouldn't go in without being searched—it was a safety issue for us and for the artist. The fences were falling down all the way.

We walked like a procession, and they ordered us to stop before reaching the tunnel. At this point, there was little patience, and the chants started again. It was already known on social media that Taylor Swift's concert had been postponed, and we were hearing Paramore perform. We were all in as long as we got in before Taylor started. A short time later, the line moved and stopped; those who were taller said they were barriers. We moved forward, stopped three or four times, and came to a barrier made of security guards who formed a cordon so we wouldn't pass. I found it incredible that, in the midst of the chaos, some arms were stopping us from moving forward. They let go and joined hands again. The chants were constant. We were released at 7:40 pm and were searched, which was good. We ran to our place; it was a little far, but closer, and it was double what I paid. That's for another time.

A concert for a lifetime

We were so excited—there was a possibility that we wouldn't get in because the tickets hadn't been purchased at See Tickets—that we forgot our glow bracelets. I had to go down to get them, and when I came back, we were finally able to enjoy the concert—we couldn't believe it! Our seats were a little far away; we wouldn't see Taylor up close, but that was a given because we were on the 3rd floor and to the side. What really mattered was the concert itself and the pleasure of being there.

The music was very loud, and everyone was enjoying it and dancing. Happiness was evident in everyone's facial expressions. We exchanged friendship bracelets, waiting to hear Lady Gaga's "Applause," the last song before the concert began. When the famous countdown appeared on the screen to the sound of the show's introduction, we were in disbelief at what we were about to witness. I saw the concert at the cinema; at Disney, I saw some live streams , but being there surpassed everything. Some people were crying when she came out with "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince."

In the stadium, the sound was deafening, everyone was screaming, my eardrums suffered, and I felt a mix of euphoria and pain. It is clear that the excitement overcame everything. Next time, I'll take some precautions. She continued the Lover Era with "Cruel Summer" and the new set list due to her new album: The Tortured Poets Department. Around me, everyone knew the words—we sang, danced and jumped. I love 1989, Reputation, Folklore and Evermore, but this concert gave me the chance to know Taylor Swift's music better through her older albums and appreciate her recent work. I had never given her the relevance she deserved. Now I do!

What were the highlights of the concert? - Everything! It lasts more than 3 hours, and she sings 44 songs. The surprise songs are one of the most anticipated moments; she likes to surprise us with incredible mashups. This concert, which includes a journey through her 11 albums, is a vocal, artistic and physical performance. She presents us with a giant stage made of LCD and several screens—a main one and two smaller ones—for people like me who were on the sidelines. She sets fire to her "Bad Blood,", confetti during "All Too Well," you can see everything, no one misses anything about the concert or her, even if they are far away, and ends with a fireworks display that was made "for" my birthday. I can only be grateful.

 In the midst of the exaltation, the moment dedicated to Folklore and Evermore is always a little calmer. After the song "Champagne Problems" from Evermore, she always lets the crowd applaud, as if it were an "Encore", but in the middle of the concert. Thousands of people clapped and screamed her name, so much so that someone in the stadium turned on the lights. This moment was epic, and she was stunned. What was expected to be a moment of 2 minutes turned out to be an iconic moment of more than 3.30 minutes. We didn't want to stop.

The hat she gives in her "22" song is always a very beautiful moment; she almost always chooses young people. The "surprise songs" that I mentioned above are another special moment. On the 24th, she did a mashup of "Come Back...Be Here" by Red, "The Way I Loved You" by Fearless, "The Other Side of the Door" by Fearless on guitar, & "Fresh out the Slammer" by TTPD with "High Infidelity" by Midnights on piano. I didn't know the first three well, and "Fresh out of the Slammer" is my least favorite song on her last album due to the production, but on the piano it was much better. I love "High Infidelity.". My daughter knew all the letters. "The Way I Loved You" is a song she hasn't sung in years at her concerts. I think Taylor came to Portugal without knowing how she would be received and was overwhelmed by the public. Thanks to us, on night 2, in Lisbon, they had two memorable "surprise songs."

        

I don't know if you realize how Taylor Swift's fans are; she wrote completely different albums with songs that range from country; rock; pop; rap; R&B; folk; and indie folk, and, regardless of the gender, everyone knew the words. It's masterful! What else to say? The band is extraordinary; its vocalists are incredible, and its dancers are wonderful. The work done before and during the tour is incessant and makes this "The Eras Tour" a concert that pays homage to her albums, but, above all, her fans. Taylor Swift was unable to tour with her album Lover due to COVID; she released Folklore and Evermore during the pandemic; Midnights came out in 2022; and this year, she released The Tortured Poets Department. She revisits her older albums, but specifically highlights the ones that didn't go on tour, and takes the opportunity to thank her fans for the overwhelming reception they received—she broke records after records. She won two more Grammys for best albums with Folklore in 2021 and Midnights this year.

Taylor Swift is not just any artist; her time in Portugal was a blessing. My only regret was not getting the code to buy tickets at See Tickets, but that will never happen again. [Outro] On social media, there are always those who say bad things and make fun of her or her work. Taylor Swift has 11 completely different albums; go listen to them! You might change your mind; who knows? I changed!