Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto | The show of a lifetime

(Toronto) The legend was true. The show Eras by Taylor Swift is a great experience. Very high level entertainment (and very big budget), but also an unparalleled moment of gathering. The Press reports on the Queen of Pop’s first of six shows in the Queen City.

“It is an honor and a pleasure to say these words to you: welcome to the tour Eras ! » Those who follow Taylor Swift and who have been immersed this past year in the whirlwind of information and images online regarding her tour knew that the singer would utter these words at the opening of the show Thursday evening, radiant in her sparkling colored jumpsuit of the era Lover.

Devout Swifties also knew to raise your hands and form a heart shape with your fingers during the album chart. Fearless. That you have to clap your hands twice before the bridge in the room You Belong With Me. Crier « Fuck the patriarchy ! » pendant All Too Well (10 minutes version). Ask in chorus « Hey Taylor, what time is it ? » during the first chords of Styleto which she responds with the first word of the song: « Midnight… » Turning on your phone’s light in homage to Swift’s grandmother, Marjorie, during the song named after her… and much more.

Attend a concert Eras is thus a participatory act for most spectators. The main reasons: the concert film released last summer, of course, but above all… TikTok. An infinite number of videos are circulating on the platform covering the smallest details of the show, even those that the film does not show. Without ever stepping foot in a stadium, a Swiftie may have seen the concert a hundred times, from a hundred different angles. And for many fans, this is an advantage.

Damn the element of surprise, the pleasure lies in being able to chant in unison all the songs on the program, which the Swifties have developed over the course of the tour. “Thank you for creating these traditions that make this moment even more special,” the American told her approximately 50,000 spectators Thursday evening.

What happens on stage, in this almost three and a half hour show (yes, yes!), has very few equals in terms of production, constant stimulation and talent on stage: Taylor Swift is a great performer. Unique.

But above all, no other artist, to our knowledge, has been able to establish such a strong communion in concert with the fans, around the music and the show itself, but also a connection between the spectators present in the room. Taylor Swift fans exchange friendship bracelets, dress up in reference to Taylor Swift’s eras and clothes on stage, compliment each other, take photos of each other.

Hypnotisante Taylor

The first act of the show therefore began with the song Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Princefor the table dedicated to the album Lover (2019). The tour Eras is particular in that she pays homage, in distinct and sought-after acts, to each musical period of Taylor Swift’s career, her “eras”.

In 10 musical chapters, she recounts her repertoire. For her, it’s the show of a lifetime, a career milestone that may not be able to be duplicated. For Swifties, it’s also a cultural moment they probably won’t have access to again. The long wait outside the Rogers Center (the lines were huge) seemed well worth it.

Eras allows for example a nostalgic return to the era Fearlessin the second act, with the title song and the two hits from the beginning of Swift’s career, You Belong With Me et Love Story. Each transition involves a short interlude during which the singer slips away to change costumes (each one is more breathtaking than the last). Then the next era is introduced. When it’s time to move on to the album Redwhich begins with the joyful 22the stage world turns red.

The dancers accompanying the singer do a lot to make the performance dynamic and entertaining. But the star of the moment is simply hypnotizing.

After Enchanted for the era Speak Nowwe move on to the disk table Reputation. One of the most eye-catching moments of the show. The dance numbers are catchy. The videography is ingenious. The vast stage (a large platform at the back and a long walkway with a diamond in the center), which is also a screen, is used skillfully. The crowd is in ecstasy. Even the dramatic moments of silence are well thought out. Nothing is left to chance in the staging, the references are everywhere, the artifices add another layer of grandeur.

The eras folklore et evermore (two albums favorites of many fans, who re-immersed themselves in their passion for Taylor Swift upon their releases) are merged into a much quieter, but visually striking moment. Then follows 1989one of the albums that produced the most hit songs, then The Tortured Poets Department, the most successful on all levels (visual, choice of songs, choreography, staging).

Sexy Midnights

Another tour tradition Eras lies in the surprise songs, a moment that fans eagerly await, since it is the only portion of the show that cannot be predicted. To their great delight, Taylor Swift presented a mashup of My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys et This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Thingson acoustic guitar, then False Good combined with ‘tis the damn seasonsitting au piano.

The 45-song musical epic concluded with the period Midnightswhich features our favorite moment of the show, an impressive burlesque number during Vigilante Shit. “Do you still have time for one last song?” », Launched Taylor Swift to a still excited crowd, looking in no way tired after more than three hours of singing and dancing, before starting Karmain an explosion of color and joy.

So three and a half hours passed which seemed like one. The experience during Thursday evening leads us to an obvious conclusion: Taylor Swift has undoubtedly entered the club of legendary artists.

The tour Eras continues in Toronto on Friday 15, Saturday 16, Thursday 21, Friday 22 and Saturday 23 November.