‘The Era’s Tour’ Recap: Taylor Swift’s best moments and surprise songs from Houston

Molly

April 21st, Houston Night 1

The Taylor Swift concert was such an amazing experience that the four-hour drive from Baton Rouge was worth it, despite the fact that I was running so late that Gracie Abrams had already started singing by the time I found my seat.

It took a while for the fact that I was actually going to see Taylor Swift live to actually sink in. It didn’t feel real until the clock came on announcing when she’d be arriving, and the adrenaline kept me going from there.

Lover

Swift’s entrance was one of the best things I’ve ever witnessed, and seeing “Cruel Summer” live was unmatched. While a lot of my favorite “Lover” songs were omitted in favor of the cookie cutter singles, I did get emotional when I heard “Lover” because it’s just such a good love song.

Fearless

This era is very special to me, as the original “Fearless” tour was my first ever concert. I chose to dress according to this era and had a fun time reliving my childhood with classics like “Fearless” and “You Belong With Me.”

evermore

To me, this is her best album, so of course I immediately started freaking out when I saw the stage change to reflect the vibe of the “evermore” album. Seeing “tolerate it,” one of my favorite songs of all time, live was a once in a lifetime experience. 

reputation 

This was my favorite era of the night. “reputation” is far from being my favorite album, but the cultural impact this era has on the world is unbelievable. When a snake slithered across the stage while the sound of Swift’s heels echoed, the crowd was as electric as it would be all night.

“…Ready For It” gave me chills and “Don’t Blame Me” was heavenly to listen to.

Speak Now

My absolute favorite album, “Speak Now,” only having “Enchanted” is an absolute crime. That blondie will pay for her negligence. 

Red

She pretty much only sang her most popular songs from this era, which are some of the most popular songs of all time. 

However, we did get the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” and it was cathartic to yell the verses back out to Swift. 

folklore

This album is so good. Her performing the love triangle trio of songs, “betty,” “august” and “cardigan,” as well as “the last great american dynasty,” captivated me the whole time she was performing this era. I didn’t pick up my phone once this entire section. 

1989

She should have played “Out of the Woods.”

“Surprise Songs” — “Wonderland” and “You’re Not Sorry”

I was anticipating the surprise songs for weeks leading up to my concert, watching my favorite songs be performed in other cities. While there have been incredible surprise songs on this tour, the ones played during the first night of Houston were some of the most memorable, in my unbiased opinion.

“Wonderland” is a very iconic song of Swift’s and “You’re Not Sorry” feels very timely considering the news that Swift has broken up with her long time boyfriend. It was a deep cut, and I’m glad I was there to listen.

Midnights

How did I not pass away at “Vigilante Shit?”

Madison

April 22, Houston Night 2

Taylor Swift has changed so much over the years. She’s released award winning albums across multiple genres, so the concept of showcasing that with “The Eras Tour” was brilliant. As she went through each era of her life on that stage, she also took the audience through each era of their own lives, which made the experience that much more special.

Some people might think that three and a half hours is too long for a concert, but with pyrotechnics, moving platforms and an LED stage that projected different images with each era, there was never a dull moment. Every single detail of this show made it worth every penny.

Lover

The mastermind herself opened her show with “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince,” an unexpected but perfect choice. I think my favorite moment of this set was when everyone’s wristbands lit up to make rainbows across the stadium during “You Need to Calm Down.”

Fearless

Swift went back to her country roots with the “Fearless” era. “Fearless” is one of my favorite songs, and she gave an unforgettable performance. She also had the stadium screaming along to the classics “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story.”

evermore

During this part of the show, trees “grew” from the stage and transformed into a gloomy forest. The songs she chose to sing for this era were perfect, each one bringing on its own set of heavy emotions. The song “tolerate it” is probably my favorite on this album, so experiencing it live with the dining table props and pure emotion in her performance was unforgettable. 

reputation

After experiencing the emotional whiplash of the “evermore” era, snakes appeared on the screen, which meant the “reputation” era was next. “Look What You Made Me Do” was the most thrilling part of this era, with her dancers (who were dressed in her most iconic outfits from each era) trapped in glass boxes as Swift banged her fist on the outside of them as she sang, “all I think about is karma.” Truly genius. 

Speak Now

For the “Speak Now” era, she walked onto the stage in a ballgown to sing “Enchanted,” which had fans screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. I feel like there were so many missed opportunities with this portion of the show because she surprisingly only performs one song from this era.

Red

She sang some of her most well-known songs from her “Red” era, such as “22” and “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” Everyone’s wristbands turned orange and images of autumn-colored leaves took over the catwalk as she sang her 10-minute, coming-of-age masterpiece “All Too Well.” 

folklore

This album is so special to me, so I was really excited to hear it live. Her vocals were so clearly echoing throughout the stadium when she sang “illicit affairs” and she sounded phenomenal. There were a lot more “folklore” songs in her setlist than I expected, but I have no complaints. “folklore” sweeps for the win.

1989

To this day, I still mourn the fact that I missed out on her performance at Tiger Stadium for her 1989 tour. Experiencing this era live would have made 13-year-old me proud. My favorite part of this era was when the dancers rode neon light bikes up and down the stage during “Blank Space,” which captured the balance of boldness and playfulness of this album.

“Surprise” Songs – “A Place in this World” and “Today Was a Fairytale”

I’ve been joking for months that she would sing a song from her debut album “Taylor Swift” at my show. I did not think it would actually happen. Before singing “A Place in this World,” Swift revealed the sad fact that she relates to this song more now than she did when she first wrote it at 13 years old. Then she sang “Today Was a Fairytale,” which was the perfect song to describe the night. 

Midnights

Swift concluded the night with the“Midnights” era to represent where she is and how far she’s come. She kicked off the era with “meet me at midnight,” the first line in the album’s first track “Lavender Haze.”

Dancers brought out clouds as props that just made the song that much more magical. She sang “Anti-Hero,” “Bejeweled” and “Mastermind” but I think my favorite part of this era was her closing song.

After over three hours of fans experiencing probably every human emotion possible, she decided to close the night with “Karma” and end on a happier note one of her more upbeat songs. 

Dressed in colorful tinsel jackets, she and the dancers closed the night with “Karma.” Confetti littered the stadium as she took her final bow, and just like that, I realized three and a half hours didn’t feel that long after all.