The End of an Era

On December 8, 2024, Taylor Swift brought her record-breaking tour, The Eras Tour, to an end in Vancouver, Canada.

In the past two years, The Eras Tour has taken social media by storm. Now, with the show finally concluded, fans finally have the chance to reflect on all that has happened within the last year. 

Spanning five continents, 21 countries and 51 cities, Swift put on a total of 149 three-and-a-half-hour shows. Even more impressively, Swift brought in over 10 billion people to her show, making The Eras Tour the highest-grossing tour in history.

Northwest senior Caera Knowles attended the very first show in Glendale, as well as night two in Zurich over a year later. Knowles reflected, “The Eras Tour is definitely the best concert I have been to, hands down. The show is so well thought out, and the people attending are some of the nicest people I have met. It was such an emotional roller coaster, and I felt like it was just the ultimate concert.” 

Even people unfamiliar with Swift’s music can recognize the impact she has made with her tour. The pop-culture phenomenon leaves an economic ripple effect wherever it goes. The Eras Tour has been estimated to have contributed about five billion dollars in direct spending. This, in addition to travel, hospitality, and merchandise spending from the fans, has created a significant impact wherever the tour visits. 

Before Swift’s final stop in Vancouver, Ken Sim, the Mayor of Vancouver, stated, “This iconic event hasn’t just captivated audiences around the world, it has translated into a huge economic boost for every city it has visited, and Vancouver is no exception. With an expected economic impact of $157 million, this is an incredible opportunity for our restaurants, hotels, and local businesses to shine.”

The tour kept fans engaged with live streams, making friendship bracelets, attempting to decode Swift’s numerous Easter egg clues and speculating about what she might have coming next. While on tour, Swift kept herself busy and her fans satisfied, releasing four new albums: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version); 1989 (Taylor’s Version); The Tortured Poets Department; and The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. Still, some fans found themselves disappointed after the closing night of The Eras Tour. Many were hoping for Swift to announce the release of the long-awaited Reputation (Taylor’s Version) album. Others, however, think the tour left off exactly as it should have.

Knowles said, “I am sad the tour is over because I love watching the live streams and seeing the community surrounding the concert.  While I am sad that it’s over, I feel like [Taylor Swift] did everything right and put on so many shows for so many people. I am so thankful I got to go twice to the concert, and I will definitely never forget it.”

Even though it is over, the many impacts of The Eras Tour will be seen throughout the world for many years to come. The tour brought billions of people together across the globe and has created a community within itself.

[The fans] have turned [The Eras Tour] into something completely unrecognizable from anything I’ve ever done in my life,” Swift said at her last show in Vancouver. “The lasting legacy of this tour is the fact that [the fans] have created such a space of joy, togetherness and love.”