Gallery • 9 Photos

Taylor Swift opens night two of her ‘Eras Tour’ in Glendale, AZ, on March 18, 2023. She opened with “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince”' from her Lover album. Photo courtesy of Mia Badillo

I will never forget the time in 2010 when I was five years old sitting on my grandma’s bed as we watched the  “Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless” documentary.

My grandma introduced me to Taylor Swift, a young country artist she had recently been listening to. 

I would have never believed that 13 years later, at age 18, I would be able to see Swift live in concert. 

On Saturday, March 18, 2023, I had the privilege of going to the second show of Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ in Glendale, AZ. 

Planning for the concert

When Swift first announced her tour back in Nov. 2022, I immediately knew I wanted to go. 

On the day that tickets went on sale, Ticketmaster was a chaotic mess. 

My dad waited five hours on the website in the queue for tickets before he was finally able to secure tickets on the top level of the arena. 

The concert was at State Farm Stadium, and it began at 6:30 PM.

State Farm Stadium has a capacity of 69,000 people and is generally home to the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.

In Feb. 2023, the arena even hosted Superbowl LVII. 

The greatest blessing of my dad’s extensive planning was that he booked a hotel that was within walking distance of State Farm Stadium. 

The walk only took about five minutes, which made it extremely easy to arrive at and leave the concert. 

On both days of the ‘Eras Tour’ in Glendale, many concertgoers had a hard time navigating traffic to get to the stadium in time for the opening acts. 

Leaving the area was even more difficult as many people could not find an Uber to pick them up until 1 a.m. the following morning. 

Merchandise

Purchasing merchandise was a struggle, but it was ultimately worth it to show up at the arena hours before the concert started. 

On the day of the second show, my cousin and I decided to go to the arena at 1 p.m., five and a half hours before the concert started, to get in line for merch. 

We had to go through metal detectors to get into the outside area of the arena, but no one was allowed inside the arena until 4:30 p.m. 

However, we were able to get in line for the merch tent outside of the arena. 

We waited for about an hour in the sun before we finally made it to the tent and purchased our ‘Eras Tour’ shirts. 

Afterward, we walked back to our hotel and rested until it was time to get ready for the concert. 

Getting merch early was a good idea because by the time the actual concert was going to begin, the merch was either sold out, or you couldn’t even get to the stands because of the enormous crowds of people in the concourse. 

Even though we left our hotel at 5:30 p.m. and arrived five minutes later, it took about 30 minutes for us to even get to our seats once we were already inside the arena. 

There was no organization inside, so it was difficult to walk a few steps without getting stuck in the crowd. 

Opening acts

The first opening act, Gayle, came on at 6:25 p.m. and played until 6:45 p.m.

Gayle is an up-and-coming artist who is well known for her hit single, “abcdefu”. 

Gayle’s setlist consisted of the following songs:

“everybody hates me”

“sleeping with my friends”

“ALEX”

“don’t call me pretty”

Cover of “Bennie And The Jets”-Elton John

“luv sick”

“show angels”

“abcdefu”

Although I didn’t know many of the songs, I thought Gayle was a good live performer. 

The crowd was not very engaged, so the energy was not very high.

The second opening act was Paramore, which is one of my favorite bands. 

Paramore played from 6:55 p.m. to 7:40 p.m., so their set was longer. 

Paramore’s setlist consisted of the following songs:

“This Is Why”

“Hard Times”

“That’s What You Get” 

“Decode”

“The Only Exception” 

“Still Into You” 

“Rose-Colored Boy”

“Misery Business” 

“Ain’t it Fun”

The lead singer, Hayley Williams was extremely energetic, and an amazing live performer. 

The crowd was more hyped up for Paramore than for Gayle. 

It felt like a mini Paramore concert, and I loved it. 

After Paramore, we waited 20 minutes until Swift came out around 8 p.m. 

Swift performed a total of 44 songs over three hours and 15 minutes. 

From 8 p.m. to 11:15 p.m., she gave the performance of a lifetime. 

Swift’s setlist consisted of the following songs:

Lover: “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” “Cruel Summer,” “The Man,” “You Need To Calm Down,” “Lover,” and “The Archer.”

Fearless: “Fearless,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Love Story.”

evermore: “tis’ the damn season,” “willow,” “marjorie,” “champagne problems,” and “tolerate it.”

Reputation: “…Ready For It?,” “Delicate,”

“Don’t Blame Me,” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”

Speak Now: “Enchanted.”

Red: “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “All Too Well (10-Minute Version).”

folklore: “invisible string,” “betty,” “the last great american dynasty,” “august,” “illicit affairs,” “my tears ricochet,” and “cardigan.”

1989: “Style,” “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Bad Blood.”

(Swift chooses two different songs to sing acoustically for each concert.)

evermore: “this is me trying” (acoustic surprise song)

Red: “State of Grace” (acoustic surprise song)

Midnights: “Lavender Haze,” “Anti-Hero,” “Midnight Rain,” “Vigilante ****,” “Bejeweled,” “Mastermind,” and “Karma.” 

I loved Swift’s song choices because I knew almost every song and could sing along to it. 

Of course, there were a few songs like “Fifteen”, “Paper Rings”, and “New Romantics” that I wished she would have performed, but I can’t be greedy.

By performing for over three hours, Swift exceeded my expectations.

My favorite aspect of the concert was that everything was on time. 

Swift took a few moments in between songs here and there to speak to the crowd or change outfits. 

For example, she spoke about her return to the stage after going five years without touring.

Swift’s last tour was the ‘Reputation Stadium Tour’ in 2018.

However, these breaks never took more than two minutes at a time. 

She came out on time and finished at the time that everyone expected her to. 

I cannot believe how effortlessly and seamlessly she transitioned from one song to another. 

Her insane vocals along with the visuals on stage created the perfect performance.

Additionally, her outfits and dancers set the perfect scene for each of her 10 albums. 

She went through 17 years of songs in one concert, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. 

My favorite albums that she performed were Reputation and Folklore.

Reputation is an extremely high-energy album because it was the era when she felt vengeful and determined to prove her haters wrong. 

In contrast, Folklore was a project that Swift worked on during the Coronavirus pandemic, so it was calmer and story-like. 

If I could relive the performance of one song, I would choose “All Too Well (10-minute version)” because I think it is one of her most iconic and well-written songs. 

Atmosphere

I have never been to a concert that was this crowded; however, I loved how engaged every single person in the crowd was. 

There was not a single song where people were silent, and I don’t think many people ever sat down for any of her songs. 

Even during the slow songs, people swayed back and forth and danced with other crowd members. 

Additionally, the outfits that people wore were unique and entertaining to see. 

Most outfits consisted of sequins, glitter, rhinestones, feathers, and jewels. 

Whether it was a homemade outfit or a store-bought outfit, I thought that everyone dressed perfectly for the occasion.

‘Eras Tour’ tips

These are my pieces of advice for anyone who may be going to an upcoming ‘Eras Tour’ concert: 

• Wear comfortable shoes, even if it doesn’t match your outfit, as you will be standing and walking a lot.
• If you can get your merchandise before the arena opens, the lines will be much shorter.
• Get to the arena early, even if it means you’ll be waiting in your seat before the concert starts.
• If possible, stay somewhere that’s walking distance from the venue because it will be hard to navigate through traffic or find someone else to drive you. 
• Last, but not least, listen to the setlist in order on Spotify before the concert so you’re prepared for the full experience. 

A night to remember

As I am writing this review a few days after the concert, I still haven’t processed that I was at the ‘Eras Tour’. 

It feels like an out-of-body experience or a fever dream. 

I feel like I was watching an award show or a concert online rather than being there in person.

When Swift sang her older songs, I was transported back to my childhood.

I remembered the countless times I sang “Love Story” with my grandma as a five-year-old girl. 

Although my grandma was unable to attend the concert with me, I showed her all of my videos as soon as I got back home.

We recreated old memories and she heard Swift’s newer songs for the first time.

Overall, this was the best concert I’ve ever attended, and I wish I could relive it.

I will always remember and be grateful for this experience. 

For now, I will have to look back at my videos and continue to stream Swift’s songs on my Spotify account. 

It was the best experience I could have asked for, and if I had to rate the concert, I would give it a 10 out of 10 in all categories. 

If you’re going to the ‘Eras Tour,’ I hope you have fun, live in the moment, and enjoy the amazing performance!