On October 25th my best friend Liza and I boarded up on a Spirit Airlines flight full of Swifties of all ages to witness one of the greatest performers of our lifetime. Taylor Swift had announced a new leg of her iconic Eras Tour in August of 2023 and I had managed to secure two incredible seats in the lower bowl of the Caesars Superdome. Flash forwards 400 and something days, and the most surreal moment of my life was right in front of me.Â
As we landed, our flight attendants played I Can Do It With a Broken Heart over the intercom, and once we stepped into the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, a man was playing Taylor Swift songs on a trumpet, welcoming tourists for the weekend. New Orleans is a spectacular city on its own, but the magic seemed to be amplified for the weekend. Our Uber driver drove us to our hotel in the French Quarter, and I watched hundreds of people adorned in glitter and bright colors walking the streets.Â
The second we got into our hotel that was also blasting Taylor’s discography, we walked by the friendship bracelet making station on our way to our room. I knew that the city was going to be full of Swifties attending the concert, but I had no idea of the magnitude. Almost everyone I encountered was going to be in that stadium one of the three nights.Â
But truly, the one thing that absolutely floored me was the kindness and hospitality that the locals exemplified. Pedicab drivers were blasting Taylor’s music, bars and restaurants with open doors doing the same. Taylor Swift cutouts standing in windows and “Welcome Swifties” signs hanging outside of businesses. The open arms and excitement exemplified by New Orleans is truly something that I will never forget, and what makes me want to go back so badly.
After exploring and settling down from a long day of travel, Liza and I waited until midnight and I was officially 21 years old to pop a bottle of champagne. We laughed and hugged each other before heading to bed for the long day ahead of us.Â
The next morning we decided to go to Cafe Beignet on Canal Street for breakfast and beignets– a New Orleans staple. After breakfast we decided to wander around, heading onto Bourbon Street and eventually a hole in the wall bar called Erin Rose, famous for their frozen Irish coffees. Which yes, I did have a frozen Irish coffee at 11 am but it was a day worth celebrating! Liza and I took our drinks to go– a beautiful perk of Nola– and literally stumbled upon Jackson Square where vendors were selling art and live music was being played. We looked out onto the Mississippi River while we finished our drink and headed into a gift shop to get some very classy Nola memorabilia, a boob magnet and shot glass.Â
After exploring we decided it was time to finally get ready for the concert. Adorning our boots and glittery dresses we were only a short 15 minute walk from the stadium, so we decided to join the exodus of other fans making their way to the concert. We arrived and once we made it up to the outside of the Superdome, I looked up and saw absolutely massive inflatable friendship bracelets that read, “Taylor Swift– The Eras Tour” New Orleans was nothing short of sparkling the entire weekend.Â
We got a couple drinks and took our seats, absolutely baffled that I would be less than 100 yards away from Taylor Swift herself. At 6:45 the up and coming and talented Gracie Abrams took the stage to sing ten songs. I wouldn’t classify myself as a huge Gracie Abrams fan, but she sounded fantastic live. The crowd erupted into applause as she left the stage, and the crowd settled down, but still crackling with excitement.Â
However, once that screen turned into a massive clock, everyone shot to their feet, screaming for what was to come.Â
Now, I’m pretty confident that everyone has seen some sort of video from the Eras Tour, but truly nothing compares to seeing the juggernaut of Taylor Swift live. Over forty songs and sixteen outfit changes over the course of three and a half hours with precision that makes you question if that woman is a robot, all performing for a crowd that simply does not stop screaming. Words that come to mind are spectacle and electrifying, but that doesn’t even truly do her justice.Â
After Taylor sang through eight different eras it was time for the surprise song section. I had numerous songs that I was hoping for, but Ms Swift surprised New Orleans night 2 with Sabrina Carpenter arising from the stage to sing a mash-up of Espresso, Is it Over Now?, and Please Please Please on guitar. Needless to say I was not only surprised, but dumbfounded.Â
The concert closed with Karma and confetti floating down from the sky. It seemed like that was the quickest five hours of my life by the time we were leaving. We headed back to the hotel with aching feet and borderline lost voices, wondering how in the world Taylor Swift manages to perform hundreds of shows without any evidence of pain or struggle.
The following day we packed up, enjoyed an incredible brunch (with equally incredible bottomless mimosas) before getting an Uber to head back to the airport. I was absolutely exhausted in the best way possible, and I could not have asked for a better birthday weekend .