Some of my first memories are of driving to Best Buy before it opened with my dad and sister to buy Taylor Swift’s latest album or putting on shows for my parents while I belted out “You Belong With Me.” I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan, just like many others. Just like every other fan, I painstakingly battled to secure my Eras Tour tickets on Ticketmaster. I waited long months for my Day Six Los Angeles show to finally come, and when it did happen I was left with disappointment.
A controversial opinion, I know. Don’t get me wrong, I had an incredible time dancing along and singing my heart out to every single song. However, the true reality of going to The Eras Tour is sore feet and watching your favorite singer through a screen. If you aren’t lucky enough to secure floor tickets, any other view leaves you feeling disconnected from her. Watching all these TikToks of people’s perfect views of Taylor leaves you imagining that for yourself. I know if I had close seats and she even looked my way I’d probably break down crying like other fans, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment after the show had ended.
Going into the show I tried to distance myself from the content people were posting, so it was somewhat of a surprise and was more of an experience. So from my perspective of going in blindly with only some knowledge of the set list, I felt like a lot of the albums were not fairly represented after the show had ended. One of my all time favorites, “Speak Now,” only had two songs played. I’m not even a big Debut fan, but the fact that Taylor played no songs from her first ever album baffled me. It’s called The Eras Tour, and I left wishing I had gotten to see them all.
Maybe I had unrealistic expectations, and I probably sound ungrateful when some fans didn’t even have the opportunity to go. Nonetheless, this was the show’s reality for me when other people’s feelings seem so polarizing to mine. I’ll continue to love Taylor Swift and her music forever, no matter my experience at the show. I do hold good memories from that night, but I wouldn’t say it was anything close to what others have called a “life-changing” experience.