About 69,000 Swifties dressed in sparkly clothes and friendship bracelets filled Lucas Oil Stadium for the last night of the U.S. leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on Nov. 3, in Indianapolis.
Being a Swift fan is nothing new to me. I have been a fan of hers for as long as I can remember. Dancing to her music videos and singing her songs like “Fifteen” or “Fearless” with my eyes closed during karaoke, is a core childhood memory. That being said, this was my very first time going to see Taylor Swift in concert, so it made the night so much more special.
The night already started to feel magical before I even walked into the stadium. There were so many things Indianapolis did to welcome both Swift and those attending her concert. Adorned on the side of the JW Marriott hotel lay a 34-story decal of Swift in her “Lover” bodysuit. The massive image was visible as you drove into Indianapolis, and you could even take a picture in front of it. Additionally, street signs dedicated to her songs were placed in the downtown area leading up to the stadium, with names like “Bad Blood Boulevard,” “All Too Well Way” and “August Avenue”
The concert kicked off with Gracie Abrams as the opening act. She sang many well-known and loved songs from her new album, “The Secret of Us," such as “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” “Close To You” and the song she wrote with Swift, “Us.” She surprised fans by singing one of her new songs from the deluxe version of the album, called “That’s So True.” Abrams' set was a perfect start to one of the most enchanting concerts I’ve ever been to.
Swift rose up onto the stage, singing a portion of “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince,” which led right into “Cruel Summer.” I think these two songs were the best ones to start off the Eras Tour with because of their upbeat nature — they are so exciting and brought so much energy to the stadium, and the bridge of “Cruel Summer” is so iconic that it seems perfect to start the night off with it.
The singer welcomed everyone to the Eras Tour by saying she was going to bring everyone on the journey of her 18-year music career. She sang at least one song from every single one of her musical eras, except for “Debut,” which is her first album, unfortunately.
Right after singing songs from “The Tortured Poets Department” album, she led everyone into her surprise song section of the night. This is when she surprises those attending with songs she doesn’t sing at every concert. This part felt particularly special to me because I was able to experience a few songs that other people were not able to. For night three in Indianapolis, Taylor Swift sang a mashup of “Cornelia Street” and “The Bolter,” which felt brutal if you listen to the lyrics of the two songs together. In “Cornelia Street” she doesn’t want to leave and doesn’t want the relationship to end, while in “The Bolter,” she’s running away.
Then, she did a mashup of “Death by a Thousand Cuts” and “The Great War” on the piano, which I was ecstatic about because “The Great War” is one of my favorite songs on the “Midnights” album.
She didn’t announce a “Taylor’s Version” of either “Debut” or “Reputation” albums, which fans have been speculating she might do soon. She also didn’t bring out Post Malone to sing their song “Fortnight” together, which I was particularly hoping for. Still, it was still one of the most magical nights of my life. For the duration of the concert, I couldn’t help but think how happy my younger self would be knowing that it was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well.
