Taylor Swift, Night Two in Cincinnati, Ohio cements itself as one of the best nights on the Eras Tour.. and I got to witness it all.
If you are a diehard Swiftie, you know exactly how monumental of a night the Cincinnati stop of the Eras Tour was. It has taken me three weeks to truly comprehend and process the night and how truly lucky we all are to be alive at the same time as the Taylor Alison Swift.
Taylor Swift has always been a force to be reckoned with, but it has been these last few years that have truly cemented her in history as one of the greatest artists of all time. With the surprise drop of folklore in 2020, the rerecording of 3 albums so far, and the release of 2 other albums on top of that… that’s six albums in 3 years. Not to mention the Era’s Tour has sold out stadiums in Every. Single. Night. Whether you catalog Taylor’s every breath in her songs or only know her radio hits, you cannot ignore the impact she has made within the music industry. As I write this, Taylor Swift just became the first female artist with 4 Billboard albums in the Top 10 albums at once, joining Herb Alpert and Prince to reach that milestone. You cannot deny Taylor Swift’s power.
The Era’s Tour takes us through all 11 of Taylor Swift's albums, through her different genres, reinventions, and aesthetics. The night begins with the Lover Era and the 3-hour show opens with “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince'' because this night has been “a long time comin’.” The second she appeared in the middle of the stage amidst a sea of pink dancers, goose bumps covered my skin in the 100-degree heat. Hearing and seeing Taylor live for the first time in a long life of consuming her music was absolutely mind-blowing. Taylor is the performer, her stage presence is magnetic and you feel like she is performing just for you even when she is literally miles away, and you are one in a sea of thousands of fans all dressed to the nine’s in outfits referencing niche moments and lyrics from Taylor’s career.
As we travel through the Eras from the Lover House, diving headfirst into Fearless, escaping into the forest for Evermore, unleashing the snakes for Reputation, hearing Speak Now for the last time before it is completely her's, dancing into Red, crying into Folklore, and smashing shit in 1989, the journey is not for the faint of heart, but the stunning visuals between and during sets allow each Era to have their moments and truly shine. Taylor is a beast purely for seamlessly accomplishing the task of completing 10 outfit changes, each in the span of only a few minutes.
After two and half hours of ecstasy, nostalgia, and pure unbridled joy we finally get to the highly anticipated surprise songs of the night. The guitar song was “Ivy”, performed live for the first time ever with Cincinnati-native Aaron Desser from The National. Now before we get into the other surprise songs, a bit of background on what transpired before the show. Due to inclement weather predicted later in the night, the start time was pushed up an entire hour, meaning the first opener of the night, Gracie Abrams had her entire set cut in order to accommodate the time change. Due to this last-minute change, Taylor threw another curve ball and announced she would be playing 3 surprise songs that night. The crowd went wild at this news, and everyone was sent more into a tizzy when Taylor brought out Gracie Abrams to sing “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” from Gracie’s 2020 EP minor. We need a studio version of this song STAT. Taylor closed out the surprise song section of the night singing “Call It What You Want” on the piano. All in all, Cincinnati Night Two Swifties WON that night.
Taylor Swift closed out the 3-hour extravaganza with Midnights, her most recent addition to her ever-growing discography. The fanfare of “Karma” as the finale was impeccable, no better way to say goodnight. Reflecting on this night and what it means to finally get the opportunity to be a part of one of your favorite artist's trailblazing careers has been truly indescribable. I never thought I would get the chance to exist in the same space as Taylor, never thought I would hear her live, but I did, and I have thought about that night every day since. I've reminisced on what it was like to scream to the bridge of "Cruel Summer" with people who actually knew all of the words, how it was my ears that got to hear "Ivy" played live for the first time ever, the sensation of goosebumps in the summer heat while Taylor and Gracie sang "I Missed You, I'm Sorry." It's events and moments like this that make being a fan so fulfilling and joyful, to be a part of something so spectacular and genuinely life-changing. It is no question that this tour has been a historic and monumental event within the music industry, and I will be talking about how I managed to attend the Era’s Tour and see Taylor Swift with my own eyeballs and hear her incredible voice with my own ears, for the rest of my life.
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