For two nights, Glendale, Ariz. became the enchanting ‘Swift City’ for the opening nights of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. Nearly 63,400 people flocked to the desert to be among the first to see ‘the music industry’ perform.

Even though the show is three-hour-long, someone’s favorite will get left out. I mean she has over 200 songs in her discography. The fact that she is playing over 40 songs is astonishing enough. “She didn’t perform an unreleased and unfinished voice memo from 2011!” Yeah right.

Also, The Eras Tour is a ‘greatest hits’ tour, so of course she will be playing her most popular songs. If you are going to get upset when you hear the intro to “Shake It Off,” stay at home and be a miserable person by yourself. Then there is this group of songs that aren’t as well known like “illicit affairs,” “the last great american dynasty,” “The Archer” and “champagne problems.” This group of lesser-known but not underground works are songs that I think Swift has a more personal connection to.

You can’t talk about The Eras Tour without talking about the absurd ticket prices and the great Ticketmaster crash of 2022. The big question many (even non-swifties) came away with was: “Is this show worth all of that drama?” As many cowgirl-boot-clad guests can tell you, the general consensus was yes, it is worth it. No matter where you are in the stadium, you will have a good time. Even if you are in the nosebleeds, your view is still something special. You will still be able to see the full stage and everyone’s themed and clever outfits. As for the show itself, I do definitely think that when I go in April, I will burst into tears immediately.  The graphics I have seen on the stage (from videos of her Glendale show) have been breathtaking.

As you have probably seen on social media, fans plan on trading friendship bracelets before the show too. This is one of the things I am probably looking forward to the most. I am not sure how this giant, cult-like following has stemmed from this one woman. I also don’t think it’s a bad thing. Yes, her music is extremely mainstream. However, the billboard charts did not force anyone to spend hours making hand-made friendship bracelets just to give them away. In fact, Swift herself did not tell her fans to do this. They just feel so strongly about Taylor Swift and her music that anyone who goes to her shows is worth their time and effort.

Everything about these shows feels so special and magical. April 15 could not come soon enough for me. I know I will leave Raymond James a different person and it will be an experience that I will hold on to for the rest of my life.