On December 8th, my mom and I were lucky enough to attend the very last Eras Tour show in Vancouver, Canada. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I wish I could relive over and over again. 

For my mom and I, this tour had been something that consumed our lives for the past two and a half years. We have been fans of Taylor Swift for almost twelve years and have attended the 1989 tour as well as the Reputation tour, but the Eras Tour was unlike anything we had ever seen. 

Once the tour was announced, my mom tried so incredibly hard to get tickets wherever she could, but because of Ticketmasters technical difficulties, and insane ticket resale prices, we were unable to get tickets. My mom and I had to see and hear about our friends and family members experiencing something that we wanted more than anything. 

We had finally accepted that this was not something that we were going to see for ourselves. But, on October 15th, a company my mom is partners with in Canada got us both floor seats to see her final show in Vancouver. 

My mom and I immediately started to cry tears of joy. All of the livestreams, news articles, and social media posts that we had consumed, wishing we could take part in this revolutionary event, had finally come true. 

We both immediately started planning our outfits, what friendship bracelets we were going to make and how we were going to do our hair and make up. For almost two months, that was all we talked about. 

When the day had finally come to fly to Canada, we were both happy to get up at 4:30 in the morning. After a 6 o’clock flight to Chicago, and a four and a half hour flight to Vancouver, we were there. 

The city had been taken over by other Taylor Swift fans. We landed on a Saturday, but she had a concert on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Restaurants, stores, hotels, and other businesses all were swarmed with Taylor Swift fans, but they did not seem angry about it. 

One of the many things the Eras Tour has done for the world is boost the local economy wherever she goes. At every restaurant my mom and I went to, the servers asked if we had gone to the concert yet and they expressed their excitement for us. 

Upon entering the stadium, it was breathtaking. The BC place holds 54,500 people, but this wasn’t even her biggest show, her show at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia held 96,000 people (she did two sold out nights there). 

The kindness and civility of the people not only in Canada, but at the concert as well, was so beautiful. Everyone you talked to at the concert was so happy and excited and did everything they could to make sure everyone around them was happy as well. 

Though my mom and I did not see any celebrities in attendance (Eddie Vedder, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Aubrey Plaza, and Nikki Glase), we did get to see her mom and brother. 

One of the many special things my mom and I obtained from the show was guitar picks that only Taylor’s family’s security guards hand out. My mom and I were not next to the celebrity tent, but we were next to the VIP tent where Taylor’s mom picks who gets to go down there. When Taylor’s mom, Andrea, came to the VIP tent, her bodyguard gave me and my mom the picks. 

As for the show itself, it was the fastest 3 and a half hours of my entire life. It was so emotional for me and my mom as it truly had been “a long time coming.” Taylor was so beautiful and she performed so well. 

The length of the show is impressive enough as it is, but the fact that there is no intermission is crazier. She is only off the stage to change clothes, and at one point she changes on stage. 

The way she effortlessly transitions from one song to another, dances non stop, and has an incredibly talented band and backup dancers that are always on que is mind boggling. 

Though there were no technical difficulties or mishaps on stage, there have been many before and she handled them all beautifully whether that meant improvising on a stage that was supposed to lower her under it or forgetting words to the song, she handled everything beautifully. 

Surprisingly, she kept herself together very well, but her opener, Gracie Abrams had the hardest time. When Taylor and her crew began to take their final bow, she mouthed “Oh my God,” as she realized that was the last time she was ever going to do that. 

Taylor, the dancers, and the band were all very slow to get off the stage. Taylor took her time hugging each and every one of them, and this was when she began to sob. 

It was the most perfect night and something I wish I could experience over and over again, but it will never happen again. I know I can say on behalf of almost every swiftie across the world that we have no idea what we’re going to do now. 

We all spent the last two and a half years staying up late watching glitchy livestreams, learning chants to yell at certain parts of the show, guessing outfits and surprise songs, but most of all, watching Taylor perform beautifully every single time. 

In total, Taylor performed in 21 countries, 149 shows, and spent 484 hours on stage. The tour grossed over 2 billion dollars (not including merch). 

Though it is sad that it’s over, I can smile saying that I got to experience the phenomenon that was The Eras Tour, and I can only hope that I get to see her again.