May 27, 2023, will forever and always be a date ingrained in my mind, for on that amazing day, everything has changed. At MetLife Stadium, I had the incredible honor of seeing Taylor Swift live at The Eras Tour. Those incredible 3 hours felt like a fever dream high in the quiet of the night, or you may say I was in a lavender haze. Despite the lack of performances in the past few years due to the pandemic, Taylor has come out stronger than ever. She proved her strength in her 3 hour set, showcasing her abilities as a performer and a singer.

Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers began the concert, both fearless powerhouses who rallied the crowd for Taylor. At this time, fans also traded friendship bracelets, bought merchandise, and waited for the superstar to appear on stage. The anticipation was exciting, but at 7:55 p.m. EST, that was the moment I knew things were coming.

A clock appeared on the giant screen, counting down the seconds to Taylor’s performance. Fans were screaming with excitement, proving they were ready for it. As the countdown ended, Taylor’s dancers took the stage with giant, fan-like fabrics. Then, just like clockwork, Taylor appeared and began her Lover set with the fan-favorite “Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince.” Fans were enchanted as she introduced herself, then transitioned into the title track “Lover”, as well as “You Need to Calm Down,” “The Man,” and other fabulous songs.

After Lover, we went on a flashback to young Taylor in the Fearless era, where she performed “Fearless”, “Love Story”, and “You Belong With Me”, leaving fans thinking, “This is the best day!” After Fearless, we traveled deep into the forest with her Evermore era, where she practically joins a cult in “Willow”, pays tribute to her grandmother in “Marjorie,” sings her best bridge (despite what other Taylor Swift fans believe) in “Champagne Problems,” and more, leaving fans with nothing but happiness. After Evermore came the rebellious Reputation era, where she sang banger after banger, including “Don’t Blame Me,” “Delicate,” and the classic “Look What You Made Me Do.” 

However, the snake soon turned into sunshine with Taylor’s Speak Now era, but long story short, the era was cut down only to performing her recently popularized hit, “Enchanted.” The tragic love songs soon turned into rager breakup songs as Taylor transitioned into the happy, free, confused, and lonely (at the same time) Red era, singing her hits “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and the fan favorite, “All Too Well 10 Minute Version.” However, in Taylor Swift style, she surprised us all by bringing out Phoebe Bridgers again and performing their duet “Nothing New,” leaving us all in a sad, beautiful, tragic state of mind. Next up, Taylor transitioned into the mystical Folklore era, performing “Cardigan,” “August,” “Illicit Affairs,” and more, leaving us in a wonderland of fairytale dreams. After the dreamy Folklore era came the pop-central 1989 era, with her hits “Shake It Off,” “Bad Blood,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Blank Space.”

Next up is my personal favorite part of the evening. Every concert, Taylor performs two surprise songs that aren’t on her setlist: one on guitar and one on piano. Being near New York, she decided to keep the New York theme by singing two songs mentioning New York. Her guitar song was “Holy Ground” from Red, leaving us all feeling like we were spinning like a girl in a brand new dress. Next, on the piano, Taylor surprised me with one of my all-time favorite songs “False God”. Needless to say, I was in a state of grace.

Picking up after her surprise songs, Taylor dove into the stage as she transitioned to her newest album and last era of the evening, Midnights. Taylor kicked it off with “Lavender Haze”, leaving us all in one. She followed it up with more incredible songs, but the real showstopper was when she brought out Ice Spice to conclude the evening with their rendition of “Karma”, leaving us with boosted egos and karma on our side.

Overall, seeing Taylor Swift live was a once in a lifetime experience. As a huge fan, it was incredible to be dancing, screaming, and enjoying myself at that concert. It’s a forever winter now that she is gone, and I will miss her like it’s the very first night, but I will forever feel like the lucky one given the chance to see her.

Gallery • 6 Photos

Taylor Swift performing in the beginning of the show.