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Taylor Swift Reflects on What Sparked The Eras Tour
Welcome to The End of an Era.
One year after the Eras Tour, which was a major success and broke numerous records, Taylor Swift is revisiting one of her most magical moments ever and taking her fans with her. Through candid interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, Taylor and her tour family decide to share their historic journey in the first two episodes of her new docuseries, which dropped on Disney+ Dec. 12.
“There were two main unpleasant factors that led to the creation of The Eras Tour,” Taylor said in the first episode of the docuseries, “Welcome to The Eras Tour.” “The first one being that my entire catalogue of my first six albums was taken from me and sold to someone else. So, I chose, in a way of acting out, to re-record all of my music.”
After Taylor—who was battling for years and in May she announced that she officially owns all of her music after making a deal to get the master recordings of her first six albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation—explained, this event triggered the idea in her to pay tribute to and celebrate her old work.
The Pandemic was a Major Influence on The Eras Tour
The pandemic was another factor that contributed to the tour? Yes, the coronavirus pandemic.
During that period, “songwriting was something I held onto very tightly, it was my life raft of sorts,” Taylor explained in the docuseries. “We released Folklore three to four months into the pandemic, we came out with Evermore four months later. I hadn’t toured in five years and the fans had made such a demand for it that it was impossible to ignore.”
It was at that moment when the fan response and everything else really sparked the idea of the tour.
Still eager to know more of the truth that was going on behind the scenes while the tour was making headlines? Then don’t stop reading. There’s a lot more to The End of an Era than just an emotional moment to which you can add sweet phone calls with Travis Kelce and the heartfelt time when Taylor gave her team life-changing bonuses.
Taylor Met with Southport Attack Survivors and Victims’ Families
In the very first episode of The End of an Era, Taylor Swift talked about her canceled concerts in August 2024 in Vienna, Austria, following a terror plot targeting her shows. (Two men were arrested for the planned attack.)
“We have experienced several very violent and frightening events on the tour,” Taylor recounted. “We almost were at the point of, like, a massacre situation. So, I’ve just been kind of all over the place emotionally.”
The attack on Taylor’s tour came only a handful of days after a tragic incident in Southport, England, where three children died in a Taylor Swift–themed dance class.
An emotional Taylor, through tears, said, “I really don’t know how to explain it.”
After the heartbreak, Taylor met with survivors and the families of the victims of the Southport attack in a private setting backstage at her Wembley shows.
The docuseries also showed Taylor and her mom, Andrea Swift, crying after their meeting, with Andrea comforting her daughter by saying, “I know you helped them. It might not feel like that, but I know you helped them.”
Taylor Confessed To Ed Sheeran That She Felt “Very Hunted”
Prior to her performance at Wembley Stadium that was overshadowed by the recent unfortunate events, Taylor Swift was quite anxious.
“I have to get this show done,” she said to her friend Ed Sheeran backstage, “I have to see the fun side of it again.”
Taylor mentioned that after her concerts at Wembley, she will be off for two months.
“I will simply take a trip where no one will be able to find me,” she revealed after Ed inquired about her intentions. “I just don’t like to be treated like an animal. I have only felt very hunted lately.”
Taylor Gave “Bonus Day” Checks to Her Eras Tour Family
At the End of an Era, it is revealed that after each tour leg, Taylor Swift gave a bonus to every crew member, dancer, and musician.
“Bonus day is very significant,” Taylor said, “because, for me, it was really important to set a theatrical precedent with The Eras Tour.”
“If the tour makes more money, then the bonus will be higher,” she said. “And these people just keep on working so hard and they are the best at what they do. So, every single person from the crew, I have written a note to them personally. It took me a couple of weeks, but writing the notes is fun.”
Taylor was the one who gave the notes and checks to the people, which made a lot of them very emotional.
Travis Kelce Was “Searching Through the Online” During Eras Tour Concerts
While Travis Kelce was not with Taylor in the crowd or on the stage during The Eras Tour, the football player was following the show in his own way. He was looking for concert info on the web, just like any other fan would do.
“I wish I could be there!” Kelce exclaimed to Swift during an adorable call prior to her shows at Wembley. “It’s me who will be looking through the internet.”
Emma Stone Paved the Way for Taylor Swift to Meet Eras Tour Choreographer
Emma Stone was sort of the invisible hand that guided The Eras Tour to be what it is.
When Taylor was figuring out the dance moves for the show, she asked her friend for help.
“When it comes to choreography, I called one of my friends, Emma Stone, who has been very involved with dance in her films, ‘Who have you done by that you would guide me for this? ” Three wise solutions answered Emma. ‘And she is like ‘There is only one person that really needs to be on your list and it is Mandy Moore,” Taylor remembered.
Dance choreographer Mandy Moore — the one not to be mistaken with actress Mandy Moore — was the one who had collaborated with Stone for the 2016 film La La Land before.
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Taylor Swift’s Strategy for Keeping Eras Tour Surprises Secret
When Taylor Swift and her band were rehearsing for a surprise performance like “Florida!!!” with Florence Welch, they would try to muffle the sound of the PA system and also practice “quietly” so that no one outside the stadium would get to hear the secret. Fans waiting outside the stadiums couldn’t hear because they were making sure that the sound didn’t leak from the rehearsals.
“Keeping things a surprise is so much additional work,” Taylor said in ‘Magic of the Eras,’ the second episode of the docuseries. “I can tell you that just thinking about it, I really need a nap. However, it is so worth it when we actually manage to do it.”
