My hands were held high in the shape of a heart, the wristbands of 70,000 people glowed purple around me, and Taylor Swift was spinning with her guitar in the spring rain, casting a spell.
“Is it raining? Is it really raining during this song?” she asked us.
Yes, it was. As I sang along with her and everyone else in the stadium, I felt “Fearless” and “Fifteen” and “22” and 31 — the age I actually am — all at the same time.
In other words, Night 1 of the Eras Tour in Nashville was pure magic.
Between Swift’s powerful performance and unmatched stamina (the show is over three hours), and the concert’s lengthy setlist (45 songs, including the added duet of “Nothing New” with Phoebe Bridgers) and stellar production (sets, costumes, special effects), I have a feeling that every show feels just as transcendent, especially for fans like me who have grown up alongside Swift. I’m about two years younger than her, and Swift’s music has been the soundtrack to every phase of my life since I was in eighth grade and she released her self-titled debut album.
On social media, I’ve seen some fans describe the concert as the best night of their lives, others compare it to therapy, and another who said it was the most emotional she’s ever been at one of Swift’s shows. I understand all those descriptions. Personally, the best way I can summarize it is that I felt like a nesting doll; each era and every song contained a piece of every version of myself that’s existed since I was 14.
Courtesy of Sarah Hunter Simanson
Living in Memphis — a city that consistently makes headlines for the ongoing surge in violent crime — and living in the United States — a country besieged with gun violence — safe is something I never feel. I’m always looking over my shoulder, noting exits, wondering if a trip to Target or the grocery store is worth whatever could go wrong.
It’s also been an especially hard year to be a woman in this country, to watch my bodily autonomy and access to equitable health care be taken away. So, while I expected to love the music, I wasn’t prepared for how overwhelming of an experience standing inside Nissan Stadium would be. I didn’t anticipate the freedom and joy I felt being in a public space where I could just exist. I danced and jumped and sang, unafraid of the man next to me who was dancing and singing just as enthusiastically and unworried about the…
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