SO.CO Team

7 months ago

Live: Taylor Swift Brings The Eras Tour To Anfield

Anfield

Featured Photo

For most of my adult life, I’ve covered music, so Big Pop Shows are old hat. Yet, nothing quite braced me for the spectacle awaiting me as I walked through the tunnel beneath The Kop and into the stadium that doubles as a cathedral for the red half of Merseyside.

 

Calling this tour a phenomenon would be an understatement. The not-so-cheap tickets vanished almost instantly, snapped up by Taylor Swift’s fervent fanbase and a handful of savvy scalpers. The outcome? Stadia packed to the rafters with Swifties eager for the night of their lives. All that remained was for the girl from Pennsylvania to deliver.

 

And deliver she did.

The show is an immense theatrical spectacle, encompassing every era of Taylor Swift’s expansive career. A traditional end stage is augmented by a massive thrust and b-stage extending almost to the back of Anfield, ensuring that, for a portion of the show, every fan—especially those fortunate enough to be in GA—gets an almost front-row experience. Swift performs predominantly in the round, using an ever-changing set of risers to elevate her and her impressive troupe of dancers and musicians high above the pitch.

The show kicks off with "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince" from 2019’s Lover, barreling forward at a relentless pace before closing with "Karma" from Midnights. In between, we’re treated to prime cuts from each of her albums, with standouts including "betty" and "illicit affairs" from folklore, a raucous rendition of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" from Red, and the sheer pop ecstasy of the entire 1989 section.

 

The much-talked-about ‘surprise songs’ tonight were a glorious rendition of the Calvin Harris and Rihanna banger "This Is What You Came For," for which Swift penned the lyrics under the pseudonym Nils Sjöberg, followed by a mashup of "The Great War" and "You’re Losing Me," performed solo on acoustic guitar in the center of the stadium.

 

As a self-confessed indie kid, I must admit I entered Anfield eager for ‘the bits that The National wrote’ and left a Swiftie. This was about as flawless a pop show as you could hope for, and I am legitimately envious of anyone with tickets for the rest of the tour. If you get a sniff at a ticket, seize the chance to experience the fastest and most fun three hours of your life.

Words and photos: Thomas Jackson