Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour has taken pop culture by storm. At each concert, Swifties (the clever name for Taylor Swift’s fanbase) congregate to trade friendship bracelets, laugh, shout, and cry. Swifties have a lot in common, as they all feel the impact Swift has had on this generation. The positive and uplifting environment of the concert made fans feel validated, as they cried and/or screamed together during each song. One of MECA’s biggest Swifties, junior Karen Sanchez explains her August 3rd Eras Tour experience as “unreal.” “The vibe was very friendly even though you didn’t know somebody, it felt like you could talk to them and trust them,” Sanchez describes. She and her friends attended the concert together and they all traded several friendship bracelets with other Swifties.
One of the friends she went with was junior, Audree Perea. She recounts her experience as unforgettable and necessary. “I finally got to see her, and I really think I needed that experience…It was probably the best moment of my life, knowing I got to see the person I admire the most,” Perea proclaimed. She expanded, “You could scream your heart out and it was normal because mostly everyone was doing the same thing.”
Ariana Parra, another MECA Swiftie, attended two Eras tour shows in Los Angeles, on August 7th and 8th. She had different seats both nights which changed her experience, as the environments varied. Parra also traded friendship bracelets. She exclaimed, “Everyone was just so happy to trade bracelets, it was really cute.” Parra, Perea, and Sanchez all feel that there is a comforting culture surrounding Swifties, especially regarding friendship bracelets.
The tradition of trading friendship bracelets began when Swift released a song titled, “You’re On Your Kid,” off of her 2022 studio album, Midnights. In that song, there is a lyric where Swift sings, “So make the friendship bracelets Take the moment and taste it,” and the rest is history. “I guess people took that line seriously, and now everyone who is attending her shows is making friendship bracelets,” said Perea.
Swifties appreciate how Swift pays attention to her fans, and gives them what they want. In the past, Swift has even hosted “Secret Sessions” in her home to play her fans her newest album, which had not been released yet.
Fans appreciate Swift’s level of vulnerability she displays in her songs. “She is very open with us through her lyrics and it gives us a little window into her life, ” said Sanchez.
This helps fans to feel more connected with her, and feel comforted, and not alone in their emotions. Parra remarked, “She definitely gives everyone a feel for emotions because you can relate to her and her songs.”
Swift is currently rerecording her discography after her masters got sold from underneath her. So far, she has announced two of these re-recorded album releases while on stage mid-concert.
The first announcement came on May 5th, 2023, during her Nashville show, when she announced the re-release of her 3rd album, Speak Now. The second announcement took place on August 9, 2023, in Los Angeles to announce 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Parra missed the announcement by just one night! However, she got to be there for the debut of the new outfit Swift wore during her Midnights era performance, which was an easter egg for the next-day announcement. “It looked eerily similar to the 1989 tour one, and so that gave me a sense like, ‘oh my god’ she’s definitely announcing it tomorrow,” Parra excitedly stated.
The re-recordings are an exciting time for fans, as they get to experience the releases all over again. “You can tell how much her voice has matured, how much she’s progressed in the style she sings, you can tell there’s major improvement,’ feels Parra.
Audree Perea loves how much Swift enjoys it saying, “It can be nostalgic for her, and the fans. I know that if Taylor really likes an album that she has to re-record, she has a lot of fun doing it.”
There is a large Swiftie community at MECA, as many students have become friends over their mutual love for Swift and her music.
“She’s such a big artist but you can be like, ‘Oh my god, you listen to her, I listen to her too!,’ … I know a lot of people have become friends that way because they’re swifties,” Parra elaborated.
There is also “always an aesthetic that goes with the album and each era,” Audree Perea explained.
When asked what Sanchez, Perea, and Parra would rate their Eras Tour experience, they gave Swiftie responses saying, “13 out of 10!”
Overall, the impact Taylor Alison Swift has had on this generation, including MECA students is unmatched, and will forever and always be remembered.
