It’s well-publicized that Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is projected to generate over $5 billion in sales, an equivalence of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of fifty countries according to TIME Magazine. States, countries and world leaders alike are begging Swift to bring her tour to their countries for an economic boost. 

After all, each individual performance has the attendance of a Superbowl. Yet it’s what she does for the human spirit and the active participation of her fandom that is the profound “lighting-in-a-bottle” experience that no other A-lister celebrities can replicate. Speaking of forces of nature, her Seattle performance caused a literal earthquake, CNN reports. 

Heads of state have made sure to extend creative displays of admiration and symbolic appreciation for Swift as well. Rarely if ever is an artist handed keys to the city or is bestowed the designation of Mayor for the day. Other impactful tributes included having street names changed in her honor and even iconic symbols like city arches and the Las Vegas state-line sign changed to reflect Tour colors as highlighted in Billboard.

The Eras Tour is hardly a giant sing-along; it’s deeper than that. What has been autobiographical for Swift has been biographical for her fans. Her fans are the insiders – they have always been treated as royalty; her genuine family. They have grown up and grown through trauma, triumph, transformation, tears, teen love triangles, highs and lows together. 

Sage Creek High School junior Talia Baird attended the Aug. 7 show at Sofi Stadium in LA and said “the experience was amazing.” 

“Everyone was trading friendship bracelets,” Baird said. “There was no hate between anyone. All was good in the world.”

Swift’s lyrics are deeply connected to life’s most relatable and piercingly personal moments. It’s as if she and the fans know each other “All Too Well.” There is so much to be said about the ripple effect of good Taylor has created. 

Audrey Cattano attended the Santa Clara show. “My experience at the Eras Tour was magical. I have never felt so many emotions in those few hours of the concert,” Cattano said. “Everyone in the stadium was screaming the lyrics and dancing and it made me feel something that I can’t put into words.” 

The communityhood she creates is what elevates the already mind-blowing experience, making it impossible for others to duplicate. In nothing short of a fan-centric extravaganza, Taylor has mastered a sense of oneness with her fans, one that is a culture of automatic acceptance and importance. The stands aren’t full of strangers;  the stadium is one, united, big, happy Swiftie Family, down to Mama and Papa Swift. Where else is meeting an artist’s parents as powerful as meeting the icon themselves?

Cattano echoes the sentiment of communityhood Swift has created: “Everyone was so nice and complimenting each other’s outfits. It was a whole community of people brought together by one person alone, Taylor Swift. She is grateful for us Swifties and you can see it through her performance.” 

The depth of detail and devotion Swift delivers in her authentic, masterminded three-and-a-half hour performance is a marketing masterclass in the making. Swift has intentionally, brilliantly and sequentially curated an experience full of symbols, surprises and one-of-a-kind moments down to the presentation of the coveted “22-hat” for an ultra-lucky fan each night. There is no shortage of things to look forward to at any moment. 

The trifecta of technology, sound and overall masterful production is unmatched. According to CDLIFE, the ultra-captivating stage takes 3,600 people to set up and 50 eighteen-wheelers to transport. 

“Taylor’s concerts are different from other artists because she puts on a whole production,” Cattano enthusiastically asserts. “She doesn’t just sing into a microphone. She dances, gives speeches, and interacts with the fans through her singing. Every little part of the show is so detailed and you can tell she has written songs for and about her fans specifically.” 

The excitement and anticipation of what was to come at the show in person were not dulled or ruined by the onslaught of spoilers on every form of media. It didn’t matter that the viewers saw the infamous stage dive on YouTube. 

Freshman Ellie Hevezi was blown away and transported in her Era’s Tour experience. “Seeing the ‘Folklore’ cabin, the ‘Willow’ performance, and hearing the surprise songs in person while sharing the experience with 70,000 other devoted fans is what made the experience so whimsical, enchanting, happy, exciting and uplifting,” Hevezi said.

According to junior Joselyn Virgen, “The coolest moment, in my opinion, was the crowd chants like 123 Let’s Go B****, the lights and stage effects were also so great, and the light-up bracelets I loved how they would coordinate and even make drawings like the snake.”

Preparation of the show is an event in itself. According to USA TODAY, her fans flock to craft stores like Michaels, spending an average of $35 or more in friendship bracelet supplies to eagerly trade with another Swiftie whom he-she-they will never see again.

What to wear to the Eras Tour for Swifties can be compared to a bride deciding on a wedding dress. It’s not at all about a mere costume or fancy outfit as one would consider for prom or even the Grammys, but an ensemble that is a deeply profound representation of a lyric, album, song, or era that is meaningful and reflective. 

Dad, proclaimed “Swiftie” and Sage Creek science and engineering teacher Mr. Fieberg dressed in “Style.” 

“I went as James Dean daydream with slicked-back hair and a white t-shirt,” Fieberg said in lyrical form. 

He was moved by the powerful, captivating energy of the crowd but even more so by the collective love everyone had for each other as well as Taylor Swift.  

“The synchronized infrared technology heightened the crowd involvement even more,” Mr. Fieberg said. “It was hands down the best concert I have ever seen in my 47 years. The fact that everyone wore costumes really made it exceptional and elevated the overall vibration.”

While the shattering records, math and economics are polarizing the press by dominating the tour headlines. It’s also the lives changed in the tens of millions that are proving to be at the center of the Eras Tour impact. Fans agree an Eras ticket is the best therapy out there. In cultures around the world, it’s been proven that chanting in large groups heals, cures, and transforms and that seems to have happened at each tour stop.

Perhaps one of the best parts of the tour experience is that it’s not over when it’s over. Each performance night is followed as fans watch live streams like sports fans would watch a marquee matchup on live TV. They tune in and scream at the screen about the surprise songs they aren’t in person to hear as though the other team scored.

Swift’s got “a big reputation” for all the right reasons; the facts and fans don’t lie.