End of an Era: Most memorable moments from Taylor Swift's global tour
With 149 shows across five continents, the Eras tour became the highest grossing tour of all time estimated to have made nearly $2 billion, ITV News' Mahatir Pasha reports
Words by Producer Lilly Croucher
After 149 shows, a concert film, and millions of friendship bracelet swaps, Taylor Swift’s 21-month long Eras tour has come to an end as she wrapped up her last show in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday.
In an Instagram post, the 14-time Grammy winner called the end of her tour "the closing of the most extraordinary chapter of my life so far".
"The emotions have gotten pretty heightened for me and the rest of the team because it’s gotten extremely real for us," she added.
From breaking records to breaking points, here is a look back the key moments from Swift's epic Eras tour…
‘Swiftenomics’
With 149 shows across five continents, the Eras tour became the highest grossing tour of all time estimated to have made nearly $2 billion.
In the first eight months, the tour grossed $1 billion from just 60 shows, breaking Elton John's record from his 'Farewell' tour which grossed $939 million from over 300 shows.
In the UK, parliament recognised that the tour had made a "substantial economic impact", boosting the British economy by nearly £1 billion, including a £300 million lift to London’s economy alone.
The pop-star played to 1.2 million UK fans in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Liverpool.
Seeing the economic draw of the Eras tour, it was no wonder that countries across the world wanted the pop-singer to visit their country.
Some countries even petitioned for Swift to visit them, including Canada and Chile, while other countries such as New Zealand and Thailand missed out on the popstar's presence.
Meanwhile, Singapore controversially secured an exclusive arrangement with Swift to be the Era’s tour only concert in South East Asia.
The Shake It Off and Cruel Summer singer entered the Forbes rich list earlier this year, with an estimated net worth of £1.6 billion.
A spectacle
The three-and-a-half hour concert saw Swift play 44 songs across, including two surprise songs, from 10 different eras across her 17-year career.
She changes her set just enough to make each night feel unique for her adoring fans, who comes from wide and far to see her show.
The multi-million dollar production was ambitious with large-set swaps and circus-style stunts, as well as 15 backup dancers and 16 costume changes that included a glittery leotard in Lover to an airy corset dress in Folkmore to sapphire-studded cowboy boots in Midnights.
The tour started in Glendale, Arizona on March 17, 2023 and concluded in Vancouver, Arizona on December 8, 2024.
Each show in the US was attended by around 72,000 people, according to Statista, while she played to almost 1.2 million people in the UK alone.
Controversy started with ticket sales in 2023 with British fans hoping to avoid Ticketmaster price hikes while some Swifties missed out all together as Lloyds bank estimated that fans lost £1 million in ticket scams.
'So long, London'
A 90,000-strong crowd joined Swift every night at London's Wembley stadium where murals and signs were created in honour of the 34-year-old and fans sang together making friendship bracelets.
Supporting her UK leg of the tour were British pop-punk group Paramour and singers RAYE, Phoebe Bridges and Maisie Peters to name a few.
Surprise guests joining her on stage were Suffolk-born singer and friend, Ed Sheeran, and NFL player and boyfriend Travis Kelce.
Kelce, who wore a full tuxedo suit, top hat and all, carried Swift to a sofa on the stage and particiapted in her skit during her song “I Can Do with a Broken Heart”.
Celebs who attended the summer concerts included Tom Cruise, Paul McCartney, Fleabag writer and actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Bridgeton star Nicola Coughlan, as well as Swift's parents Andrea and Scott Swift.
There was even a royal appearance with Prince William and his children George and Charlotte meeting the popstar backstage.
Politics Era
Also joining the Swifties at Wembley were now-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Later it would come to light after the UK General Election, in which Labour won, that Starmer had taken tens of thousands of pounds in gifts, including six tickets for the Eras tour, from wealthy donors.
Starmer has since paid back £6,000 in gifts he received before becoming Prime Minister but Khan, who received similar criticism, defended the donation and said he was "really proud" that Swift had toured in London.
Southport attacks
Swift's name would be back in the UK headlines in the summer when Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor-themed dance class in Southport on July 29.
In a statement on Instagram, she said she was at a “complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families".
Eight other children and two adults were injured. Its understood Swift had been in touch with the families and even met two survivors backstage at one of her shows.
Austria terror plot
Three shows in Vienna were cancelled after a foiled terror plot was discovered targeting Swifties in Austria.
Authorities arrested three men, aged 17, 18 and 19, after bomb-making materials were found in one suspects home and two confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”
Despite this, the remaining five London shows on the Era's tour were given the go-ahead as the Met Police found no evidence of a similar terror risk.
US election
Following the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Swift came out and backed Harris' campaign.
In a statement to her 283 million Instagram followers, she said she would be supporting Harris and signed off her post "childless cat lady" - a nod to a comment made by Vice President-elect, JD Vance, which he used to describe single women.
Nine days after Swift's endorsement, a major national poll found that she was viewed unfavorably by 60 percent of Republicans but favourably by 70 percent of Democrats.
Trump negatively reacted to Taylor’s public support of Harris, saying Swift would “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump also wrote: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”
Seismic impact
Swift's concert in Seattle generated seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake as fans danced along to Shake-it-up and Ready for It.
The Seattle concerts were played in front of a total of 144,000 fans over two nights.
Posting on Instagram afterwards, Swift said: "Seattle that was genuinely one of my favourite weekends ever. Thank you for everything. All the cheering, screaming, jumping, dancing, singing at the top of your lungs."
What is next for the star?
Finishing her her last show on December 8, it is expected Swift might take a well-earned break.
But even though the popstar will be taking some time off, her music continues to make an impact.
At the recent Grammy's awards, she won Best Album of the year with Midnights, becoming the first performer to win the award four times in a row
And the release of her latest album, Tortured Poets Department, earlier this year, the pop star shows no signs of slowing down.
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