If the past two years of her record-grossing Eras tour has taught pop-watchers anything, it is that Taylor Swift doesn’t do things by halves. Her fond farewell to London on the eighth night of a record-breaking solo run at Wembley Stadium – besting Michael Jackson’s 1988 benchmark – is a triumph and a long, lingering goodbye. It’s also one last opportunity to take stock of Swift’s presence on European shores. As the caravan rolls out of town, what just happened?
To recap: the Eras Tour spans Swift’s 10 studio albums, comprising about 16 costume changes, a full band, 15 dancers, audacious hydraulics and the consistently cool stunt of Swift leaping into what looks like a pool of water (in reality, another trapdoor in the floor). The need-to-know tally at Wembley Night Eight runs thus: Eras gig number 131 offers the usual three hours-plus of music, including two live debuts. There’s So Long, London, from her latest album, The Tortured Poets’ Department (2024), mourning a relationship, and the harder-hitting TTPD track Florida!!!, a song performed with full choreography with Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine.
