Since kicking off in March of 2023, the Eras Tour stage has provided an immersive backdrop to Taylor Swift’s most ambitious shows to date. Indeed, there was a joke circling the internet following the opening weekend of the now nonpareil: look at any random collection of photos taken throughout the night—some even snapped mere minutes apart—and you’d never know they all came from the same show. What starts in a hazy pink, cotton candy dreamscape ends in a sultry, sparkling twilight—with plenty of undulating stops in the middle, from ethereal fairytale woods to the energetic skyscrapers of the concrete jungle.
“[The stage] changes for almost every song, which is crazy to think about considering most artists have the same stage for their entire set list,” Maya Minocha, a fan who has attended multiple shows, tells AD. Broken down by “era,” the concert takes fans on a three-plus-hour journey through nearly every album in the singer’s 18-year career. “The sets absolutely made this possible,” Ginnie Low, a fan who attended the tour and runs the TikTok account The Thrifty Swiftie, says. “I didn’t move from my tiny little seat area the whole concert, but was transported to 10 different worlds.” Ariel Miranda, another concert-goer agrees. “It was such an immersive experience,” she says.
Now, over a year into the global phenomenon, the singer is still keeping fans on their toes with an ever changing assortment of costumes, track lists, and even a brand new set to commemorate her latest release, The Tortured Poets Department. With a distinct focus on world building, AD takes a look at the incredible set design that helps bring her music to life throughout the triumphant concert.
The Lover Era
Swift opens the show with tracks off of her seventh studio album, Lover. “It was as if she picked up right from where she left off,” Miranda says, referring to Swift’s COVID-19-induced cancellation of her sixth headline tour, Lover Fest, in 2020. Having characterized the album with yellow, pink, and blue pastels, Swift—outfitted in a shimmering leotard—belts songs like “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince” and “Cruel Summer” while dancers wielding billowing tapestries perform beneath a rosy glow. Screens show two pink triumphal arcs, which were historically built to honor a person or commemorate an important event—a fitting gesture to begin the one-of-a-kind spectacle.
