Five continents. 149 shows. 10 million fans. An estimated $2.2 billion (U.S.) in revenue.
On Sunday, Taylor Swift’s record-shattering Eras Tour concluded with a final show in front of 60,000 fans packed inside BC Place in Vancouver. That final performance was also watched by millions on livestreams around the world.
“Vancouver, I want to thank every single one of you for being part of the most thrilling chapter of my entire life to date, my beloved Eras Tour,” Swift told the audience near the end of the show. “You have created such a space of joy and togetherness and love. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
And just like that, the cultural phenomenon that has dominated headlines and the music industry for 21 months has come to end — though a camera crew was seen recording Swift’s three performances in Vancouver, raising fan hopes of a second concert movie.
The finale took place just over two weeks after the Eras Tour transformed Toronto into a glittery Swiftie paradise for two weeks, attracting some 500,000 visitors and generating an estimated $282 million for the city.
To mark the end of an era, here’s a look at 10 highlights from the Star’s coverage. (And, to keep the moment going, buy a copy of “Taylor Swift in Toronto,” a celebration magazine from the Star.)
1. An interactive guide to the history-making Eras Tour
Taylor Swift, artist, megastar, phenomenon, has dominated the news for the past two years. Her Eras Tour has made history so many times that it can be hard to keep track: it’s broken attendance records, stimulated local economies, and even, literally, generated seismic activity. Swift herself has dominated the charts, (re) released three albums and racked up more than a dozen awards, including a historic 2024 Grammys accolade: Swift’s win for “Midnights” made her the first person to win album of the year four times.
This visual timeline looks back at the Eras tour in all its glory and captures the many milestones of this monumental cultural moment.
2. Taylor Swift proves why she’s the world’s biggest star on night one in Toronto
Around the halfway point of Taylor Swift’s first Toronto Eras Tour concert, the show became something bigger than itself: a sprawling, ear-splitting, life-affirming ovation, wrote Aisling Murphy in a four-star review for the Star.
“When the applause for “Champagne Problems” hit the two-minute mark, Swift removed her in-ear monitors and took in the enormous roar of the crowd. At first, she was humble, soaking in the whoops as she gazed out at the more than 40,000 people gazing adoringly back at her.
Then she cocked her eyebrow and smirked.
The audience kept cheering. This was no ordinary crowd.
Then again, this was no ordinary concert.
Eras Tour tickets are currently listed on resale sites like StubHub with price tags upwards of $20,000. While I can’t in good conscience recommend anyone pay that for a concert ticket, I also can’t say it’s not worth it.
Read the full review.
3. Meet Toronto’s top Swiftie
Ahead of Swift’s arrival in Toronto, the Star scoured the city in search of the biggest Swiftie. Our search led us to Katherine Finlayson, a 27-year-old law student who says she “grew up” with Taylor. Here’s what Finlayson told us:
I’ve been a fan of Taylor’s since 2008 when I was 11 — I’ve literally grown up with her. It’s been incredible to see not only the trajectory of her career, but also her personal growth. For instance, I’ve experienced everything from teenage romance and heartbreak to becoming a woman and facing larger systemic issues and barriers in society, along with Taylor. For the fans that have been there since the beginning, we’ve been by each others’ sides the whole way.
Also, Taylor is one of the greatest writers of the 21st century. As Swifties, we’re so tired of hearing the blatantly sexist criticisms of her music, like she only sings about her ex-boyfriends or whines about heartbreak. For one, her breakup songs are introspective and complex. She writes about so many other things, like grief, perseverance, joy, resilience, fantasy, addiction, illness, and even broader themes like politics and feminism. She’s a really diverse artist, even in terms of genres.
Read the full story.
4. The fans who made the city shimmer
The Eras Tour showcased more than just an artist at the peak of her powers — it was also a celebration of Swift’s fans and the community that surrounds her. Following Swift’s six-show residency in Toronto, the Star highlighted 11 superfans whose stories astonished us and moved us as much as Swift’s music.
Among those fans were Arthur Lulu and his seven-year-old daughter Matilda, who has a rare kidney disease. Arthur wanted to do something special for Matilda, so he spent $1,500 (U.S.) on two tickets for the Eras Tour and surprised her with them for her ninth birthday. “Actually?” Matilda says in a video of the moment, an incredulous smile spreading across her face. “You’re the best dad in the world.” She starts to cry.
Read the full story.
5. The best dressed Swifties
The Eras Tour arrived in Toronto during a gloomy stretch in November, but Swifties brought the glitz and glam to the Rogers Centre.
From matching mother-and-daughter concert ‘fits to bejewelled DIY looks that took weeks to create, fans of all ages made the stadium their own red carpet. Following night one, the Star took a closer look at some of the best-dressed fans.
Read the full story.
6. Celeb spotting
Of course, Taylor Swift wasn’t the only famous face in town.
Among the thousands of concertgoers attending her shows at the Rogers Centre, there were many recognizable faces in the audience, including Simu Liu, Keegan-Michael Key, Zooey Deschanel and Aaron Dessner.
The most famous person, however, was not technically a celebrity, but the prime minister.
Justin Trudeau got into the Taylor Swift groove on night five. Photos and videos of the dancing prime minister were shared on social media.
Read the full story.
7. An ‘unprecedented’ surge in Taylor tattoos
Toronto tattoo studio New Tribe Tattoo and Piercings has been around for decades. The second-floor studio, tucked above the Queen Street Warehouse bar, has the esthetic of a mid-20th century diner with checkerboard floors and bright red and blue walls. A 1990s Pepsi vending machine populates the waiting area.
But in its 30-year history, New Tribe’s staff had never seen anything like this.
“You’ll do like two or three Blink 182 tattoos when they come through,” said Dave Wildenboer, the owner and operator of New Tribe, “but nothing, nothing, nothing like this.”
He’s talking about the Swifties. The mothers, the daughters, the brothers, the best friends — they’ve all come through the doors of New Tribe, asking for a lyric or album name or reference to one of Taylor Swift’s hundreds of songs. And New Tribe is only one of a whole host of tattoo shops around Toronto that have seen an unprecedented surge in bookings this month.
Read the full story.
8. A Swiftie engagement
For Caeli Mitchell, seeing Taylor Swift live in Toronto was a dream come true — in more ways than one.
The paralegal, 29, and her now-fiancé, Mike Cheff, 35, had tailed Swift for months across the U.S. The couple stood outside concerts in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and even scored tickets to the Eras Tour in Pittsburgh.
But it was their second Eras Tour concert, this time in Toronto, that changed both of their lives forever.
“I get choked up just talking about it,” Mitchell told the Star. “It’s a story that’ll last a lifetime.”
Read the full story.
9. A long-time fan’s dreams come true
“Waking up this morning, I still couldn’t believe that last night wasn’t, as Taylor Swift sings in ‘Cruel Summer,’ simply a ‘fever dream high,’” writes superfan Abhiraj Lamba.
I have often joked that being a Swiftie is the closest thing I have to a religion. After last night, I don’t think it’s a joke anymore.
When she took to the stage for the first song of the evening, “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” Swift sang, “It’s been a long time coming,” and for me that statement could not have felt any truer.
I discovered Swift’s music when I was 13 (appropriately) with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “Love Story,” and I was immediately entranced. I spent the next few days familiarizing myself with her entire discography and was amazed at how not a single song struck me as anything less than perfect.
Yesterday — 10 years later — I saw her live, for the first time, on the Eras Tour in Toronto.
Read the full story.
10. Swiftie fans take over a Bills game
Jimmy Flex did laps outside the perimeter of the Rogers Centre trying to find Taylor Swift tickets with his 15-year-old son Jesse on Friday night and was feeling left out.
Inside the stadium, his wife, Kerry, and 11-year-old daughter Isabella were watching the first of six Toronto shows as part of Swift’s historic Eras Tour. The family from Galveston, Tex., had bought plane tickets six months ago with hopes they’d be able to score concert tickets. Four days before opening night, they secured a pair and decided the girls would attend.
That didn’t sit well with Flex.
“After two songs, he bought tickets for him and our son and they came in as well,” Kerry said, admitting that in their family, dad and daughter are the biggest Swifties.
For the Flex family and many others — the majority of which weren’t lucky enough to attend a sold-out show — the glitter and glam that swept Toronto from Thursday to Saturday was only the first act of a memorable weekend. With Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs playing against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, thousands of Swifties took the opportunity to bring their fandom to Buffalo, hoping to catch a glimpse of the international megastar.
Read the full story.
