Almost three weeks ago, just before my birthday, our family went for lunch at the local cidery. Peter told me he had a scavenger hunt planned for me. “Don’t get your hopes up too high,” he told me. “This is mostly for the girls.” Our family loves a good scavenger hunt so I happily went along with it.
The scavenger hunt was super fun, with a little gift for me to open at each clue. The final gift was a new can opener, which was a bit of a joke between Peter and I, and then the clue led me to a couple of Peter’s co-workers who happened to be at the cidery too.
“I need more corn in my chili,” they said. “Can you open this can for me?” She handed me a can of creamed corn and, what do you know? I did have a can opener! Inside the can was a friendship bracelet stating December 8 and a picture of the seats we would have at BC Place Stadium for the final show of the Eras Tour.
These three ladies had been planning their Eras Tour for nearly a year and had a fourth in their group. When she had to drop out, they offered the ticket to Peter and he got to work surprising me.
I had two weeks to make my friendship bracelets and plan my outfit. Pearl and Rose helped me make bracelets and we watched The Eras Tour together.
For my outfit, I actually started with a pair of boots that in the end I didn’t wear. (They were very pretty but I opted for comfort.) They had a Tortured Poets Department look so I decided that was my era. While combing through local secondhand shops, I found a dress that gave me an idea. See if you can follow the evolution:
The original dress made me feel like I was marrying into a cult but once I’d pinned it and done some sewing, it was closer to what I envisioned. The girls and I wrote lyrics on the dress, as did my friends.
The weekend itself was a dream. We had the most fun embracing the fandom and the whole experience. We headed into Vancouver the day before and were generously hosted by my friend’s family in the suburbs.We listened to Taylor Swift (obviously) and ate delicious Italian food. We visited a local brewery and drank cider and on Sunday headed to our next stop.
We had a place to stay in Vancouver and so headed there next. We had a late lunch/early dinner so we wouldn’t be hungry at the show. Then we got ready and headed downtown.
Downtown Vancouver was alive with Swifties – people in costumes, glitter everywhere, friendship bracelets being swapped. From the streets outside to the line-ups to the crowds in the stadium, everyone was friendly and excited to be there. It was a lot of compliments and girls cheering on other girls and was overall one of the most positive experiences I’ve had in a huge crowd of strangers.
Gracie Abrams was the opener and though I only knew about 2 songs of hers, I quite enjoyed her. Her set was simple and her emotion at it being the final show was clear.
There was a brief pause and then Taylor took the stage. The energy in the stadium was amazing. 60, 000 people on their feet, so excited to be there. There was cheering and singing and just a lot of people having a good time. It was fun to watch people around me FaceTiming others for certain songs or recording to share later. I don’t think I’ve ever been at a show that had so many people doing something like that to share their experience.
The show is 3 and a half hours and Taylor works hard! She and her crew really put on a production. It was just as fun to watch the band and dancers as we had a good view of them offstage from where we were seated.
There were a lot of theories about what might happen that night since it was the final show but in the end, the show itself was the feature. And honestly, it’s such a full on show with so many parts and so much work put into it, that it felt like more than enough.
Being there definitely felt like being part of a big historical and cultural moment and I’m so glad that I got to go and that I got to experience it with such a fun group of women.
Karissa Reads Books 
Wow, what a great gift and a wonderful experience that will have given you a memory to take out and gloat over whenever you need a lift! For me, the David Bowie concert in Glasgow in 1978 (how depressing!) was the similar cultural event of an era, and one that still makes me happy to have been there half a century later!
It was amazing! Definitely an experience I’ll be reliving for a long time. Seeing David Bowie live must have been amazing too! It’s pretty special to be part of a cultural moment.
How exciting to have that opportunity – the Eras tour is a massive cultural moment and it must have been great to be part of it! It’s so cool that your girls were able to help you with your outfit and generally be part of the whole experience as well.
It was a very cool thing to be part of. And it was fun to share the excitement with my girls. They were so lovely and happy for me without being jealous. Knowing my kids, it would have been an overwhelming experience more than it would have been fun but they both had classmates that went to the show too.
The old lady in me wants to know if it was 3.5 hours of standing (no seats), how hard was it to park, if you got home after midnight, and if there was any part of you that wondered if you would have been able to see the show better had it been on TV instead. But that’s just me, being an old lady inside. 🤣
Two real questions: what’s with the friendship bracelets, and does “eras” tour mean you dress in costume for a specific era?
Those are good questions!
We had seats so weren’t required to stand. Most people did but some, like my friend who injured her foot recently, sat as they wanted to.
We got a ride from a friend but parking would have been a nightmare. The city closed down several blocks around the stadium so getting close by car wasn’t easy. Vancouver had great transit downtown so that would have been the other best option. We taxied home afterward and it was easy to find one. We did get back after midnight but we were so amped up that we got snacks at 7-11 and watched Friends on TV!
Yes, I could have seen it better on TV. I watched the Eras Tour movie at home and if seeing the details or being comfortable were the priority, that would be a great way to do it. Being there was a lot about being in the crowd and with so many other people enjoying the same thing. I thought the sound was great and that made heating it live worth it. And singing along as loud as we wanted!
I’m not entirely sure of the friendship bracelet origin but it comes from a line in her song “You’re On Your Own, Kid” where it says “make the friendship bracelets.” As in, seize the moment, do things that make you happy, don’t wait around for someone else to fulfill you.
Lots of people’s costumes were specific to a certain era (or album) of Taylor’s music. Lots of people were just sparkly or had costumes that were references to something else. It’s an era or album of Swift’s musical history, not a historical era.
Ha, I appreciate you answering all my questions! From what you’re saying, it sounds like you’re supposed to make friendship bracelets for yourself because someone else may not/don’t wait to feel important because you already are.