Starting off her long-awaited Eras Tour, the music industry sensation, Taylor Swift, performed on March 17, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Swift had around 69,000 audience members, more than those in attendance at the Superbowl in Feb. 

With a setlist of 44 songs, each performance lasts for approximately three hours. In her set, Swift goes through each era of her songwriting and music, bringing a new light to a range of fan favorite songs. Swift also performs two surprise songs each night for the audience.

As the tour continues, Swift switches songs from different eras of her time as a musician. While in Arlington Texas at AT&T Stadium, Swift changed her normal setlist song of “Invisible String” to “The 1,” both from her 2020 album “Folklore.”

Swift has been in the public eye for almost a decade, releasing 10 studio albums and two re-recorded albums plus “in the vault songs,” that were never released on the original album. 

Throughout her journey, Swift has gone through many genres of writing from “country to pop to alternative to folk,” a BBC article stated.

Swift has always explained that her inspiration for most of her songs has been her romantic relationships, all the way up to her latest album, Midnights, where the first song “Lavender Haze” is about her now ex-boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn. On April 8, Swift and Alwyn were reported to have broken up after being together since 2016.

Swift explains a story with every song she writes, through explicit and detailed lyrics that represent her immaculate style of writing that is one of a kind. From relatable lyrics to poetic sentences, Swift has grown as a writer to become who some call the greatest lyricist of the century. 

Courtney McConnell, sophomore and long-time ’Swiftie,’ attending the Eras Tour  in Tampa on night two, explains her love for Taylor Swift.

“My childhood best friend has always been a Swiftie, she was the one who got me listening to Taylor Swift when we were about five,” McConnell said. “It’s very easy to fall in love with Taylor Swift. Not only is her music awesome, but so is she. I love how she sticks up for what she believes in and always defends her friends.” 

Reese Mitchell, sophomore, has practically been a Swiftie since she was born. 

“She is an icon and she has a relatable song for every mood I’m feeling. I loved her since I could remember,” Mitchell said. “She has also been an inspiration for everyone to chase their dreams.” 

Although McConnell did end up receiving tickets, her experience with Ticketmaster was extremely challenging. 

“Ticketmaster was definitely a problem while trying to get tickets. Every time I clicked the screen it would randomly refresh the page and the seats I wanted would end up being taken. It was a huge struggle and difficult to work with,” McConnell said. 

Since Swift’s whole ticket debacle, Ticketmaster had to speak in front of Congress over the mishandling of The Eras Tour tickets. 

Mitchell did not end up receiving tickets due to Ticketmaster. 

“I made three different accounts on Ticketmaster and got tickets in zero of them,” Mitchell said. “They never even sent me a code for presale or anything. They sold out presale and then when the general sale opened there weren’t many left.” 

Swift is set to perform on April 13, 14 and 15 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., with close to sold out shows. 

“I wish she was going to more than one city in Florida, especially a city that’s closer since Tampa is around three hours away, but I’m glad she’s even coming to Florida at all. It’s definitely worth a three hour drive to see her,” McConnell said.