Going to The Eras Tour last year in New York was a dream come true - I saw one of my favorite artists live with a show and experienced her music like I’ve never had before. And when I had the opportunity to see her again in Europe in 2024, I jumped on a transcontinental flight with a passport and friendship bracelets to see Taylor again. After attending The Eras Tour in Stockholm, Sweden last week, I wanted to compare my experience from both shows: I went to both MetLife Night 1 in 2023 and Stockholm Night 3 in 2024. Considering that The Eras Tour has evolved so much from opening night, let alone from when I saw it last year, the tour can feel like a different concert. So without further ado, here are my observations on the US vs the European Eras Tour.
United States
From my perspective, the US had significantly louder crowds. Part of it could be attributed to the concert culture in the US versus Europe, with American crowds being more inclined to scream lyrics versus European concert etiquette focusing on hearing the artist. Alongside that, the energy at MetLife N1 was unlike anything else, especially due to the Midnights (Til Dawn) release alongside the “Karma” remix with Ice Spice, the “Karma” music video premiere, and a surprise appearance from Jack Antonoff to play “Getaway Car.” Comparing the videos I got from both shows confirmed this: the videos from my US show were at least 50 times louder with the crowd singing along.
The US shows had more or less the original setlist. By the time it got to my show, Taylor had already replaced “invisible string” with “the 1”, and she had added “Nothing New” with Phoebe Bridgers for the dates that Phoebe opened for. This also means that the TTPD set did not exist, and folklore and evermore also had their own respective sets instead of one combined one. The order of sets also changed - I purposely went into my European show blind on the order of the new setlist and tried to stay as spoiler-free as possible with the TTPD set.
The US shows had less energy for the opener, mainly comparing Phoebe Bridgers to Paramore. The Swedish crowd was much more respectful to Paramore, yet the Phoebe Bridgers crowd was dead in my opinion, save for the "I Know The End" scream. I was slightly disappointed as a Phoebe Bridgers fan, but overall I’ve tended to notice that it was due to the opener culture in the States - international crowds are more likely to show up and be present for the opener.
I am biased because I was at MetLife N1, but my US show won the surprise song lottery. Taylor played both “Getaway Car” with Jack Antonoff, which is one of my all time favorite Taylor Swift songs, and played “Maroon” for the first time ever live. (She has played “Maroon” 4 times since.)
One of the biggest cultural differences between Eras Tour shows is the concept of “Taygating”, and tailgating the concert in the stadium parking lot. Because the parking lot for Eras opened up hours before doors opened, Swifties were tailgating in the parking lot. At some stadiums where they allowed non-ticket holders to park or have pedestrian access, Swifties would listen to the concert from outside the stadium, such as in Philadelphia or Nashville.
Sweden/Europe
Arguably the biggest difference between American and European shows is the concert culture. European fans are more respectful, quieter, and have their own concert etiquette that they follow. This was especially notable in between surprise songs when Taylor Swift pointed out a group of fans who were shining flashlights, which is a signal for someone needing help. Also, less people were recording videos, even during surprise songs which shocked me.
The shows in Sweden also took place inside an indoor stadium. This was presumably for a multitude of reasons: Stockholm isn’t typically as warm as it was in May, the sun sets at 9:30 and it does not get fully dark out in Sweden, and the show visuals were suited for the roof being closed. However, it was warm in Stockholm that weekend, and even hotter inside the venue, hence the fans trying to get help. I almost overheated during the Midnights set from the 100s and although security was apparently giving out free water, the floor was standing room only and was very packed.
Speaking of the venue, one of my qualms is that Friends Arena specifically did not allow any bags into the concert. I understand clear bag policies, which MetLife had with me bringing a clear fanny pack to my show, but having no bags allowed can be detrimental for people with medical issues and people who have outfits without pockets. As a woman wearing a dress for my Eras Tour outfit, I had to wear shorts with pockets under and carry my phone with me the entire time.
Regarding the venue, one of the other major differences I noticed was related to security. Even though bags were prohibited for the show, Friends Arena didn't make concerts attendees go through metal detectors, which for me is unheard of as an American. Even the club-sized venue I work at has multiple metal detectors for patrons to go through as part of security.
The addition of The Tortured Poets Department on the Eras Tour was truly the highlight of my night: although I attended the OG Eras Tour and saw the Eras Tour film multiple times, the TTPD set makes the tour fresh and distinct. The production value of that set was next level and I loved getting to hear some of my favorite TTPD tracks live (“Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”) Taylor also played a song off of The Tortured Poets Department as a surprise song, playing “How Did It End” live for the first time.
Because The Eras Tour has evolved from its initial iteration, Taylor Swift also plays mashups during the surprise song portion: Stockholm N3 got a “Max Martin Medley” with “Message In A Bottle”, “How You Get The Girl”, and “New Romantics.”
Transit to the venue was significantly easier in Stockholm: although European cities have much more reliable public transport than American ones do, getting to and from the venue was much easier and less-time consuming than spending 4 hours in traffic driving from Long Island to MetLife. Leaving the venue was also much easier - there were constantly trains running from Friends Arena to both Stockholm and Uppsala. Also, Friends Arena also had the Mall Of Scandinavia adjacent to the stadium, so Swifties were able to get to the venue before doors opened.
Friendship bracelet trading in Europe was taken to the next level. Although we only traded at our seats (and through cars stuck in traffic getting into MetLife) in New York, Swifties were trading so many bracelets outside the venue for hours before the show, and I even traded a bracelet with a Swiftie on the train back to Stockholm after the concert. Both of my wrists were covered in bracelets and even had bracelet marks on my arm after the show!
Merchandise for The Eras Tour was more expensive in Europe: it was 950 kr (around $95) for the blue crewneck compared to the $75 I paid back in New York.
Lastly, Stockholm went all out for the “Blank Space” chant during the bridge - screaming “Stockholm” was so much fun!
Despite the differences between the two shows, Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour truly bring all sorts of people together. Here are some of the similarities between the US and Europe shows:
The Eras Tour fashion delivered in both cities. No matter where you go, The Eras Tour will always be a fashion show with people dressed to the 9s representing the eras.
Both dates I went to had surprise songs relating to the city that it was in: “Getaway Car” with Jack Antonoff for New Jersey (MetLife Stadium is in New Jersey) and “Maroon” for New York, and the “Max Martin Mashup” in Stockholm to honor Swedish Taylor Swift collaborator Max Martin.
There was an element of surprise with not knowing the order of the sets in both shows (accidentally in New York, on purpose in Sweden), and not knowing the order of the songs for the new sets in Stockholm.
I happened to get one of my favorite songs as a surprise song - “Getaway Car” in New York and “New Romantics” as part of the mashup in Stockholm.
Taylor happened to debut new outfits at both of my shows. She debuted the purple Lover bodysuit, silver Speak Now dress, and burgundy evermore dress in New York, and blue and yellow 1989 set and new “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” outfit in Sweden.
I cried during both shows and was even crying during “Karma” in Stockholm because I didn’t want it to end!
Overall, my Eras Tour experiences were so incredible - this night is sparkling! I was so fortunate to see Taylor Swift not only once but twice on this tour with two completely different setlists, and will remember for the rest of my life. And now that I’ve seen my first concert in Europe, I’ve caught the international concert bug and would love to attend concerts all around the world.
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