VANCOUVER — Pop megastar Taylor Swift said there was a reason she chose Vancouver and Canada as the final stop of her 149-show Eras Tour, a sequin-sparkled cultural steamroller that has spanned five continents.
The fans don’t just know the lyrics, she told the first-night audience at a sold-out BC Place stadium on Friday, “they scream them.”
Excitement in Vancouver over the shows had been building for more than a year since the city became a late addition to the tour, which is the first to make more than US$1 billion in revenue.
As the clock ticked down toward T-minus-zero, the city embraced all things Swift, draping giant friendship bracelets over landmarks, changing the city’s sign on the waterfront to “Swiftcouver,” and even retuning the iconic Gastown steam clock to play “Shake It Off.”
Police said an estimated 160,000 fans were expected in downtown Vancouver over the three shows, and in the hours before Friday’s concert, streets were thronged with Swifties, many in dazzling themed outfits.
The rapturous welcome the “Cruel Summer” singer received when she finally made it onto the stage proved her point about the fandom.
After the ballad “Champagne Problems,” she was met with a ritualistic standing ovation that has become a staple of the tour. It lasted three minutes, and the applause shook the stadium.
Swift took out her ear monitors, and laughed as she looked around in seeming disbelief.
“Right now, honestly, I am just feeling so overjoyed that we decided to spend our last several shows in Vancouver,” she said.
“You are unbelievable. I love you so much. My face hurts from grinning. Thank you so much,” she added, letting out a squeal.
The pop star had made her entrance on the BC Place stage in a shimmering blue-and-gold bodysuit, kicking off the show around 7:50 p.m. with her usual “Lover” era set to the tune of “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.”
“Where have the crowds been so generous, so welcoming, so warm-hearted? Where do they know every single word? And they not only sing them, but they scream them?” she asked the audience after her opening numbers.
“Oh, we’ve got to go back to Canada, and so here we are in beautiful Vancouver.”
She also struck a wistful note, reflecting on the end of a tour that has lasted almost two years.
“This has been a tour of many traditions. It’s been a tour of many, many Friday nights. But this will be the last Friday night that we ever play on the Eras Tour.”
She later called it “the greatest last Friday night” she could imagine.
Outside, crowds of ticketless fans were also enjoying the show, cheering and singing along under steady rain and the watchful eye of police — and undeterred by warnings from stadium officials that those without tickets should stay away.
Security was tight, with street barricades cutting off some of the downtown core’s busiest streets, including West Georgia, Smithe, Beatty and Robson. The closures had snarled traffic in the afternoon.
Ajeet Brar from Penticton, B.C., was leading some of the singalongs, determined to help share “the love and the energy” of the tour.
“That’s what this is all about. It’s not about getting that ticket. It’s about the people,” said Brar.
Huge numbers of Swifties were also watching the show online, via multiple fan livestreams. Some had viewerships bigger then the capacity of BC Place.
Support act Gracie Abrams had warmed up the crowd before Swift took the stage, calling the tour “the most magical place on Earth.”
She said she would never forget the experience and lamented its end on Sunday.
“Vancouver, I don’t know how any of us are supposed to have the words to begin to talk about the end of the Eras Tour, but all I know is that I could not be more grateful to be in the same room as all of you tonight,” said Abrams, who also opened all six Toronto dates last month.
Before playing her Grammy-nominated song “us.,” which she co-wrote with Swift, she told the crowd, “We are all the same in that Taylor is my favourite artist and my favourite writer ever.”
Swift performed almost non-stop for more than three hours, with the show broken into 10 mini sets representing the eras of her 11 studio albums.
Before the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” — a fan favourite — she told the crowd why the tour has been the longest of her career, both in terms of show time and number of performances.
“It’s felt like this escape to a planet where nothing but joy, and passion and togetherness and camaraderie exists. It’s also a chance to relive some of my favourite memories from tours we’ve done in the past.”
The set list of almost 50 songs included well-known hits like “Delicate” and “Bejewelled” as well as surprise acoustic songs that change each night.
Swift called it the section she “gets nervous” about.
On Friday, Swift played a mash-up of “Haunted” and “Wonderland” on guitar followed by a mix of “Never Grow Up” and “The Best Day” on piano.
Each era of the show is marked by set and outfit changes that reflect the albums.
For instance, Swift wore a glittery ball gown for the “Speak Now” section and a golden and black snake jumpsuit during her “Reputation” set on Friday.
The costumes have also become part of the fandom. Eliza Sylvia, who attended Friday’s show with three friends, wore a handmade “Midnights”-inspired body suit that she spent more than 100 hours bedazzling.
It was her first Swift concert, Sylvia said ahead of the show, adding that it was highly anticipated after nearly two years of watching “grainy livestreams.”
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said of attending the final weekend of the tour.
Cassie Leonhardt from North Vancouver, B.C., dressed in a shimmering red leotard, travelled the world to attend seven of Swift’s concerts. She was attending both Friday’s and Saturday’s shows.
Leonhardt confessed she purchased her outfit, rather than making it herself.
“I tried to make my own, but then I couldn’t like pull it up my legs because the glue was too tight, and then I just ended up ordering it because I gave up … I’m not very crafty.”
— with files by Nono Shen in Vancouver
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.
Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press