Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.
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You were bigger than the whole sky.
You were more than just a short time.
From the moment she touched down in Melbourne in the early hours of February 15 to the minute she signed off at Sydney's last show on Monday, February 26, Taylor Swift endeared herself to fans and Australians at large.
About 96,000 people attended each of her three Melbourne shows: a record for The Eras Tour or any Taylor Swift tour.
"You are the love of my life Melbourne!" Swift told the crowd.
She became the first artist in history to give four back-to-back concerts at Sydney Olympic Park.
By the time she reached her final show in front of a record Sydney crowd of 84,500, Swift still had a full tank - and some - left to give.
She'd been saving it all for the last show, she wooed the Sydney audience.
And even though Swifties meticulously planned the night down to the timing of their toilet breaks, friendship bracelets to trade and navigating merchandise queues, they were still not prepared for the extravaganza to come.
It was three-and-a-half hours of pure joy generated by an epic 43-song setlist covering 10 albums or eras (four of them have not yet toured owing to the global pandemic), spectacular stagecraft and breathtaking fireworks.
Everyone in the crowd wore a wristband that lit up to form walls of colour, shiny rainbows and pulsing patterns around Accor Stadium.
As 84,500 counted down the seconds to Swift's set, she emerged, dazzling from head to her sparkly knee-high boots, and opened with Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince from the Lover (2019) album. Other Lover anthems followed in the shape of Cruel Summer, The Man, You Need To Calm Down, Lover and The Archer. The crowd swayed their arms in the air in sync for the better part of You Need To Calm Down.
After an explosive start to the show, a wall of golden fireworks erupted the full width of the stage to herald the Fearless (2008) era. Swift glowed in a gold ensemble with a white acoustic guitar to honour one of her earlier albums.
Her Evermore (2020) era garnered some of the more tender moments of the night. The crowd collectively activated their mobile phone lights for Marjorie, a tribute to Swift's late grandmother who imbued her with sage advice.
Never be so kind, you forget to be clever
Never be so clever, you forget to be kind
Swift was visibly moved by the gesture from the crowd, taking a few moments to compose herself after it.
Fans of the Reputation album (2017) lapped up the edgy anthems Don't Blame Me and Look What You Made Me Do brought to life by a stunning set and sharp choreography.
Swift thrilled Swifties with her surprise song acoustic mashups over seven Australian shows. At Sydney's last show the crowd erupted for Would've Could've Should've and Ivy while Forever And Always and Maroon on keys was also a triumph.
Swift instilled her shows with humour, using the local lingo to delight crowds across Australia's two biggest cities. In We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Melbourne crowds heard "Yeah Nah" from a male dancer while Sydney got "Bugger off" and for the last show: "Rack off, mate!"
Swift's first pandemic album, Folklore (2020), was honoured amid a spectacular set. A personal favourite, Betty, was sublime in its simplicity.
Another show highlight was All Too Well, a 10-minute re-release from her fourth studio album Red. The crowd was transfixed as Swift delivered her masterpiece with only a guitar and none of the bells and whistles of other acts.
Swift's latest album Midnights (2022) rounded out the show on the same high note it got off on. Anti-Hero was a crowd favourite but Bejeweled, Mastermind and Karma brought the career-defining show home.
Support act for the Australian leg of The Eras Tour, pop princess Sabrina Carpenter set the tone early in the night with her captivating stage presence. Best known for Nonsense, Feather and Skin, Carpenter thrilled the crowd with her tender rendition of Olivia Newton-John's Hopelessly Devoted To You.
But it was Swift whom the crowd was hopelessly devoted to for the entire length of the once-in-a-lifetime show.
The Eras Tour opens in Singapore on Saturday, March 2, followed by shows on March 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 before going to France during May and June.
- Jodie Bruton attended The Eras Tour as a guest of Frontier Touring.
