I went to Taylor Swift’s tour in Edinburgh - here's what it was like

Taylor Swift finally brought the Era’s Tour to our shores last night, kicking off her 17-date UK run in Edinburgh, and I truly believe we personified "No Scotland, no party".

The Era’s Tour is the best-selling tour of all time and has been hailed as one of the greatest in the world.

It’s a three-hour setlist and songs are performed from 10 of her 11 albums.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift reveals what albums the Scottish Highlands inspired at Edinburgh show

Coupled with the fact she last toured in 2018 it’s easy to understand why there was such a worldwide fear of missing out. Naturally, I had to see if the hype was justified.

Paramore started the show at 6pm and was the perfect amuse-bouche for the evening; hits like Misery Business, You Are The Only Exception, and Decode hit the same intensity as parts of the main event.

Swift burst onto stage at 7.15pm after a countdown with Mrs Americana and The Heartbreak Prince to a level of energy I’ve never experienced before.

Taylor Swift performing on the opening night in Edinburgh (Image: PA)

The American pop star gushed, "You’ve made us feel so welcome.

"The volume of the singing, the dancing… You are performing on such a level. I can’t stop looking at the crowd. I’m captivated."

Then she shared this was only her second time touring in Scotland, ah, the energy made sense!

Scottish gigs are always this energetic, but the energy continued to grow; people dancing, singing, embracing, and even crying.

The costume and staging was incredible, truly setting this tour apart from other artists.

There were 26 wardrobe changes! All magic.

A long stage encouraged audience involvement, complemented by moving platforms, a giant Roomba (I won’t elaborate), and stunning pyrotechnics.

During All Too Well, leaves showered us, and ‘snow’ during Marjorie— a song dedicated to Swift’s late grandmother— made the moment especially poignant as fans held up their phone lights, honouring Marjorie looking down on her.

I’m beginning to understand how this tour was quite so anticipated.

It’s the community and Taylor’s engagement with them.

She calls out an engagement in the crowd during Cardigan, noting she doesn’t normally see them, and congratulations.

She chooses a wee fan for the 22 hat to Gladiator-esq screams of approval, and, my absolute favourite moment of bringing the audience into the show, dancer Kameron Saunders rather than singing “like ever” in We Are Never Getting Back Together, screams "Nae chance!".

READ MORE: Fans gather outside Murrayfield ahead of Taylor Swift concert

The crowd goes the extra mile, creating chants to sing back during songs and making friendship bracelets to exchange with each other.

Although I didn’t exchange any, I gave a few bracelets to people without or to those with children, and their appreciation was overwhelming.

I also took the time to learn some of the crowd chants, which made me feel much more involved—I highly recommend it.

What a loving community it can be.

If that wasn’t enough, we were even treated to new Taylor lore!

The sold-out show is reportedly the largest arena gig in Scottish history (Image: PA)

As many Scottish fans suspected, and much to the audience's excitement, she said Scotland was an inspiration for her pandemic album Folklore as the cabin was rolled onto the stage,

"This foresty, mossy, beautiful, natural world I now realise is probably just based on videos I’ve seen online of Scotland," she explained.

While we’re on new things, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) section was very interesting.

Personally, I like the new album but there was a definite lull in the audience as people tried to fumble for the correct words. TTPD was my least favourite staging, the ‘asylum’ theme felt derivative and somewhat derogatory.

There’s a way to do it, and a giant wire bed and caricature mental health professional costumes isn’t it.

The choreography was great, but it just didn’t hit. The audio did let the showdown. I was three rows from the front stage (right) and yet the audio was engulfed by the open-air arena for much of the night.

This is not the fault of some of the best professionals in the game on the best-selling tour of all time but a combination of wind and an ongoing problem with the venue (Murrayfield was built for rugby after all).

READ MORE: Taylor Swift special menus launched across Edinburgh

Staff also seemed to be a bit thin on the ground. It didn’t seem like there were enough to help out of towners and the few times I needed help, I was given different answers. It created confusion, lines that led to nowhere, and congestion at bathrooms and stadium entrances.

But, as Swift says at the start of her show, whenever I hear any song from the setlist [below] last night I will think of seeing one of the most powerful women in the world, and the unbelievable crowd I shared it with.

The National was gifted two tickets.  

Full setlist: The Era’s Tour - Edinburgh, Night one

Act I: Lover

• Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince
• Cruel Summer
• The Man You Need to Calm Down
• Lover

Act II: Fearless

• Fearless
• You Belong With Me
• Love Story

Act III: Red 22

• We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
• I Knew You Were Trouble
• All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Act IV: Speak Now

• Enchanted

Act V: Reputation

• ..Ready for It?
• Delicate
• Don't Blame Me
• Look What You Made Me Do

Act VI: Folklore / Evermore

• Cardigan
• Betty
• Champagne Problems
• August
• Illicit Affairs
• My Tears Ricochet
• Marjorie
• Willow

Act VII: 1989

• Style
• Blank Space
• Shake It Off
• Wildest Dreams
• Bad Blood

Act VIII: The Tortured Poets Department

• But Daddy I Love Him / So High School
• Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
• Down Bad
• Fortnight
• The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
• I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

Act IX: Acoustic Set/Surprise songs

• Would've, Could've, Should've / I Know Places
• 'Tis The Damn Season / Daylight

Act X: Midnights

• Lavender Haze
• Anti‐Hero
• Midnight Rain
• Vigilante S**t
• Bejeweled
• Mastermind
• Karma