Taylor Swift’s emotional farewell to the Eras Tour—Why she says it was her life’s biggest challenge

Taylor Swift brought her record-breaking Eras Tour to a triumphant close on Sunday (December 8) at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. The 14-time Grammy winner performed for over 60,000 fans, marking the end of a world-spanning journey that began in March 2023.

Eras Tour: 44 songs, 149 shows, 53 cities, and over 10M tickets sold

The first Eras Tour, which featured a marathon 44-song setlist lasting over three hours, covered 149 shows in 53 cities across five continents. With over 10 million tickets sold, the tour smashed records and became one of the most successful global tours in music history.

Taylor Swift calls Eras Tour the “most thrilling chapter” of her life

“I want to thank every single one of you for being a part of the most thrilling chapter of my entire life to date — my beloved Eras Tour,” Swift said in a heartfelt video shared on X (formerly Twitter). Reflecting on the journey, she added, “It has been the most exciting, powerful, electrifying, intense, most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”

Fans celebrate Swift’s 35th birthday early

Fans made the final show especially memorable by serenading Swift with an early “Happy Birthday,” ahead of her 35th birthday next Friday. The tour’s official account responded: “We love you so much!”

Swift honors crew and performers for their dedication

Swift also paid tribute to her crew and performers, who she said left their families and overcame challenges to keep the show going. “I couldn’t be more proud of you,” she told her fans, crediting them for creating a lasting legacy with friendship bracelets and shared joy.

The tour’s final leg in Canada included six shows in Toronto before culminating in Vancouver. Reflecting on her Toronto experience, Swift wrote on Instagram: “Our 6 shows in Toronto were so incredible. The fans treated us like it was a hometown show.”

Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Spotify success and historic book debut

Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour coincided with a string of remarkable milestones. Last week, Spotify named her the most-streamed artist globally for the second consecutive year, with multiple albums—including The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and 2019’s Lover—ranking in the platform’s Top Ten.

Additionally, Swift’s Eras Tour Book debuted with stellar opening-week sales, securing its place as the second-highest nonfiction debut in history, surpassed only by Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, which sold 816,300 copies in its first week in 2020.

Taylor Swift: A trailblazing journey

Taylor Swift, born on December 13, 1989, is an iconic American singer-songwriter known for her genre-spanning music and unmatched cultural impact. Rising to fame with her self-titled debut in 2006, she evolved from country roots (Fearless, Speak Now) to mainstream pop stardom (1989, Reputation). Swift’s re-recording efforts spotlight her commitment to artistic ownership, while albums like Folklore and Midnights underscore her versatility.

In 2023, Swift became the first artist to claim the Billboard Hot 100’s entire Top 10 and was named TIME’s Person of the Year. Her Eras Tour broke records with unprecedented demand. Winning Album of the Year for Midnights at the 2024 Grammys, she also released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, cementing her legacy as a music and cultural powerhouse.