Taylor Swift Shakes Anfield On Eras Tour: What Was It Like?

Anfield is used to seeing stars on a weekly basis, with some of the best players ever to play the game calling the stadium their home over the years. Whether it’s Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres or Mohamed Salah that you consider to be amongst the best of the best, they have all appeared in front of the Anfield crowd in the past.

Even players for other clubs such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane have also appeared at Anfield at one point or another. Yet pretty much all of them paled into insignificance compared to when Taylor Swift appeared at the stadium. Like her music or not, there is no denying that she is one of the biggest music stars on the planet.

@shitindiedisco Wow! What a start!! @Taylor Swift 📹 @The Guide Liverpool #taylorswift #liverpool #anfield #swifties ♬ original sound – Shit Indie Disco

Her appearance at Anfield during the Eras Tour was her first in Liverpool, which was ‘a mistake’ that she acknowledged during the gigs themselves. She did three nights in the city, all of them at Anfield, with the city itself being taken over by ‘Swifties’ in the buildup to her performances. There were numerous different Taylor Swift-themed things going on in the city centre, with everyone caught up in the excitement of the. Biggest gig in Liverpool since Paul McCartney had performed years before. Whilst some people don’t particularly like her, there is no question that getting her to perform at Anfield was a boon for the club.

Anfield as a Music Venue

The first thing that’s worth talking about when it comes to Taylor Swift’s gigs at Anfield is whether or not the stadium is actually good for music events. In short, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. For starters, it is worth bearing in mind that the entire venue has been modified and changed with atmosphere in mind.

As a result, the Taylor Swift gig was brilliant for those in attendance, with the sound pretty superb regardless of where you were sat. That was especially the case for Taylor herself, who took a moment to remove her earphones with the track in them in order to soak up the atmosphere as everyone screamed and shouted their approval.

@imzelfish actually going to cry x #erastour #anfieldstadium #taylorswift #taylorswifterastour ♬ Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift

Liverpool, of course, is a music city. From The Beatles to Cast via Gerry & the Pacemakers and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, there are few cities anywhere in the world that have produced as many brilliant performers as Liverpool. The people of Liverpool as well as those coming from the outside know what good music is, so the appreciation shown to Taylor Swift is something that she can remember for a lifetime on account of the fact that it was genuine.

Obviously everyone will have had their own experience of the gig, with those in the Anfield Road Stand not having the same experience as those on the Kop on account of the fact that they were behind the stage rather than in front of it.

Getting There

One of the biggest issues that Anfield has as a venue is its location. It is to be found outside of the city centre, meaning that getting there can be a problem. The closest major train station for those coming from elsewhere is Liverpool Lime Street Station, which 60 minutes from the stadium on foot.

It isn’t a particularly nice walk to do either, requiring people to cross dual carriageways and walk uphill in order to get there. You can get a train out to Sandhills, but it’s still 40 minutes away from the ground if you’re walking. There is a bus that you can get from the city centre out to the stadium, but the journey back afterwards isn’t quick.

The liverpool echo publishes a warning to @taylorswift13 swifties trying to get to Anfield as uber pile on the pressure with dynamic rip off prices when a normal black cab to anfield costs no more than fifteen pounds in the traffic @LCC_licensing are you allowing this ? pic.twitter.com/XMfBlAtei2

— THE TAXI FAMILY (@TAXIALLIANCELPO) June 14, 2024

That is because traffic in the area is heavy when around 60,000 people are in attendance. In the case of Taylor Swift, many of those in the audience were young, meaning that they were taken by parents in cars or dropped off in taxis. In order to make a quick getaway, you’re advised to park away from the ground and even leave early, which obviously many people were reluctant to do on account of both the ticket cost and the experience of seeing the gig.

Taxis are hard to come by if you haven’t pre-booked, with most over-charging for the cost of a trip on account of how busy they were in the wake of the end of the concert.

The Experience

There is no question that the experience of the gig itself was brilliant. Even those that don’t know all of Taylor Swift’s songs will still have enjoyed being at Anfield for the concert. She is the biggest star on the planet, so many people were delighted simply to be in her presence.

For ‘Swifties’, it was a chance to sing along with every song, which they knew all of the words for and will have been practicing thanks to Spotify playlists for months before. For those who like her music but aren’t obsessed with her, it was an opportunity to see a brilliant performer strut her stuff in a venue that felt made to host the concert.

It was a big and bold event, with great use of staging to ensure that it felt like a cultural moment and not just a music concert. There were times when it seemed to be a big production, complete with pyrotechnics and flames, with other moments feeling much more intimate.

Taylor Swift took to the stage with just a piano or a guitar to keep her company at times, although the intimacy was obviously false given her image was broadcast on a big screen behind her. That meant that everyone within view of the screens could see what was happening, even if you couldn’t actually make out the singer herself because of how far away you were.