MINNEAPOLIS — More than 120,000 fans flocked to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis this past weekend to see pop icon Taylor Swift — and I, "Dear Reader", was one of them.
As a lifelong Swift fan, saying this concert was "a long time coming" would be an understatement.
When I was younger, I sang along to the "Fearless" and "Speak Now" albums in my mom's car. Now, more than ten years later, Swift still dominates my Spotify Wrapped year after year.
Needless to say, I fought tooth and nail to get tickets to The Eras Tour. And by fighting tooth and nail, I mean I waited in the Ticketmaster queue for approximately eight hours.
My "hard work" paid off: I secured tickets for the Saturday, June 24 show.
Before you read further, be warned that there are spoilers for Swift's setlist from Saturday, including her surprise songs
It's a testament to Swift's timelessness that even after a decade, her music still resonates with me. Her ability to capture the experience of girlhood, of loneliness, of lost innocence, of love and heartbreak is something that inspires me every day.
And based on the turnout for the Eras Tour, I'm not the only one that feels that way.
On our way to Minneapolis, Swift's stardom was already infectious. Our car was decked out with pink paint on the back window, reading "Taylor Swift bound!"
When we found ourselves in standstill traffic about 25 minutes outside of the city, someone next to us honked and urged us to roll down our window. When we obliged, they threw us a friendship bracelet.
It was the perfect beginning to an "Enchanted" weekend. In Minneapolis, the sense of community among Swift's fans was infectious. Every time I found myself in the elevator of our hotel, strangers would ask, "Are you here to see Taylor?"
Everywhere you looked, you could see Swifties decked out in sequins and sparkles, cowboy boots with flowy dresses or t-shirts with niche references to her music videos.
It felt like we were at the world's biggest family reunion. Even though most of us didn't know each other, there was an immediate sense of comradery with fellow fans. After all, we were all there for the same person.
My show was on Saturday. I arrived at the stadium just before 4 p.m., trading friendship bracelets and taking photos while we waited to be let in.
By five, we were in the stadium, fighting through the crowds to find our seats. Notably, I wasn't the only Iowan in the stage: several members of the Iowa women's basketball team also were in attendance.
By the time the openers finished their sets, there was a heady feeling of anticipation so palpable you could feel it in the air. Finally, it was time for what we were all there for.
Swift appeared on stage at 8 p.m. to deafening cheers. Her introduction, a shortened rendition of "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" layered with different sound bites from other albums, instantly made me cry.
One thing about Swift? She knows how to work a crowd. As she welcomed the audience, she feigned surprise that people were cheering for her. "Little old me?", her expression seemed to say.
As the "Lover" era gave way to "Fearless", I was overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia. It's a feeling Swift herself noted during the show: She began her career as a teenager. Now, at 33 years old, she's a global sensation. In a way, her fans grew up alongside her.
Even while playing a sold-out stadium show, Swift made the entire production feel intimate, like catching up with an old friend. Seated in the lower bowl, far away from the stage, it still felt as if she was speaking right to me.
With each new album, a new set would emerge, with videos and montages only adding to Swift's theatrics on stage.
It wasn't just the set constantly changing, either: Swift takes the fashion show aspect of her tour literally, changing at least five times throughout her three-and-a-half-hour set.
After "Bad Blood", I waited with bated breath for our surprise songs. I wasn't disappointed: Swift performed "Dear John" for the first time in 11 years, only after asking her fans to be nice on the Internet (namely to her ex-boyfriend, John Mayer).
Our second surprise song, "Daylight", is one of my personal favorites. And yes, I did cry again.
Swift closed out the concert with songs from her most recent album "Midnights". Her final song, "Karma", is another personal favorite, one I maintain is "pop perfection".
The Eras Tour left me breathless in the best way. I thought I would leave sobbing, but mainly I just felt fulfilled, like all those years of listening to Swift's discography had culminated in this moment. There was a warmth in my chest, something like pride, at having grown up constantly rooting for Taylor and seeing her continue to succeed at such a large scale.
Even as I walked back to our hotel in a torrential downpour ("Midnight Rain", if you will), that warm, fuzzy feeling remained. It's still there as I sit in the newsroom, waxing poetic while writing this review. And I know it'll probably stick around into the future, as I continue to grow and learn and, of course, listen to Swift's discography.
It feels like hope. And to me, that's the magic of Taylor Swift: her music has a way of making me feel like everything's going to be okay.