Editor’s note: In May 2023, Nick Pugliese, sports editor at The Palm Beach Post, attempted the ultimate #DadOfTheYear task: Show up at the Atlanta stadium with his daughter on the night of Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert there … and hope to buy two last-minute tickets. (Insert hopeful heartbeats here.)
Alas, there were none available, and while the night turned out to be an unforgettable father-daughter experience, complete with a TikTok Taylor Swift concert hack video from the Puglieses with more than 15,000 views, Victoria Pugliese struck gold a year later: She (finally) saw a Taylor Swift “Eras Tour” concert in Amsterdam — with her mom.
Below is Victoria Pugliese’s play-by-play of Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert in Amsterdam in July 2024, a love letter to Swifties from a Swiftie. It’s also a testament to what parents will do to give their kids “The Best Day.”
AMSTERDAM — Thirteen seconds left on the clock and that’s when it hit me: This is it, I made it.
Standing in the Johan Cruijff Arena with my mom and 68,000 other fans surrounding us, I watched the numbers count down on the screen until the clock hit zero. Screams filled my ears as tears began rolling down my face, the show just starting.
Now “the show” is an understatement for what we were about to witness. This was going to be life-changing for me, with months of planning and wishing finally coming to fruition.
Of course, I am referring to Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour.”
Over the next three and a half hours, we would be hearing various songs from all of Swift’s albums (well almost all … sorry, “Debut”), all accompanied by fan chants and loud cheering. From her radio singles to the fan favorites, there would be something in the show for everyone. And I would sing and dance along during every ... single ... minute.
Hearing the words “It’s been a long time coming” during the opening number hit me hard. Like so many other Swifties, I was among the many fans who were waitlisted for the first leg of the U.S. tour dates. I desperately tried to find tickets for her Tampa shows and even flew up to Atlanta with my dad to see if we could get tickets, but had no luck.
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When the international shows were announced in July 2023, I applied for the Verified Fan process for several cities, including Dublin, London, and Amsterdam. Out of the seven I registered for, the latter was the only city I was chosen for during the presale.
So I got the tickets, almost an entire year in advance, to the second night of her shows in Amsterdam.
Nervous waiting in the hours leading up to Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' concert in Amsterdam
The day of the show, I couldn’t do anything. Shortly after waking up, I quickly filled out my Mastermind entry on Swift Alert for the show but that was it. We checked into our hotel within walking distance of the stadium and I just sat in the room, trying to process what was happening, where I was, and what I’d be experiencing later.
I was in an outfit inspired by “Ivy,” one of my favorite songs from her album, “Evermore.” My mom wore a colorful, sparkling dress that was similar to one of Taylor’s outfits from her “Reputation” stadium world tour. She had to help me place leaves in my braids as I was trying to breathe, my hands too shaky to place them nicely.
Once in our outfits, we had a quick stop at the hotel bar for a shot, then walked to the arena and found our section entrance. It wasn’t until we went through security and up the stairs where we received our light-up bracelets that I began to cry.
Once in our seats, I took pictures of the stage and then began one of my favorite parts of the show: trading friendship bracelets.
I will admit, I came slightly overprepared with over 100 bracelets. They took up the entire large pocket of my purse, but I knew I’d be giving the majority of them out. Of course with the bracelet trading came tons of compliments and conversation from other concertgoers, as we asked what each other’s favorite albums were or tried finding a bracelet that matched the other person’s outfit.
When the opening act Paramore began to take the stage, more people in dazzling outfits filled the seats around us. Many of us were singing along to the band’s songs and watching our clocks as the time between now and Taylor taking the stage began to narrow.
As the band exited the stage when their 40-minute set was over, the energy in the arena began to pick up. Soon, the familiar opening notes of Leslie Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” played over the speakers and the screen slowly transitioned into a clock, counting down until the show began. Goosebumps spread over my arms and other fans began to cheer as we watched the seconds go by.
As the clock ticks down to zero, I have to remind myself to breathe in between my tears as the lights dim, the crowd begins to scream, and we begin to zoom into the clock on the screen.
Bracelets began to light up and the dancers began to walk out with their gigantic fans to start the tour, as we hear all of Taylor’s albums listed through a melody until we land on Lover, her seventh album and the opening era of the tour. The album came out in 2019 but never got a tour due to the pandemic, hence why many believe it kicks off the show.
The dancers placed the fans on the ground together as everyone freaked out. They lifted in unison and there she was.
Taylor Alison Swift.
To say I screamed was an understatement. Truthfully, I was hollering and loudly singing the entire show, and yes, my voice was raspy for the next two days. But the opening number built such an anticipation in me that with the adrenaline I had felt all day, I just screamed. And so did many others around me.
Taylor Swift opens Amsterdam show with 'Lover' set
We started into the Lover set and through songs of her hits of the era. Before performing the album’s titular track, Taylor always gives a speech to introduce the show and often welcomes the audience in the country’s native language. Now it truly felt like the show had begun.
Next is her “Fearless” set, which launches with the album’s title track and Taylor coming out with a guitar. Of course, the majority of the audience held their hands in the shape of hearts with Taylor just after the song’s bridge, a tradition that began during her Fearless tour in 2009. If people hadn’t been singing before, they were now, with “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” following shortly after. The energy was high during this set; after all, it was her first Album Of The Year at the Grammy’s for a reason.
At this point, the order of the eras begins to differ from her U.S. shows. Before, we would be going into her “evermore” set but now it was time for the “Red” set. She kicks it off with “22” and the hat handoff with one of the crowd’s young Swifties. This fan-favorite moment has resulted in multiple viral videos of the kids reacting to Taylor as she makes her way to them at the end of the stage, often hugging them and taking one of their friendship bracelets, while they get the signed fedora Taylor is wearing.
Continuing through the set showcased other fun moments, including Taylor’s backup dancer Kameron Saunders telling us “in je dromen” (“in your dreams” in Dutch) during the bridge of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” But of course, my favorite part of this era was singing along to “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” with so many others passionately singing.
Next is the “Speak Now” era. And for my fellow “Speak Now” fans, the pain of only having one song during this era hurts a bit. But that being said, being able to sing “Enchanted” with Taylor in a sparkling gown and her dancers in beautiful purple dresses felt truly magical.
As we watched Taylor walk backstage and disappear, the energy began shifting as we entered her next era, “reputation.”
I’m a pretty big “reputation” fan. It grew on me a few years ago and is now one of my favorite albums. It’s grown to be a community favorite too, as the cheering in the arena began to swell as the snake visuals flashed across the screen before Taylor walked out in her red and black bodysuit (which always earns me a nice two points on Mastermind).
I knew this era would be fantastic, but hearing the transition from “Don’t Blame Me” into “Look What You Made Me Do” felt like a religious experience. It’s so simple but so good, which is why so many of us went berserk. Of course, the dancers appearing in some of Taylor’s former tour and music video outfits only add to the performance and thrill. And who can resist yelling out “Why? Oh, cause she’s dead!” during the song’s bridge? (Kanye West and the Kardashians probably).
'folklore,' 'evermore' condensed into one set on Taylor Swift European tour
Soon, it was time for my most anticipated era: “folkmore”, or the combined era of her two 2020 albums “folklore” and “evermore”. Up until she began her European leg, these two albums had their individual times in the setlist, but they were condensed into one era starting in Paris.
The “folklore” cabin rolled onto the stage as she began the era with “cardigan” in her bright pink outfit, and then went into “betty” before going over to the piano to begin “champagne problems.”
Taylor often talks about her experience creating these albums during the pandemic, specifically saying she was looking forward to performing this song live during her next tour when she was originally writing it. The song is emotional and grew to become a fan favorite when “evermore” was released, and has resulted in a challenge among concert attendees.
As the song wraps up, the crowds burst into a loud, long applause and we see how long we can go. Yes, this is the song that received the eight-minute standing ovation during one of her shows in Los Angeles last year. And while I knew we wouldn’t reach that time, I knew everyone would give their all.
The final notes of the song were played and the crowd began the cheers and screams. It slowly seemed to build as Taylor looked out to the crowd and smiled. Soon she stood up and took her earpieces out to hear us, which caused a loud burst of applause. We continued to clap and cheer until she thanked us and then continued the show with “august.” No, we didn’t go for eight minutes, but we hit three and got Taylor to take her earpieces out so I’d say that was a win.
Continuing through the set, I screamed during the bridge of “illicit affairs,” cried to “marjorie” and then was mesmerized by watching the orbs during “willow.” I would say that this was my favorite era, and I think it’s one of the most pleasing to see. It felt more mellow yet more emotional than the other eras.
Of course, the energy would begin to rise again as we transitioned into “1989.” It was filled with all of her hits from this era, starting with “Style” and ending with “Bad Blood.” And yes, there was a group of us chanting “Amsterdam” during the “Blank Space” bridge.
My mom said this was her favorite era of the show since it was the most energized and is the album she’s most familiar with. This era felt like a party and probably had the most people singing along; it won Album of the Year at the 2015 Grammy Awards for a reason.
It was also the perfect energizing era that we needed before entering her next and newest era, “The Tortured Poets Department.” This was added to the show in Paris in May, as the album came out the previous month.
Originally, I had planned to avoid all spoilers for this era so I could experience it for the first time in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, I am too nosey (I am a journalist, after all) and watched a grainy livestream of the first Paris show so I could see what songs were included.
The choreography and visuals for this set were stunning and at the same level as the rest of the show, so it fit right in. The theatrics starting in “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and continuing into “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” with the improvised skit in between was the peak of this era for me.
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'Surprise songs' did not let Taylor Swift fans down
Then it was time for the acoustic set, or “surprise songs.” This is usually the most anticipated moment of the show and often the part that is most reacted to online. I knew I would’ve been happy with whatever we got after all the hard work I put in to get to this show, and I was so happy that it truly paid off.
Taylor started the set on guitar by performing “imgonnagetyouback” from Tortured Poets, then she mashed it up with “Dress” from “reputation.” I lost my mind during the latter, mainly because I was hoping for a song from “reputation” and this was one of my favorites. The crowd reacted very similarly.
The second song is performed on piano and was also a perfect choice. Taylor started “You Are In Love” from “1989,” my favorite song from the album, and then completed the mashup with “cowboy like me” from “evermore.” Again, everyone in the arena freaked out and couldn’t contain their screaming.
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Finally, Taylor dived into the stage for the last era of the show, “Midnights.” I had refused to accept that the show was going to be over until the second-to-last song began to play and then it finally hit me. “Karma” started and Taylor invited us to sing along for one more song, and the tears began again.
I’m sure Taylor has her reasons for ending the show with this song, but it felt like the perfect ending for me. I always believed in karma and that it always pays off, so when “Midnights” came out in 2022 it became one of my favorites. But standing in the arena at the Eras Tour and watching Taylor performing it live felt so rewarding. This was it, I put in the hard work and finally got to see my favorite singer perform live. The night was perfect, and I thought the only way it could’ve been better was if Travis Kelce was there (spoiler alert: he was).
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I still feel a rush of emotions whenever I think of the show. Even writing this and getting to watch all of my videos from the show has me a bit teary-eyed. Everyone was there to have a fun time and enjoy our favorite artist together, trade friendship bracelets and compliment our outfits, and create life-lasting memories. Even back home, I’m still playing Mastermind and watching (and reporting to my dad) all of the surprise songs in her final European shows. It’s still hard to believe I was there, it was truly such a surreal experience.
Thank you, Taylor. Until next time, I’ll be waiting.
Victoria Pugliese is senior marketing/public relations major at UCF and the oldest daughter of Palm Beach Post Sports Editor Nick Pugliese. She has been trying for years to convert him into a Swiftie.
