Fans wearing friendship bracelets at Taylor Swift's concert in Indianapolis on Nov. 1, 2024 Photo: Brittany Thornton

“I really like your costume and wanted to give you this bracelet because it matches,” tumbles from the mouth of a small, excited tween. 

Making the trek around downtown Indianapolis, waiting in line for three hours to buy merchandise or eagerly shuffling in the line for the doors to open, the interaction played out again and again.

A compliment. A shared favorite song. A wide-eyed exclamation of a dream come true. And another bracelet exchanged. Friends for life were made in the nosebleeds of Lucas Oil Stadium. Kind gestures happened in overused bathrooms and on packed sidewalks. When Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” stops by your city, the Swifties converge on the entire town. With them comes radical kindness, fresh feminism and, yes, millions and millions of tiny plastic beads.

There have been times when large events have left cities unprepared. Even going to an inauguration in D.C., something that has happened roughly every four years for more than two centuries, can often leave a tourist questioning the event planners. Did anyone actually think through what a tourism experience of this magnitude would necessitate? This is not the case when Taylor comes to town.

Pulling into Indy and circling near the stadium offers the first glimpse of what is to come. Dozens of matching red-cabbed semis parked by the loading docks of Lucas Oil. They carried to town the tour necessities you’d expect: T-shirts by the thousands, costumes, a stage, lighting and a gargantuan-tron (“jumbo” doesn’t cut it). But, they bring even more than the basic tour accouterments, including even signage for hours-long, multi-phased merchandise sale points, stages for local acts in nearby areas, and even more signage to go around the downtown area. They build an aesthetic appealing to every Swiftie — ticketed or not. There’s even “Taylor Town,” “TayGate” and “Taylorween,” with fun and games including a bracelet-making station. On the days Taylor is in town for her sold-out, record-breaking shows, Indianapolis becomes Tayloropolis.

Almost everything and everyone is in on the action. The nearby Victory Field and Everwise Amphitheater lit up pink and purple for the festivities. Victory Field even hosted a pre-party and cranked a Taylor Swift playlist through the stadium speakers. The Indiana Convention Center hosted thousands upon thousands of fans waiting to buy Eras Tour merchandise, opening bathrooms and concessions to keep Swifties healthy and happy while they waited. The streets surrounding the stadium and convention center were “renamed” for the weekend, each sporting “TS” branding and featuring the names of one of her songs. Locals were invested, also. Regular street performers treated Swifties on the streets to covers of “Cruel Summer” and “Love Story.” Law enforcement got in on the action, too. The mounted police unit held reins made to look like friendship bracelets. And, following the commotion toward a street corner meant coming face-to-face with an Indianapolis Metro Police officer trading bracelets with fans as they made their way to the stadium.

Inside Lucas Oil Stadium, Swifties stood shoulder to shoulder up to the very top. New friends and old shared loaded “Taylor Tots” and traded pieces of confetti. Each color in the rain of tiny paper represented an Era in Swift’s career. Sentimental fans wanted to collect each one. Everything is special and magical to a Swiftie. When a battery pack malfunctioned thanks to the Miami rain show earlier in the week, fans were quick to point out that moment would make their show unique.

“This is how you know it’s not totally staged to perfection,” a nearby Swiftie shared, almost giddy over the technical difficulty. “This will make our night extra special!”

One big question of the night, after speculating on surprise songs and encores, was if Taylor’s boyfriend would be there. While “Killa Trav” (Travis Kelce) didn’t make it to Taylor’s first night in Indy, he arrived to screams and applause on Saturday. But, even without the luckiest man alive in physical attendance on Friday, the spirit of the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end was still there. Spotted among velvet cloaks and shimmering sequin bodysuits were New Heights podcast hats and Chiefs shirts repping, “Taylor’s Boyfriend.”

During an ovation that lasted more than 10 minutes, it felt as if fans might topple Lucas Oil Stadium. The screams reached the rafters. The applauding and stomping shook the ground, rattling you down to your very soul. With 69,000 fans in attendance, Swifties set a new record for the Colts’ stadium. Then promptly broke that record on nights two and three.

The night was so magical, it even made up for some of the unfair and shocking price gouging happening outside the stadium.

“I couldn’t afford $100 for parking, so I went home and had my dad drop me off,” shared one fan from the area. “We go to Colts games every season and I’ve never noticed those spots going for that much. I’m going to have to do a ton of chores for this favor.”

Half a mile out, public parking was still in the $50 range. But rentable bikes and scooters were everywhere and Indy has a very pedestrian-friendly downtown. Still, watching the cash that changed hands and noting the neverending swipe of credit cards, it’s hard to ignore the economic impact Taylor’s visit to Indy will have. It’s currently estimated at over $100 million.

The real impact, however, was on one’s faith in humanity and the future of our country. Whether in the stadium or out on the street, there was no denying the overwhelming sense of optimism, of kindness and blossoming friendship. Say what you want about whether you like Taylor Swift’s brand of pop, but there’s no denying the humanity that Swift and her diehard fans bring with them everywhere they go. On and off the stage. In and out of the stadium. It is Taylor Swift’s world. We’re all just lucky to live in it.

Indianapolis Night 1 Setlist:

Intro: The Alchemy/Fearless/End Game/Speak Now/gold rush/TTPD/evermore/Red/Lavender Haze/Lover/Bejeweled

Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince (shortened)

Cruel Summer (extended outro)

The Man (spoken intro)

You Need to Calm Down (shortened)

Lover (spoken intro; extended outro)

Fearless (shortened)

You Belong With Me

Love Story

Red – Intro (contains elements of “State of Grace,” “Holy Ground” and “Red”)

22

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Kam Saunders: “No, yeah, no.”)

I Knew You Were Trouble (shortened)

All Too Well (10 Minute Version; spoken intro)

Speak Now – Intro (contains elements of “Castles Crumbling”)

Enchanted (shortened)

…Ready for It?

Delicate

Don’t Blame Me

Look What You Made Me Do (extended outro)

Cardigan (shortened)

Betty (shortened; spoken intro)

champagne problems (spoken intro)

August

illicit affairs (shortened)

my tears ricochet

Marjorie (shortened)

Willow (extended)

Style (shortened)

Blank Space

Shake It Off

Wildest Dreams (shortened)

Bad Blood (shortened)

Female Rage: The Musical (contains elements of “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” “loml,” “So Long, London” and “But Daddy I Love Him”)

But Daddy I Love Him / So High School

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? (shortened)

Down Bad (shortened, with “Fortnight” Outro)

Fortnight

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (shortened)

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (extended intro)

Surprise Song 1: The Albatross / Holy Ground (mashup on guitar; spoken intro)

Surprise Song 2: Cold as You / exile (mashup on piano)

Lavender Haze (Taylor’s mic pack ran out of batteries towards the end of this performance)

Anti‐Hero

Midnight Rain

Vigilante Shit

Bejeweled

Mastermind (delayed start due to the mic pack problems above)

Karma (extended outro)

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This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 12, 2024.