Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras Tour rolled into New Orleans on Friday (Oct. 25) for the first of three sold-out shows at Caesars Superdome.
After a lengthy run of overseas dates, Swift returned to North America for three shows in Miami last week; New Orleans is the second city on this final leg of the Eras Tour. Whereas Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium is a bit of a drive outside the city proper, the Caesars Superdome is very much in the thick of downtown New Orleans. Leading up to this weekend, bars, restaurants, hotels, pet shops, art galleries and more freely surrendered to the Swiftie takeover, offering themed menu items (Holy Ground Hurricane, Fearless Jambalaya) or hosting get-togethers tailored to the Taylor crowd (karaoke, trivia, drag shows and even look-alike contests offering hundreds of dollars to the winner).
From Canal St. to Bourbon St. to Frenchman St., concertgoers in Eras Tour t-shirts began trickling into the city days ago, eventually reaching a fever pitch on Friday. Adding to the insanity is the fact that this is also New Orleans’ big Halloween weekend. Pop into any number of bars on Bourbon ahead of the concert and you’re just as likely to spot revelers out for the city’s annual witches’ luncheon as you are tourists rocking Taylor Swift looks and/or Kansas City Chiefs gear in honor of boyfriend Travis Kelce (who also has more than his fair share of themed cocktails in New Orleans at the moment).
But as much as this once-in-a-generation cultural event has been about the sense of community leading up to the show, it’s ultimately about the music and Swift’s performance.
With more than 50,000 fans packing into Caesars Superdome on Friday night (the venue can hold closer to 83,000, but Swift’s stage design – which makes even the nosebleed seats a worthwhile investment – cuts into that), these were the best moments from Taylor Swift’s first Eras Tour show in New Orleans.