Anyone who attended Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour will likely remember it as one of the most joy-filled, euphoric nights of their life – not just due to the setlist full of Taylor's greatest hits or the sparkle-filled crowds, but also for the flawless show the musician put on every night.
The 149-date tour stopped everywhere from Singapore to Canada, Sydney to Tokyo, with each night seeing Taylor put her all into the performance, no matter how she was feeling.
Starting in Arizona in March 2023 and finishing in December 2024 in Vancouver, a great deal happened in Taylor's life during the Eras Tour, from splitting with her partner of six years, actor Joe Alwyn, to a brief dalliance with the 1975 rockstar Matty Healy, to finding love with her now-fiancé Travis Kelce.
© Getty ImagesAway from her personal life, the tour was not without event, either. Her Vienna dates in August 2024 were cancelled after a possible security threat, and shortly before this, an attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, in the north of England, saw two young fans lose their lives.
It was this tragic news that sees Taylor cry in her new 'The End of an Era' six-episode behind-the-scenes docuseries, as she is filmed talking about meeting the families of the victims.
© Getty ImagesTaylor can be seen breaking down in tears just before taking to the stage in London, having met the families of the girls killed in the Southport knife attack. The Life of a Showgirl musician is filmed speaking to her mother, Andrea Swift, after meeting the families, as Andrea reassures her: "I know you helped them. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I know you helped them," as she passes her crying daughter a tissue.
Moments later, Taylor is seen being wheeled to her stage, ready to perform for tens of thousands of fans. Reflecting on the emotional moment later in the episode, Taylor speaks to the camera, explaining her attitude to putting on a show, no matter what is happening in her personal life.
"There was this horrible attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party, and it was little kids that…" she begins, before trailing off. Noting how she copes, the singer continues: "I'll meet some of these families tonight at a pop concert. It's going to be fine because when I meet them, I'm not going to [cry] I swear to God. I'm going to be smiley. So, any of this gets out of the way before you ever go on stage. You lock it off. Three and a half hours. They don't have to worry about you."
The impact
While Taylor knows she needs to put on a brave face for her fans, keeping her emotions "locked away" long term can cause health issues, says wellness expert Nadia Alibhai.
"When we lock away our emotions, our body doesn't forget them - it stores them, causing tension," Nadia explains. "Emotions and physical wellbeing are deeply connected, so when stress and sadness are pushed down instead of expressed, the nervous system stays on high alert. Over time, this can tighten muscles, restrict breathing, alter your posture and even impact your digestion."
On Taylor's approach, Nadia notes: "I am hoping after her show, she lets go, because long-term bracing and holding of stress and sadness can make our shoulders rise, our jaw clench, and cause the diaphragm to stiffen, making it harder for the body to repair, rest and regulate."
© The Sun"I hope Taylor's suppression is momentary and she has time after the show to let go, because chronic suppression can lead to chronic symptoms and affect the nervous system, leaving us in flight or fight mode all the time, causing the cortisol to go up and the body to tense up. It's okay to have short moments of suppression, but you have to release. Once the stress is over, we need to know it's time to rest."
In a previous trailer for her series, Taylor can be seen running a bath, sharing her post-show ritual: "I'll not be able to get to sleep because I can't, like, come down. So, I just watch tons of TV, I eat room service in bed, I sign a box of 2,000 CDs, and then, and then, I'm tired. And then we do the whole thing again."
