Eras vs. Renaissance Tour

With the beginning of their two respective tours, pop legends Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have made some serious waves this year, both in and out of the music industry. Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” began in March of this year and is scheduled to end next November, with an impressive 146 tour dates. Beyoncé’s “The Renaissance World Tour” began in May and is expected to wrap up in October after 56 stops. Overall, both tours are estimated to gross a billion dollars each. 

From the outfits to the sets and of course the music, the accomplishments of these two artists are enjoyed by millions of fans. Christiana Cuellar, Renaissance Tour attendee and the Upper School librarian reports, “It was just thousands of people blissed out on the music…really good energy.”  

Each tour has a staple outfit, with many attendants of Renaissance wearing glittery cowboy hats and silver clothes at Beyoncé’s request, while the Eras Tour goers dress in the recognizable colors of Taylor Swift’s 10 album covers and exchange hand-made beaded bracelets with each other as gifts. 

The Renaissance World Tour is making an internet splash with the “mute challenge” during the song “Energy.” After Beyoncé sings the line “Everybody on mute,” the crowd is supposed to go completely silent for a few seconds, which led to a huge trend on social media where people determine which concert stop was the quietest. 

In addition to the over two-hour set list of her biggest hits, Beyoncé makes sure to change it up each stop with covers or featured guests. According to Cuellar, “[Beyoncé] sang Vogue by Madonna, but instead of having all the famous actresses…Madonna name checks in that song she name-checked a bunch of extraordinary Black creatives and performers.” 

The tour also includes many well-crafted sets, such as a moving tank, hydraulic robotic arms, and a sparkly horse that is a nod to the “Renaissance” album cover. Beyoncé even brings out her 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, to perform some choreography. Cuellar says, “People lost their minds because of [Blue Ivy]. That was probably the biggest cheer.” 

Although both tours followed the release of albums, “Midnights” by Taylor Swift and “Renaissance” by Beyoncé, The Eras Tour is more a celebration of Taylor Swift’s entire musical career. Swift performs a three-hour set list that is an even distribution of her 10 albums, leaving many long-term fans feeling nostalgic. Quinn Blakeley, a tenth-grade student who went to an Eras Tour concert this summer, comments,  “[The concert] was the most magical night of my entire life…I actually broke my toe because I was jumping up and down too much.” 

Taylor Swift creates a distinct atmosphere and color palette for each “era” with her quick outfit and set changes, such as a wooden cabin for the Folklore era, a huge purple ball gown she wears for Speak Now, and glowing golf clubs for “Blank Space”. 

At each stop in her tour, Taylor Swift performs “surprise songs” that are not in the setlist, leaving her fans waiting anxiously to see if their favorite song will be played. Blakeley comments,“I got ‘Stay, Stay, Stay’ and I was so happy…I know it’s silly, cheesy or whatever, but you don’t understand…I love that song so much.”There is a lot of discussion amongst fans of the artists, both at the School and online, about which tour is better, but there is no obvious answer. Whether you prefer Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, it is undeniable these two world tours will remain iconic for years to come. Not only are the tours having a record-breaking economic and cultural impact, they are also a testament to the influence and accomplishments of these two artists that will go down in history.