Our last full day in Zurich was dedicated almost entirely to the Eras Tour. We just had one thing in the morning, which was our tour of the Lindt Museum at 11am. We got there right at the start of our tour time and did a self-guided visit, which came with an audio guide. It was cool seeing the exhibits explaining the history of chocolate making in Switzerland, as well as all the machines they use in their factories. The highlight was definitely the never-ending chocolate supply inside the museum, as machines would dispense different kinds of chocolate for the taking. While I did sample quite a bit, I didn’t want to go overboard before the concert, so I pocketed the ones they handed out at the end to save for later.

We left around 12:30pm to return to the hotel to shower and get dressed. We actually had less time than we thought to get ready, so I was trying to put my makeup on and eat at the same time. At least we curated our outfits prior to leaving Toronto. My friend went in an 1989 outfit, while I had my Folklore dress complete with a floral crown, which I surprisingly wore for almost the entire evening. 

We finally made it out of the hotel and got to the stadium by 3:30pm. It was fun seeing how many people were also heading to the concert just by looking at their outfits. I actually brought my cardigan with me to help complete the look, but it was so hot that day that there was no way I could have worn it. 

Once we got to Stadion Letzigrund the lineups to get in were zigzagging in all directions. Somehow we managed to find the end of the line for Gate D, but we barely moved the entire hour we were standing in line. We were unfortunately not in the shade, so even though they were handing out bottled water, it did nothing to help us cool down. At one point there was chaos when they told fans lining up for Gate D to move to Gates B & C as it would be faster. It was insane how poorly organized it was to get in. (@_@)

Somehow we managed to make it in just before 5pm so there was time for my friend to line up for merch. I scoped out places to grab food and also the lineups for the washrooms, but quickly determined neither of them were worth the wait (although I should say the food prices were quite reasonable).

Paramore kicked off with their opening set shortly afterwards and they were fantastic. I really enjoyed their entire setlist and I made sure to listen to them in the weeks prior to get more familiar with their music. I would totally see them on their own if they play in Toronto.

Taylor finally came on at 7pm and the reaction from the crowd was amazing. They actually handed out ear plugs along with light-up wristbands, so we were all set when the music started. We were seated up in the stands, so while we were covered in the shade, we were very far from the stage. I had to rely on the screen most of the time to see her. While it would have been nice to be closer, the fans who paid for general admission had to deal with all the elements, and it didn’t seem like it was worth it considering how hot it was.

As for the setlist, I really enjoyed it especially after she added songs from TTPD. I purposely never watched the Eras Tour movie, so while I had seen clips from her concerts, some of it still came as a surprise to me. I found I actually enjoyed some songs more after hearing it live – I think the atmosphere inside the stadium elevated everything and it was fun singing along with the rest of the fans. I also liked the two surprise mashups she played towards the end – Right Where You Left Me x All You Had To Do Was Stay (acoustic) and Last Kiss x Sad Beautiful Tragic (piano).

The concert finally ended around 10pm and I managed to subsist on two granola bars that entire time! While the line getting out of the stadium wasn’t long, it took forever to wait for a tram to take us back to Zurich HB. There must have been 7-8 trams that passed by us before we managed to get in. This is despite them adding more service on the route. It was horrible that both getting into the venue and getting out after the show took way longer than needed because it was poorly planned. 

It wasn’t too bad after we made it to Zurich HB and I even managed to give away my last two friendship bracelets to a couple of young girls who said they would be attending the show the following day. We got back to our hotel around midnight and I immediately scarfed down a Cup Noodle cause I was so hungry. We were definitely on a concert high and there were so many people who were at the concert staying at the hotel that it was still buzzing in the common area late at night.

While I loved the opportunity to see Taylor live, it’s probably the last time I would be splurging on tickets like that again. I’m glad it was for this concert, as I don’t think anything will match the calibre of the Eras Tour again. I’m so thankful that everything went smoothly and will be forever grateful for this magical experience.