It's been a long time coming but...
One of the biggest tours the world has ever seen has finally come to an end. With the tour grossing over $2.6 billion spread across 152 stops, it's no secret that Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has made a significant impact on her fans worldwide. The last nine stops were in Canada, six in Toronto and three were in Vancouver. A mother and daughter from Estevan had the experience of a lifetime seeing the pop icon on her second-last show of the tour.
"It was amazing. A once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Lisa Beaulieu and her daughter Lyric made the trek from Estevan to BC Place to see the songstress perform music spanning 18 years of her catalogue. For the over three-and-a-half-hour show, the mother-and-daughter duo sang, laughed, and celebrated Swift's music. "It was so big and loud and so much fun. I don't think any other concert could live up," Lyric shared.
She admitted that this was the first concert she'd ever been to and that future concerts might be ruined. Regardless, Lyric said that it was a surreal experience, causing her to be emotional. "I cried as soon as she popped up on stage."
Lisa has always appreciated Swift's music and how she's become a good role model throughout her career, though she was not a Swiftie before arriving at the concert. "Getting to know and learn about her the last 12 months and seeing her there was pretty phenomenal. Like, I got goosebumps thinking about it. It was such a flawless performance."
The process of getting to the concert was not easy, the Beaulieu's remarked. At dinner with friends in February, Lisa's husband was curious how much tickets to the sold-out show would be. "He went online and he said 'All of these look really expensive.' I was like 'Well, we don't have that kind of money.'"
His friend tried to stop him from buying the tickets, but shortly after, he uttered the magic words: 'You guys are going to Taylor Swift'.
WATCH: Taylor Swift's intro for Night 1 of The Eras Tour in Vancouver
Lisa noted that the money was originally set aside for a new couch. When asked in hindsight if she would pick a new couch or experience the Eras Tour all over again, the popstar's tour won. She wasn't keen on giving us an exact figure of how much the tickets cost, but Lisa noted that they were more than $1,000 - each.
"I told Lyric when we were on the Skytrain getting back towards the pier to get on the ferry 'You know someday, you're gonna be able to tell your grandkids that [you] were at the second last show of the Eras Tour ever!'. I feel like, because we were part of the last couple shows, it was even more sentimental to Taylor. I feel like we got a different experience than, you know, hundreds of thousands of other people did," she added.
Taylor Swift's impact isn't lost on either of them. For Lyric, being surrounded by other Swifties and celebrating her music catalogue with the spectacle of its production was an unforgettable experience. "Even on the ferry, lots of people were talking about how much they love her and what they're gonna do. When we got in, people just started handing us bracelets. We were giving people bracelets."
"In my school, there's barely anyone else who likes Taylor Swift. So, it's really, really cool we were surrounded by people who love her almost as much as I do."
Lyric expressed that regardless of the cost, Taylor Swift's concerts are worth the money and effort due to the camaraderie of fellow Swifties, adding that it was a welcoming and wholesome experience.
We don't know if we'll ever get a tour like the Eras Tour again. However, the mother-and-daughter duo will always cherish the memory of being part of the biggest tour ever concocted. Swift first announced the tour back on November 1, 2022, with dates around the United States. A year later, Canadian tour dates for the monstrous tour were announced.
Video: A clip of Taylor Swift performing her song 'Karma' at the second night of The Eras Tour in Vancouver, BC. (provided by Lisa Beaulieu)