Welcome to The End of an Era.
One year after Taylor Swift concluded her record-breaking Eras Tour, she's looking back at one of her most enchanting chapters to date—and bringing her fans along for the ride. In the first two episodes of her new docuseries, released on Disney+ Dec. 12, Taylor and her tour family pull back the curtain on their historic journey in candid interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
"There were two main factors that culminated in The Eras Tour, both of them were unpleasant," Taylor explained in "Welcome to The Eras Tour," the first episode of the docuseries. "The first one being my entire catalogue of my first six albums was sold out from under me to somebody else. And I decided to, sort of defiantly, re-record all of my music."
As Taylor—who, after a years-long battle, announced in May that she officially owns all of her music after making a deal to obtain the master recordings of her first six albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation—explained, this experience planted a seed in her mind of honoring and celebrating her previous work.
Another factor that led to the tour? The coronavirus pandemic.
During that time, "I clung to songwriting as a sort of life raft," Taylor shared in the docuseries. "Folklore came out three to four months into the pandemic, we put out Evermore four months later. I hadn't toured in five years and the fans had created such demand for it."
And that's when the planning really began.
Are you ready for more insight into what was really going on backstage as the tour made headlines? Keep reading for everything The End of an Era has to offer—including sweet phone calls with Travis Kelce and the emotional moment Taylor gave her team life-changing bonuses.
The first two (of six!) End of an Era episodes are out now on Disney+, with new episodes dropping each week. Meanwhile, the concert film Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show is also available to stream.
Taylor Met With Southport Attack Survivors, Families of the Victims
In the first episode of The End of an Era, Taylor Swift addressed the cancellation of her Aug. 2024 concerts in Vienna, Austria, after they were targeted in a terror plot. (Two men were arrested in connection to the planned attack.)
"We've had a series of very violet, scary things happen to the tour," Taylor said. "We dodged, like, a massacre situation. And so, I've just been kind of all over the place."
The incident came just days after three children were killed in a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England.
An emotional Taylor shared through tears, "I have a hard time explaining it."
Following the tragedy, Taylor privately met with survivors and families of the victims of the Southport attack backstage at her Wembley shows.
The docuseries captured Taylor and mom Andrea Swift in tears after one meeting, with Andrea telling her daughter, "I know you helped them. I know it doesn't seem like it but I know you helped them."
Taylor Told Ed Sheeran She Felt "Very Hunted"
Before taking the stage at Wembley Stadium after the recent tragedies, Taylor struggled with her nerves.
"I just need to do this show," she told pal Ed Sheeran backstage, "remember the joy of it."
Taylor went on to explain that after she wraps up her Wembley concerts she'll have two months off.
"I'm just gonna go somewhere no one can find me," she shared after Ed inquired about her plans. "I just don't want to be tracked like an animal. I just have felt very hunted lately."
Taylor Gave "Bonus Day" Checks to Her Tour Family
The End of an Era officially confirmed that "as each leg of the tour" concluded, Taylor gave bonuses to every crew member, dancer and musician.
"Bonus day is so important," Taylor noted, "because setting a precedent with The Eras Tour is really important to me."
"If the tour grosses more, they get more of a bonus," she continued. "And these people just work so hard and they are the best at what they do. So, every single person on the crew, I've handwritten them a note. It took me a couple weeks, but it's fun to write the notes."
And Taylor was on hand to deliver those notes, which brought her team to tears.
Travis Kelce Was "Scouring the Internet" During Eras Tour Shows
When Travis Kelce wasn't in the audience or onstage with Taylor, the NFL player was, like many fans, trying to find details about The Eras Tour shows online.
"I want to be there!" Travis told Taylor during a sweet phone call before her Wembley shows. "I'm gonna be scouring the internet."
Emma Stone Played a Role in The Eras Tour
While putting The Eras Tour together, Taylor turned to a longtime pal for guidance.
"With choreography, I asked one of my friends, Emma Stone, who's done a lot of work in dance in her films, 'Who have you worked with that you would recommend for this?'" Taylor recalled. "And she's like, 'There's only one person that needs to be on your list and it's Mandy Moore.'"
Choreographer Mandy Moore, not to be confused with actress Mandy Moore, worked with Emma on 2016's La La Land.
How Taylor Kept Eras Tour Surprises Under Wraps
To avoid any surprise songs or performances, like "Florida!!!" with Florence Welch, getting leaked, Taylor and her band would turn down the volume on the PA system during rehearsals and practice "quietly" so that fans waiting outside stadiums couldn't hear.
"It is so much extra work to keep things a surprise," Taylor said in "Magic of the Eras," the second episode of the docuseries. "Let me tell ya, I need a nap just thinking about it. But it's so worth it when we can actually pull it off."