Taylor Swift ends 'most beloved chapter of my life': Inside the last Eras tour show

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Taylor Swift rounded the sides of her massive stage, arms outstretched in her magenta shawl, the last notes of her final Eras Tour concert an entry into the luminous history of her career. Clasping hands with her backup singers and dancers, she concluded "the most beloved chapter of my life," she said.

Sunday night was also one of the most memorable excursions in pop music history, doing it, as usual, her way. No guests. No extra songs. Just Swift in the spotlight, swapping love with her fans like a musical friendship bracelet.

She took the crowd on "one last grand adventure," which, she said, has been shared with more than 10 million people since her live extravaganza began.

Throughout the show, Swift was as much a consummate professional as she was a sweetheart, hitting her marks with fierce precision and then mouthing "I love you" to her backup dancers at the end of "You Belong With Me."

Swift’s farewell, the 149^th performance on her billion-dollar-earning Eras Tour that has spanned five continents and 51 cities, arrived at Vancouver’s BP Place stadium with the same engrossing mix of precise songcraft, spiffy production and cool glam as when she first unveiled her live opus 21 months ago in Glendale, Arizona.

That night, jaws dropped at the realization that when Swift said she planned to present all of the musical eras in her then-17-year career, she didn’t mean a trite, two-hour mix of medleys.

No, Swift’s genius concept – and the ultimate reward to steadfast enthusiasts who catapulted her from successful country-pop chanteuse to the most mega of stars – was a carefully constructed 3 ?-hour career overview unlike anything ever seen on a concert stage.

“I’ve never done this many shows,” Swift admitted during her three sold-out (as usual) nights of the Canadian conclusion. “But you guys have made it such a wonderful experience.”

Taylor Swift wears her emotions proudly

Swift’s easy accessibility, one of her most endearing traits, was on display Sunday from the moment she greeted fans with her usual, “Oh, hi” and a red-lipsticked grin between the opening salvo of “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” and No. 1 hit “Cruel Summer.”

Fan ovations were frequent and lengthy. Not that there haven’t been outpourings of unconditional adoration at every show whenever she bats her cat-eyelined eyes or tilts her head with a combination of gratitude and bemusement.

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But the sustained roar at the end of “Champagne Problems” as Swift sat behind her moss-covered piano, bangs damp against her forehead, was nearly as long as the four-minute song.

With an awed expression and misty eyes, Swift marveled at the waves of aural affection, taking out her ear monitors to fully experience the overwhelming sound. After reminding the crowd of the dedication of her band and crew, Swift smiled and thanked the crowd. "We will never forget you guys giving us that moment," she said.

Swift teared up a few times, keenly aware that tonight meant the last black hat she’d bestow on a lucky kid’s head during “22” and her final opportunity to playfully waggle her hips in a short sequined skirt to “Shake it Off.”

What were Taylor Swift's final surprise songs?

The nine eras of Swift’s show captivate with their own personalities. The vengeful red-and-black snake motif of “Reputation” and its snarling “Look What You Made Me Do” and the monochrome Hollywood glam of “The Tortured Poets Department” – a May addition after she dropped the 30-track album in April – with its stoic drumline during “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and the visceral discotheque that is “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart” among the highlights.

But the portion of the Eras Tour that has captivated fans of Swift’s immense catalog and spurred repeated attendances regardless of ticket price, is her “surprise” songs, one on acoustic guitar and one behind her flower-decorated piano.

Taylor Swift setlist: All the songs on her epic Eras tour

At Saturday’s penultimate show, Swift welcomed protégé and show opener Gracie Abrams to share the spotlight for a mashup of “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and “Last Kiss,” which ended with tight hugs between the friends.

Sunday’s closure, the culmination of so much emotion and so much connection with her fans – almost 60,000 at each Vancouver date – hit the perfect note. Saying she wanted to go "back to the beginning," Swift offered the mashup of "A Place in This World" from her 2006 debut album and "New Romantics" from “1989” on guitar. But feelings heightened with a gorgeous piano trilogy of "Long Live" (“Speak Now”), "New Year's Day" (“Reputation”) and "The Manuscript" (“The Tortured Poets Department”), the chorus 'hold on to the memories" resonating deeply in the stadium as Swift closed her eyes and threw her head back as she played.

More: Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is what we desperately needed. Now what?

Taylor Swift is too ambitious to disappear for long

Though happy tears were to be expected as Swift said goodbye, she isn’t the type of performer to pull an Adele and disappear for a few years.

Yes, she has a seemingly thriving personal life with NFL star Travis Kelce and deserves a break after a thoroughly exhausting schedule for nearly two years (really three, as she noted from the stage, given the year of prep time and rehearsals).

The dedication was worth it, Swift told Sunday's crowd because, "you have created such a space for joy and togetherness and love."

But Swift is too ambitious, too prolific, too fond of sharing her words and music with fans who manage to present new levels of adoration the more she leaves it all on the stage for them.

Even though this marathon has ended, it feels as if another race will soon approach the starting line.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Swift ends Eras tour in Vancouver: Inside the last show