Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Toronto: A recap
Visit to our friendly Canadian neighbor involved stops at some of my favorite breweries on the planet and an incredible night of live stadium rock.
On Aug. 9, 2023, I was arguably more nervous than I’ve ever been. I definitely wasn’t this anxious during the births of our two kids (mainly thanks to my incredible wife and the birthing professionals at Highland Hospital).
I had already won the pre-sale lottery, so I was liking my odds. But after hearing the horror stories of the first drop and folks spending the entire day in the online queue, I was fully expecting the worst. And winning the lotto didn’t guarantee you’d get tickets. That only increased the pressure.
When I first jumped into the queue after impatiently waiting in the online waiting room, I had no idea what to expect. But when I say the first number, “2525,” tension started to ease quite a bit. And magically just 18 minutes later, I had four second-level tickets. (I knew what area we wanted to sit in and went directly to that section when securing tickets to avoid having tickets in my cart magically disappear.)
(Keep reading, this will be about beer, promise.)
This is just a roundabout way of saying, I was irrationally excited to experience the Era Tours in Toronto. And that anticipation only increased for the 15 months we waited. (This newsletter will be about beer, promise. Stay with me.)
And last Thursday, we finally got to experience the Taylor Swift spectacle at her first Canadian show as she closes the globe-spanning Eras Tour. As someone who generally only experiences smaller club-level shows at places like the Bug Jar or the Psychic Garden, it managed to surpass the hype in my head. And it will surely be one of those concerts that I’m telling my kids about 15-20 years from now. If I wasn’t before, I am now a full-fledged Swiftie.
(I am using this newsletter to get out all of my percolating thoughts one of the most momentous days of my life. It was so jam-packed that I am still processing.)
And because I am monumentally spoiled, we visited two of my favorite breweries on the planet (and fueled up at two more iconic spots) before making our way to the Rogers Centre for the Taylor Swift Circus.
Godspeed Brewery
We were incredibly concerned about traffic heading into Toronto. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. (And of course, it was entirely manageable and seemed relatively normal.) Because of that, we needed to find a place to eat lunch. I immediately recommended Godspeed Brewery (and I’ve always remembered this quote from brewery founder Luc Lafontaine from the first Godspeed article I ever read: “I want to be a neighbourhood brewpub with an international reputation”).
Recently, the brewery in Toronto’s east end, has partnered with WVRST, a purveyor of German-influenced sausages, to run the kitchen. (WVRST has multiple locations in Toronto and is worth a visit.) Without any concrete plans, I recommended that we start out Toronto visit at Godspeed and then work our way back west toward our hotel and the stadium.
And because I’m a spoiled beer princess, my wife, her best friend Morgan (also her maid of honor), and Morg’s wonderful husband Dan consented.
Time spent at Godspeed is always time well spent. The taproom, even when packed (which it wasn’t on this occasion), has a quieting effect. It’s a wonderful place to enjoy a perfectly poured Czech-style lager and a conversation. Starting our day off there provided a needed centering effect. I was anxious previously, but that melted away after visiting Godspeed. Plus, the mug of Czech amber lager (made from a blend of its dark and pale lagers like you might encounter in Czechia) perfectly paired with the incredible house-made kielbasa.
After Godspeed, we made our way toward the center city.
Bellwoods Brewery
If you’ve followed my beer-related work over the last 11 years, you know that Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery is my favorite brewery on the planet. Bellwoods excels in every style. The labels, designed by Doublenaut, are so fun and instantly recognizable. But the brewery’s original taproom on Ossington Street in the city’s Trinity-Bellwoods neighborhood is what really made me fall in love with Bellwoods. Like Godspeed, the OG Bellwoods spot was cozy and encouraged conversation and contemplation. That’s partially why last week’s visit was so jarring — I hadn’t been to Ossington since before the pandemic (because I often visited my buddies Ashley and now Nick at the brewery’s sprawling production space north of the city) and hadn’t yet experienced the expanded taproom.
What was once a moody space has been transformed into something incredibly bright and inviting. Bellwoods acquired the building next door, blew out one of the walls to connect this new space to the old, and added more seating. It doesn’t feel like the same space. But it still feels like Bellwoods, if that makes any sense. It maintains the Bellwoods soul. More than anything, it’s cool to see one of my favorite places thriving during these uncertain times we’re experiencing in craft beer.
It was really nice to return to Ossington for the first time in five years. The beer is still excellent. Each of us enjoyed a pour of a different IPA before picking up some cans at the adjoining Bellwoods bottle shop to be enjoyed during our upcoming Taylor Swift pre-gaming festivities.
Goose Island
Goose Island’s Toronto brewpub was within a block or two of our hotel. So it was an ideal place to fuel up before the show and hope that the line outside Rogers Centre would have subsided a bit before we made our way over there.
Goose Island was wonderfully forgettable. The atmosphere inside the brewpub was super cool, but both the beer and food were mid at best. I had a serviceable Italian Pilsner and Cass sipped on a replacement-level light lager. Our visit there did exactly what it needed to do — fueled us up before the marathon Swift show.
We postponed our entry into the stadium by making a quick detour to neighboring Steam Whistle Brewery, which has only produced one beer since opening in 2000 — a beautifully crisp Pilsner. Getting to enjoy one of those at the brewery inside the John Street Roundhouse was incredibly cool.
And it also allowed us to enter the stadium a few minutes after 7. That way, we were able to avoid the crazy lines, go right to our seats, and catch most of the opening set from Gracie Abrams.
Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour
Walking a mile (or whatever the metric equivalent is) across downtown with thousands of other Swifties was a really cool experience. There was a palpable buzz among the travelers. It was odd when we crossed paths with those waiting in the snaking line outside the Scotiabank Arena for the Don Toliver show at the basketball/hockey arena. It didn’t feel like there should be more than one big show scheduled for the same night, but then you remember that Toronto is one of the biggest cities in North America and it can easily handle welcoming thousands upon thousands of concert-goers.
Outside the stadium, people were buzzing. There was an intoxicating sense that we were all about to experience something historic (or at least something we’d remember for a long, long time). I feel pretty fortunate that I got to attend the Eras Tour. I’m sure I’ll never see that many sparkles and sequins in one place again in my life.
The show was a complete spectacle. For a stadium show, it felt intimate. And it was amazing how every song, insanely talented back-up dancers included, felt like a mini-Hollywood production. I was particularly enthralled with the suite of songs from Reputation (and would’ve gladly settled for more from that Era and less from the country-driven earlier stuff — though it is informative and cool to see Taylor’s evolution as a songwriter and an artist). Overall, my favorite songs to experience live were Willow, Ricochet, and I Can Do it With a Broken Heart (which was the most Hollywood-leaning production of them all as it went black and white and featured imagery and allusions to old school movies).
Two things impressed me most with this show: 1. Taylor’s stamina (she performed more than 40 songs over a 3.5-hour set without any breaks — beyond those used for wardrobe changes); 2. Taylor’s ability to connect with the audience. No matter where you were seated in that stadium, you felt like Taylor was singing directly to you and you felt like she speaking directly to you during her interludes. It was pretty magical to feel this connection in a stadium of 50,000-plus people.
I’ll admit, I was probably more tired at the end of the show than Taylor or her dancers were. And then to go out the very next night and do the same high-energy show, nuts.
As we were leaving the stadium, police had neighboring Lower Simcoe Street closed down completely, not letting anyone cross the street. As the officers stood there stoically, my mind immediately went to a dark place (especially after some of the events that have marred, or even cancelled, other shows). I was even grumbling to Cass, ‘What the heck is going on?’ But within a few seconds, we saw a stream of police motorcycle lights start to work its way north and then a cavalcade of SUVs with tinted windows tailing it. And sure enough, Taylor had managed to get out of the stadium quicker than us and waved to the adoring crowd as she sped past. Pretty cool stuff there. (And a good reminder to me, take a chill pill, Cleveland. A minor inconvenience isn’t the end of the world and shouldn’t ruin your entire evening.)
So as I write this, I am still trying to figure out what Era I most identify with. Weirdly, Reputation (still waiting for Taylor’s Version) is my favorite Swift album. But I was first sold on her genius during the pandemic when I first experienced Folkmore and then Evermore. I am curious then, what Era are you? I am in my nerdy dad era, wildly. And I am really glad I got to experience this history-making tour and got to do so with my incredible wife. Enchanted, indeed.
A final note: It’s pretty wild to think I’ve been working on this independent publication for over two years now. In that time, I’ve published 200 newsletters, highlighted some of my favorite people in the industry, curated two beers festivals (that featured 150 participants and 4,600 attendees), and continued to break all the biggest news in the region (closures, consolidations, openings, etc.).
The Cleveland Prost remains the preeminent source for regional beer news. If you own a brewery, bar, or beer-adjacent business, this is the best place to reach the nerds you wanna be in front of. So I remain open to sponsorships, advertisements, and sponsored content. Feel free to reach out to me at clevelandprost@gmail.com for more. And more than anything, thanks for all the support. None of this would be possible without the devoted (and thirsty) audience.
Goose Island = AB Inbev = mediocre at best. Not surprised by your less than glowing review.