End of an Era: 'Exhausted' Taylor Swift plans to take a year off after record-breaking Eras Tour ends

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Taylor Swift is planning on taking a very long break when her long-running Eras Tour concludes this weekend in Vancouver.

When her globe-trotting trek, which has seen her play more than 150 shows across five continents over nearly two years, comes to an end Sunday night at B.C. Place, the 14-time Grammy winner wants to do “normal things” with her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“Taylor plans to stay in and hibernate (with Travis) for a while,” an insider tells Us Weekly. “They want to do ‘normal things’ as a couple … Taylor’s exhausted. She’s excited for some relaxation and downtime.”

Another source tells the outlet: “Taylor and Travis are eager to spend quality time together because (that’s when) the little nuances about someone’s personality and habits come into play. They will learn so much about each other.”

After her last relationship with Joe Alwyn lasted six years, Swift, 34, is looking to take things slow with Kelce.

“Taylor does feel like Travis is The One, but jumping in is not her style,” Us Weekly’s second source adds. “That’s just not how she does (things). Marriage is a big deal, and she wants (it to be) forever.”

Swift launched the Eras Tour in March 2023 in Arizona. In Toronto last month for six sold-out nights at Rogers Centre, Swift told fans that she kept adding dates to her itinerary because it was the most fun she’d had onstage in her 18 years as a performer.

There’s already talk of a new album and whispers of another tour in 2026, albeit a smaller one.

“She had such a great experience on Eras. She really wants to do it again,” an insider tells Us. “She loves being with all her fans; it inspires her.”

But her relationship with Kelce will be at the forefront.

“Things can change. A lot of it hinges on what happens over the next year with Travis,” says the source. “She’s told her team to give her one year to see how things go in her personal life.”

Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who worked with Swift on the music video for her song Fortnight, tells PEOPLE that the singer “has so much energy and love for creativity,” so he won’t be surprised if her break is short lived.

“She is unstoppable, and her enthusiasm for her craft is contagious. I know she will keep giving us wonderful music, but surely she will continue branching out into other areas of creative output,” he says.

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As her 18-month tour comes to an end, it’s hard to find a musical artist that has had the same impact Swift has enjoyed in transforming the business of pop music.

For every city she visited, her economic impact was vast. In Toronto, it was estimated that the concerts would give the city a much-needed $282 million economic boost.

During the first three shows from Nov. 14 to 16, spending in downtown Toronto was up by 57% week-over-week across all categories. According to data provided by Moneris, clothing stores saw a boost of 49%, accessory/specialty stores surged by 102%.

It’s hard to find a contemporary equivalent to the Swift craze that gripped the city over two weekends last month. Elvis Presley only played five shows outside of the United States, two of which were at Maple Leaf Gardens back in the 1950s. The Beatles gave Toronto its first taste of Beatlemania in 1964. Of course, the Rolling Stones rehearsed for several of their world tours here, and performed to 500,000 people at SARSstock back in 2003.

Then there was the Who, who famously held their “final” concert in Toronto back in 1982 at Maple Leaf Gardens.

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In Vancouver, her sold-out shows are expected to have a $157-million economic impact and attract over 150,000 Swifties.

So, Swiftmania is unique. At the end of 2023, the Eras shows became the first tour to cross the billion-dollar mark. Her merch sales were well north $200 million, and a concert film she self-produced sold more than $250 million worth of tickets, making it the highest-grossing concert film of all time.

With her added concerts this year, Swift is expected to add another $1 billion to her coffers.

Then there are her album sales and streams.

Earlier this year, Swift broke her own record for the most sales of a vinyl album in a week, moving 700,000 LP copies of The Tortured Poets Department in just three days. She sold another 800,000 copies of CD, cassette and digital downloads of the album during its first week.

According to Billboard, Swift was responsible for 7% of all vinyl albums sold in the U.S. in 2023.

On Wednesday, Spotify revealed that Swift was 2024’s most-streamed artist globally, racking in more than 26.6 billion streams.

Earlier this year, Swift said “this tour has really become my entire life.” In Toronto, she was in tears at the thought of the tour’s impending end. 

It wasn’t all smooth. In August, Swift was forced to cancel three shows in Vienna after police discovered terrorists were plotting to kill fans outside the shows.

But Swift’s musical run is something we’re unlikely to see ever again — or at least not anytime soon.

“I think this tour really solidified her position as a legend,” Kayla Wong, an influencer who runs the popular Swift-centric Instagram account headfirstfearless, told the Associated Press. “Whether or not you like her music, whether or not you think she’s talented, the numbers really speak for themselves. The tour broke so many records and was such a global phenomenon for so long that I think she’s achieved a level where it’s undeniable as to how everlasting her impact is.”

Swift ends the Eras Tour in Vancouver on Dec. 6, 7 and 8.

mdaniell@postmedia.com