Gracie Abrams Revealed What the Last Night of the Eras Tour Was Really Like Backstage

"It felt like the last day of school."

Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams performing together on the Eras Tour.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you've ever gotten emotional on the last day of school, then you have a pretty good idea of what the vibe was like backstage on the last night of Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour, according to Gracie Abrams.

The "That's So True" singer opened 49 shows on the Eras Tour, including the tour's very last show in Vancouver on December 8 and she shared what it was really like to be a part of the historic tour's grand finale during a new interview with Nylon. And, based on Abrams' description, it was very "last day of school," complete with copies of Swift's Eras Tour Book acting as yearbooks.

“Everyone had been crying all day. It felt like the last day of school backstage,” Abrams explained. “Everyone was walking around with their [Eras Tour] books, signing each other’s books. We were all walking around with Sharpies."

Taylor Swift performing during the final Eras Tour show in Vancouver on December 8.

Taylor Swift performing during the final Eras Tour show in Vancouver on December 8.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

“I’m feeling emotional and grateful and in a state of shock that we don’t, as a global community, get to experience that source of light anymore,” Abrams said of the end of the Eras Tour era.

Abrams went on to describe how the iconic tour impacted her even when she wasn't performing as an opening act.

“I was just soaking up every moment of her show, too. I’ve basically been studying it for a year-and-a-half. Every time I’ve opened for her, I watch and learn. I learned from her every time we have a conversation about the weather, even,” she said of the experience, adding, “I watched the live streams on shows that I wasn’t at."

Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams embrace on stage during the final leg of the Eras Tour at a show in Toronto.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In addition to serving as opening act, Abrams also joined Swift on stage during the main show more than once during her time on the Eras Tour. In July 2023, Swift brought Abrams out during the acoustic "surprise songs" set to perform a duet of Abrams' song, "I Miss You, I'm Sorry," and, most recently, Abrams joined Swift on stage in Toronto in November 2024, for a mashup of Swift's "Out of the Woods" and Abrams' "Us."

"To see somebody have the ability to, in a stadium, make it feel like you and her are the only two people there, that was hugely important for me to see,” Abrams told Who What Wear in September of her experiences performing on the Eras Tour with Swift.

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Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.