Here's why you might be 'down bad' after Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
Tour expected to come to an end Dec. 8 in Vancouver
"Taylor Swift, let me go to another show, please," says a sobbing fan in a TikTok video after attending one of Swift's widely popular Eras Tour shows.
All you have to do is search, "Taylor Swift post-concert sadness" to find dozens of similar videos.
Many fans have posted videos of themselves looking sad and standing inside of a stadium with a slow Swift song in the background and a caption that usually reads something like, "When the concert you've been waiting for forever is finally over."
Swift is currently in Toronto and will be playing her second last show on Friday night at the Rogers Centre. Her five-continent tour began in March 2023 and wraps up in Vancouver next month.
While there's an extreme surge of happiness for many fans who scored tickets to the concert of a lifetime, for some there's an intense sadness when it's over.
Christa Realba is navigating a lot of feelings days after the show.
"I just want to be there again," said the Amherstburg, Ont., woman.
After 18 months of searching for tickets, Realba and her eight-year-old niece snagged seats just minutes before Swift took to the stage for her opening show in Toronto last week.
It was a whirlwind of an experience for Realba, who says being inside the stadium is such an intense high that she's still processing everything she experienced.
Swiftie Abby Head, who lives in the Detroit area and went to see the Eras Tour at Ford Field last June, says she was especially in her feels after the "once in a lifetime" concert.
"The show was phenomenal. Then after we're like, 'now what?' We're sad it's over," she said.
Head also went to one of the recent Toronto shows and told CBC News in a Facebook message nearly one week later that she's "deep in the post-Eras Tour blues. It was one of the best nights of my life."
Why are some fans feeling this way? And how can they recover after the show?
CBC News put these questions to a neurologist who explains how to process these emotions and get out of your Swiftie slump.
Is it OK to feel sad after a concert?
Yes.
Neurologist Leah Croll, who works at Maimonides Medical Center in New York, says it's absolutely OK to feel anxious, sad, irritable and tired after a concert — especially one like the Eras Tour.
"We've seen TikTokers and people on social media ... talking about various versions of this post-concert comedown. People have talked about a post-concert depression, a post-concert hangover feeling," she said.
"It's a real medical phenomenon."
While Croll isn't aware of clinical research on post-concert depression, she says health professionals know about it based on their knowledge about neuroscience and the human experience.
"The number one thing to know is nothing is wrong with you and you are not alone ... it just means that you had a great time at a great show," she said.
Why do I feel sad?
According to Croll, there's a number of reasons why people might feel their emotions drop following the Eras Tour.
Depending how or when you got tickets, there's a lot of "anticipatory stimulation," which includes the build up to the concert — picking an outfit, creating friendship bracelets and joining groups or watching videos about the show.
Then when you actually get there, there's a lot going on.
"There's so many sights and sounds to take in, you're probably there with friends or loved ones, you're hearing your favourite music," she said.
"Your brain's reward pathways are getting stimulated."
As a result, dopamine and serotonin — which Croll calls the brain's "happy chemicals" — flood your brain.
"[Your brain] temporarily gets used to experiencing this higher level, if you will, of happiness," she said.
"Then, once the show is over, abruptly your brain stops spilling those chemicals out and suddenly there's this massive drop in the levels of those happy chemicals and it's [during] that recalibration that you start to feel those feelings of depression, of sadness."
Because your brain is processing so much around you before, during and after the show, while also trying to store away information and memories, Croll says this can be especially draining.
And then finally, concerts are physically exhausting.
She explained that your body is likely dehydrated from drinking alcohol or caffeine, and eating salty and sugary foods. It's likely also tired because you were standing in long lineups or dancing, singing and screaming during the show.
Will re-watching the concert videos I took make me more sad?
No.
Croll says listening to the music and re-watching videos from the concert will help.
"It ... sort of stimulates some of those neural pathways in the brain that really compute joy," she said.
WATCH: Why these fans love Taylor Swift
She also says it's important to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water, fuel your body in the days after to regain your energy and find ways to boost those happy brain chemicals — like moving your body by taking a short walk.
Croll stresses that this should be a temporary sadness, lasting a few days at most.
She cautions that if these feelings linger for a week or longer and get more intense by keeping you from going about your day-to-day activities, you should speak with your doctor, a therapist or loved ones.
End of an era
With the Eras Tour expected to end on Dec. 8 in Vancouver, fans might be feeling extra sad.
"But so like, when this goes away and we don't have the live shows anymore, I'm kind of sad to like wonder what we're going to do next," said Head.
The end of such a huge cultural moment can make fans feel like they are grieving a loss, says Croll, but she's encouraging them to reframe it.
"It would be far more productive and more exciting to think about ... how do we take the Eras Tour and what we learned about it and what we learned about ourselves through it and how do we apply that to our lives?" said Croll.
And that's what Realba is hoping to do.
While she recognizes that this is truly the end of an era, she says she hopes it's shown her niece just what can happen when you set a goal and work hard to achieve it.
"It's forever one of those core memories that will forever impact our lives," she said.
"This is a positive impact on our life for the rest of our lives."
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