Taylor Swift’s Longtime Bassist Writes Emotional Note About Grueling Eras Tour: ‘I Emerged Changed’

Taylor Swift’s Longtime Bassist Writes Emotional Note About Grueling Eras Tour: ‘I Emerged Changed’

Taylor Swift’s longtime bassist reflects on “the ride of his life” as he bids farewell to the Eras Tour.

Amos Heller, who has played with Swift for more than 15 years, shared a lengthy ode to his time on tour with the pop superstar on Instagram, which ended Sunday, Dec. 8, after five continents, dozens of cities and 152 in Vancouver shows.

In his message, the 47-year-old Heller provided a rare glimpse into life behind the scenes of the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. He also shared a series of photos of him performing on stage, including one of Swift, 34, leaning back on his shoulder during the performance Fearless section of the show.

“It’s done. No more early lobby calls. No more airports. No more lugging suitcases and mono bags up the escalator through a queue from the baggage claim area. No more warming up, no more cooling down,” he wrote. “I no longer have to look at the clock 20 times to make sure I don’t miss a call. No more saying goodbye to my family, no more “How many beds now?” No more jet lag. It’s done.”

Related: Taylor Swift Is ‘Exhausted But So Grateful’ As Eras Tour Ends, Looking Forward to Holidays With Travis Kelce (Exclusive)

John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Taylor Swift performing on the Eras Tour in May 2023.

John Shearer/TAS23/Getty

Taylor Swift will perform on the Eras Tour in May 2023.

The bassist continued by evoking specific memories from various cities, including visiting bass shops in Australia, getting tattooed in Ireland and visiting a watch factory in Switzerland.

“No more slipping into new languages, cultures, cuisines and accented politeness,” he wrote. “No more snow in Tokyo, watch factories in Switzerland, museums in Sweden, bass shops in Australia, steaks in Rio, tattoos in Ireland, runs in Germany, flowers in Amsterdam.”

He wrote that entering the “ringing stadium” made him feel “like a gladiator” every night and that he enjoyed “shouting out song lyrics with a complete stranger who is now your best friend.”

“This is the best thing I can do right now. It is a completed work. We saw it go from What If to How Will It Be to Here We Are and Almost Done to Done,” he wrote. “The record books are closed with fresh ink on many pages. I emerged changed. As a player, performer, person, partner. After the final curtain, I dropped to my knees backstage for a while before lying on the floor and gently reminiscing about (dancer Tori Evans). Issued. We have lived a lifetime. If you think it felt like closure, then it is.”

John Shearer/Getty Taylor Swift at the opening night of the Eras Tour in March 2023.

John Shearer/Getty

Taylor Swift at the opening night of the Eras Tour in March 2023.

Related: Taylor Swift Pays Tribute to Travis Kelce with One Final “Guy on the Chiefs” and Signature Move at Eras Tour Finale

Heller wrote that he feels “so much love and gratitude” to be part of the Swiftie community and shared a special message for the show’s star himself.

“You command so much respect and admiration from everyone who is fortunate enough to contribute their efforts to your contribution,” he wrote to Swift. “Your mix of focus, heart, perseverance and joy brings out the best in everyone around you. Thank you for trusting me with my part of your vision. It was the ride of my life. I love you.”

He ended his message with the words “Long live,” a reference to Swift’s fan-favorite song of the same name, which is featured on her 2010 album Speak Now.

Among the many commenters on Heller’s post was Kam Saunders, an Eras Tour dancer whose brother Khalen famously played with the Kansas City Chiefs along with Swift’s friend Travis Kelce.

“You absolute GEM of a human being! “I’ll miss you making this guitar sing when I leave YNTCD!” Saunders wrote. “I had the time of my life with you! Your humor. Your wisdom. Your kindness towards my mother!!!! Thank you for everything.”

Xavi Torrent/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Taylor Swift performs in Madrid in May 2024.

Xavi Torrent/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Taylor Swift performs in Madrid in May 2024.

PEOPLE exclusively reported that Swift paid out $197 million in bonuses to everyone who worked on her tour during her nearly two-year tour, including truck drivers, caterers, instrument technicians, merch team, lighting, sound, production staff and – assistants, carpenters and dancers, band, security, choreographers, pyrotechnics, riggers, hair, make-up, wardrobe, physiotherapists and video team.

The Eras Tour sold more than $2 billion in tickets The New York Times is “twice as high as the gross ticket sales of all other concert tours in history.” The tour was also enthusiastic Taylor Swift | The Eras tour bookwhich reportedly sold 814,000 copies in the first two days, making it the most successful publishing launch of the year.

Next up, Swift — who recently told a source to PEOPLE he’s “exhausted but obviously so, so grateful” for the successful tour — will compete for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

Read the original article on People

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