The emotional post of a Taylor Swift’s band member saying goodbye to the Eras Tour: “The ride of a lifetime”
Amos Heller, who has been the singer’s bass player for the past 15 years, opened up about being part of the record-breaking Eras Tour.
Taylor Swift and her band have been on the road for the best part of two years. The singer’s Eras Tour, which started in March 2023 in Glendale, reached its conclusion last weekend with the final show in front of 60,000 fans in Vancouver.
The 20-month, 149-date Eras Tour (three shows in Vienna were cancelled) was the highest-grossing concert tour by a solo artist, and the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, surpassing the previous records set by Elton John and Coldplay respectively. It raked in an eye-watering $2,077,618,725 - more than double what Coldplay‘s Music of the Spheres world tour grossed between 2022 and 2024.
Taylor Swift’s generous bonus for Eras Tour crew members
It’s been quite a ride for the Cruel Summer songstress - and also those who accompanied her on the jaunt around the world: the six members of her band, four backing singers (The Starlights), 15 dancers, roadies and other members oh her tour crew - truck drivers, wardrobe, caterers, lighting crew, merchandising sales team etc.
Who are the members of Taylor Swift's band?
- Paul Sidoti (guitar/backing vocals)
- Mike Meadows (guitar/keyboardsbacking vocals)
- Max Bernstein (guitar/keyboards)
- Amos Heller (bass)
- Matthew Billingslea (drums)
- Karina DePiano (piano/keyboards)
Reactions to the Eras Tour
Swift rewarded her Eras Tour performers and crew members for their efforts with generous bonus payments, totaling $197 million, on top of their basic salaries.
“This tour has been the adventure of a lifetime,” the singer told the crowd at Vancouver’s BC Place on Sunday - the last show of the tour. “I speak on behalf of my band, my crew, my fellow performers, who all left their families and spent time away from everything that they know and love, and have performed when they were sick. When anything was going on in their lives, they made sure that this show happened for you, and I just wanted to say that on behalf of all of us, we will never forget you giving us that moment”.
Amos Heller reflects on record-breaking tour
Those words were echoed by bass player Amos Heller, who took to Instagram to share his memories being on the road with one of the the music business' megastars.
"It’s done. No more early lobby calls. No more airports. No more lugging a suitcase and Mono bag up an escalator, through a line, out of baggage claim. No more warming up, no more cooling down,” the 47-year-old musician wrote. “No more looking at my watch 20 times to make sure I don’t miss a call. No more saying goodbye to my family, no more ‘How many sleeps now?’ No more jet lag. It’s done.”
While Heller probably won’t miss the hectic side of touring too much, he adds that there are many things that made it all worthwhile.
“No more slipping into new languages, cultures, cuisines, accented pleasantries. 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.”