Taylor Swift, a 10-time Grammy winner and pop culture icon, recently performed at the Dome at America’s Center on Sept. 18. The show started with Charlie XCX and Camila Cabello as the opening acts, entertaining the crowd until Swift finally came up on stage.

“It was astonishing,” sophomore Irem Inan said. “From the moment the screens that were at least half the length of the arch split to let Taylor in to when she flew across the stadium in a golden cage, I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Inan has been a fan of Swift since she was 9 years old and was excited to attend her first Taylor Swift concert last month. While Swift’s stunning special effects and stunts (including fireworks, flames, and two enormous snakes rising from the stage) impressed Inan, her favorite performance was one of the simpler ones of the night.

“My favorite song that she sang at the Reputation World Tour was Getaway Car,” Inan said. “It was probably the simplest of all the performances, but it’s such a perfect song in the story that it tells that it doesn’t need a huge production; I love that Taylor recognized that.”

When asked why she loved Taylor Swift, Inan lit up.

“That’s… a loaded question,” Inan said. “I don’t think I can give one reason why I like Taylor Swift. It’s definitely not just her music; a lot of artists have good music. I think it’s just in how personal it is. Listening to Speak Now, I literally feel like I’m reading her diary, especially during songs as personal to her as Dear John which she doesn’t perform it now because she says it’s ‘still too painful.’ But I think it just comes down to the actual person she is.

“She does hundreds of meet and greets at every single show and they’re all completely free. She chooses fans she sees online and she remembers all of their names and holds conversations with them about how they post funny stuff on Tumblr. Some fans she even invites to her house and bakes cupcakes for. She’s just extraordinarily genuine in everything she does. I don’t think there’s anyone better to be a fan of,” Inan said.

In attendance of the concert was also sophomore Lizzie Kayser, who is far from new to Taylor Swift concerts. In fact, she’s been attending them since she was only 6 years old.

“I’ve seen Taylor Swift every time she’s come to St. Louis, starting in 2009,” Kayser said. “It’s been really cool, because in a way it’s like I’ve grown up with her. Each of her ‘eras’ marks a certain part of my life.”

Kayser’s favorite performance was Swift’s mash-up of Long Live and New Year’s Day, because they are favorite songs of hers, both new and old. Just like Inan, she loves how personal Swift is. However, Kayser’s favorite part of the show was something unique to Swift’s concerts.

“When you come into the concert, each person is given a bracelet that lights up during the show in sync with the music. All the lights looked like stars out in the stadium, and it made you feel like you were really a part of the show,” Kayser said.

These bracelets also flashed different colors during the songs, for example, the bracelets created a snake during Look What You Made Me Do.

When asked how to describe the concert, Kayser only had one word.

“Powerful,” Kayser said.

Taylor Swift’s concerts never fail to make a memorable impression, and leave an impact on fans’ lives forever.