Kelly Clarkson Compares Her Touring Experience to Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ Triumph
Kelly Clarkson is well aware that when it comes to captivating audiences, Taylor Swift stands out from the crowd.
“When you’re on tour, you have to transport everything in trucks, which can get pricey,” Clarkson, 43, joked during her concert on Friday, July 18, in Las Vegas, as seen in social media footage. “You can’t afford to have seven guitars on stage if you’re not making any profits.”
She continued, “Unless you’re Taylor Swift, then you can do whatever the heck you want. For the rest of us regular folks, that’s not how it goes.”
Swift, 35, is famously a billionaire whose groundbreaking, three-hour Eras Tour shattered numerous records during her global trek from 2023 to 2024.
“There were numerous stadium tours this summer, but the only ones compared were mine and Beyoncé’s,” Swift remarked in an interview with TIME in December 2023, contrasting her Eras with Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. “It’s evident that it’s incredibly lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each other, despite both artists not wanting to engage in that narrative.”
She elaborated, “If we look at stereotypical gender roles, women are often told that our natural interests — girlhood, emotions, love, breakups, and discussing those feelings endlessly, as well as sparkles and sequins — are seen as less substantial than the interests typically associated with men.”
Swift concluded her Eras tour in December 2024, just before Beyoncé, 43, wrapped up her Renaissance tour. The former Destiny’s Child member has recently launched her Cowboy Carter Tour, which commenced earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, Clarkson kicked off her Studio Sessions residency in Las Vegas in July.
“This is a completely unique show that Caesars is allowing us to create,” she joked on Friday. “They’ve given us creative freedom, which has been my dream. I love getting dressed up in gowns, but I wanted everyone to share this experience with us.”
The inaugural American Idol champion designed the Las Vegas stage to resemble a relaxed jam session in a recording studio.
“All the decorations on the walls are from my house in Montana and my studio there,” she explained. “I also have a studio in New York. This is all my art displayed here.”
Friday’s performance also featured a spontaneous duet with Clarkson’s daughter, River Rose. (In addition to River, Clarkson has a son, Remington, with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.)
“Last night, we had a special guest; my daughter River Rose joined me for ‘Heartbeat Song’ 💗. It’s her favorite song,” Clarkson shared excitedly on Instagram afterward.
