How does Taylor Swift celebrate the start of a long-awaited tour? In Swift-like fashion, she drops four unreleased tracks!
From the start of The Eras Tour to the release of four songs, there is more than enough content for Swifties to sift through. For your sake, I’m going to examine her latest releases, the first two shows from the tour, the setlist (spoiler alert!), and everything in between.
Swift surprised fans everywhere when she announced the new songs on Thursday, March 16. All the tracks are Taylor’s Version except “All of the Girls You Loved Before” on Lover, an album she already owns.
The other tracks “If This Was a Movie,” “Eyes Open,” and “Safe and Sound” (which features Joy Williams and John Paul White) are singles spread out between the re-recordings of Fearless and Red, respectively. The original recording of “Safe and Sound” was featured in the 2012 film The Hunger Games.
After the TicketMaster fiasco, U.S. Swifties have scoured online for any tickets, but especially ones for opening night in Glendale, Arizona, at State Farm Stadium. Though I wasn’t physically at the concert, I felt lucky enough to view videos of the concert on TikTok.
Swift started the show with top hits from her Lover album. Dazzling in a sparkly corset, Swift dissed TicketMaster and sympathized with the fans when she said, “It required a considerable amount of effort” for fans to be there.
Staying with the love songs, Swift transitioned to songs from Fearless which were emotional for some fans, specifically the title track which Swift has not played live since 2018. This album also includes the classic singles “You Belong with Me” and “Love Story.”
Then, Swift went to the piano. If you have ever been to one of Swift’s concerts, then you know that the live piano versions of any song are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She sang a few tracks from evermore, including my personal favorite, “tolerate it.”
Moving onto the Reputation era, Swift’s black and red snake outfit enhanced the stunt’s stunning choreography; it was the best I have ever seen at one of her concerts. This was followed by my favorite track “Don’t Blame Me,” arguably the most popular song on the album.
Although there weren’t many Speak Now tracks on the setlist, Swift wowed the crowd with “Enchanted.” She appeared on the stage in a gorgeous gold gown which paid respect to the dresses she wore on her tour in 2011-2012.
Finally, the moment Swifties were waiting for: an acoustic rendition of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” She also played hits like “22” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” off the Red album.
Folklore was next. Swift was dressed in a flowy purple gown joined by dreamy pink graphics on the stage. Caitlyn Lilis, a self-declared Swiftie, commented on the technology in Swift’s shows, saying, “Her concert presence is incredible, and she has amazing visuals.”
At this point in the show, Swift has played over 20 songs, and we’re only halfway through. 1989 debuted with “Style” as Swift glittered in her sparkly pink two-piece set.
There are some tracks she does not traditionally play at performances, so on each stop of the tour, she surprised the crowd with two favorites. The first night was “mirrorball” and “Tim McGraw,” while the second night featured “this is me trying” and “State of Grace.”
The last part of the night was dedicated to her newly released album Midnights. She started this sequence with the track “Lavender Haze” and concluded the show with “Karma.” During “Bejeweled,” she incorporated a famous dance from Tiktok created by a fellow Swiftie.
In total, she performed 44 songs, spanning over three hours long. The time and number of songs is double that of the Reputation tour, in which she only performed 20.
Keep your eyes peeled for more Taylor Swift news as she continues The Eras Tour through August.
