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Nina Petrou and Kayleigh O'Donnell
On March 17th, 2023, the games began. Thousands of people gathered in State Farm Stadium, waiting with bated breath. Taylor Swift majestically emerged on stage as lyrics stating, “it’s been a long time coming” filled the stadium. Taylor Swift has done it again.
Breaking records such as “most attended female concert in the U.S.” and attracting more fans than there were spectators at the Super Bowl, it is no secret that the Taylor Swift Eras Tour held high anticipation.
The tour focuses on the ten “eras,” or albums, of Swift’s career. On that very first night, Swift revealed that she is prioritizing her latest four albums: "Lover," "folklore," "evermore," and "Midnights," as they have all been released since her last tour in 2017. Many fans were surprised and upset by the noticeable exclusion of songs from her past, more popular albums, including all but one song from her junior album "Speak Now," and no permanent spot for songs from her debut, self-titled album. Can we really expect her to do it all?
Despite the setlist being over three hours long, there are even more chances for fans to hear songs from Swift’s discography. Each night, Swift plays two acoustic “surprise songs.” She originally stated that she would never repeat a surprise song, then added that she could replay any song that she “messed up” on stage and any song from her most recent album, "Midnights." Swifties on TikTok anxiously wait for the reveal of the surprise songs each to keep track of what they may hear during her later shows. Many surprise songs have never been performed live before, and it has been heartwarming to see Swift play songs now at 33 that she wrote as young as 13.
Now, a month after the opening, Swift continues to amaze fans each week with her intricate lighting design, screen graphics, talented backup dancers, and almost a dozen costume changes. Across the last 16 shows, Taylor has surprised the crowd with special appearances from collaborators such as Aaron Dessner of The National and Marcus Mumford. Despite splitting from her longtime partner, Joe Alwyn, in April, Swift continues to put on a fantastic, magical show for her devoted fans.
Swift gave fans a small scare when she started mysteriously bleeding from her hand during her final set in Houston. Swift took to Instagram later to assure fans that she was fine, stating that she tripped during a quick change and “it was all very Mercury in retrograde coded.”
Overall, Swift is only 30% through the tour, with 36 more shows and 4 more months left in the US leg of The Eras Tour. It’s been a blast watching Taylor and her fans experience the Tour from the outside, but we can’t wait to attend later this month when she makes a stop at MetLife stadium.
Photos via Taylor's Instagram, courtesy of Getty Images
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