You know you’re God’s favorite when you have a ticket to Taylor Swift’s "The Eras Tour," but are you?
On Friday night, Taylor Swift launched her highly-anticipated “The Eras Tour” with an instantly-iconic 44-song, three-hour concert at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The tour broke the record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day, at 2.4 million.
About 80,000 fans attended the first show, treated to a trawl through Swift’s hugely varied back catalog. The set was split into sections, one for each of her 10 albums, tracing her journey from country ingénue to chart-topping pop star to the lockdown-era folk singer.
She opened the show with 2019’s Lover by performing “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” “Cruel Summer,” “The Man,” “You Need to Calm Down,” “Lover,” and “The Archer” in which some are from 2019’s Lover album, before segueing into the dreamy pop of “Cruel Summer.
Dressed in a diamond-encrusted leotard outfit and surrounded by dancers with elaborate peacock tails, she soaked up the crowd’s applause, she said: “I don’t know how to process all of this and how it’s making me feel right now. Let me start by saying you’re making me feel fantastic.”
In living up to the tour’s name, Swift’s setlist touched on all eras of her career, as she performed at least one track from all 10 of her studio albums. Additionally, as this marked Swift’s first tour in five years, the show also marked the live debut for many of the songs featured in her latest collection of albums, including “Lover,” “folklore,” “evermore,” and “Midnights.”
Next, she moved to 2008’s “Fearless,” kicking off with the first performance of the album’s title track in over a decade, followed by “You Belong with Me” and “Love Story.” Moreover, her song “Look What Made You Do” was performed against a giant video wall showing Swift in various personas from her 17-year career, while “Blank Space” featured dancers riding blue neon bikes straight out of Tron.
For the more pastoral songs of “Folklore,” Swift appeared inside a moss-covered country shack, first seen in her 2021 Grammy Awards performance. Later, she performed a Fosse-inspired chair routine on the cutthroat revenge fantasy “Vigilante.”
But the highlight for many was the full 10-minute version of “All Too Well” – the song she allegedly wrote about actor and ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal – which was performed in a flowing red overcoat as snowflakes fell across the stage.
As the night continued, Swift time-hopped between various eras: 2020’s “evermore,” 2017’s “Reputation,” 2010’s “Speak Now,” 2014’s “Red,” 2020’s “folklore,” and 2014’s “1989.” Though she played only one song — “Enchanted” — from 2010’s “Speak Now,” that was probably to make room for the 10-minute version of Red’s “All Too Well” that she played just moments later.
Towards the end of the set, Swift announced that she would be playing a different acoustic song during each touring show, and for night one in Phoenix, that meant “mirrorball” from “folklore.” Swift closed the show by performing selections from her latest album, Midnights, including “Lavender Haze,” “Anti-Hero,” “Midnight Rain,” “Vigilante Shit,” “Bejeweled,” “Mastermind,” and finally, “Karma.”
Accompanying the marathon setlist was an impressive stage production that included a life-size “Lover” house, a massive catwalk, multiple costume changes, choreographed set pieces synced with each performance, fireworks, and oversized LED video screens.
At one point, she appeared to dive off the stage and swim underwater before re-emerging on a platform to play “Lavender Haze.” At another point, she burned down the Lover’s house.
Here is the full “The Eras Tour” setlist as she returns to the stage on March 18, 2023, for the second of two nights at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, after which she’ll move on to Las Vegas.
Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” Setlist:
Lover:
- Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince (Live debut)
- Cruel Summer (Live debut)
- The Man
- You Need to Calm Down
- Lover
- The Archer
Fearless:
- Fearless (Electric version)
- You Belong with Me
- Love Story
evermore:
- ’tis the damn season (Live debut)
- willow
- marjorie (Live debut)
- champagne problems (Live debut)
- tolerate it (Live debut)
reputation:
- …Ready for It?
- Delicate
- Don’t Blame Me
- Look What You Made Me Do
Speak Now:
- Enchanted
Red:
- 22
- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
- I Knew You Were Trouble
- All Too Well (10-Minute Version)
folklore:
- invisible string
- betty
- the last great American dynasty
- august
- illicit affairs
- my tears ricochet
- cardigan
1989:
- Style
- Blank Space
- Shake It Off
- Wildest Dreams
- Bad Blood
- mirrorball (Acoustic)
- Taylor Swift (Debut)
- Tim McGraw (Acoustic)
Midnights:
- Lavender Haze (Live debut)
- Anti-Hero
- Midnight Rain (Live debut)
- Vigilante Shit (Live debut)
- Bejeweled (Live debut)
- Mastermind (Live debut)
- Karma (Live debut)