Taylor Swift Kicks Off The Eras Tour With A Three-Hour, 44-Song Set

Taylor Swift has not been on tour for five years, during which time she has released four albums, including the Grammy Award-winning Folklore.

Her live absence, which was necessitated by the epidemic, was evidently a source of aggravation since her first show return was a three-hour-and-fifteen-minute extravaganza that featured 44 songs from her entire career.

Swift told supporters as she approached the stage for the opening night of her Eras tour, “I can’t even describe how much I’ve missed you.”

The artist had claimed that the concert would be “a trip across all of my musical periods,” and the demand for tickets forced Ticketmaster’s systems to fail.

Despite this, the tour broke the record for the most concert tickets sold in a single day by an artist, with 2,400,000 sold.

Approximately 80,000 of these fans attended the first concert at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium, where they were treated to Swift’s vastly diverse back catalog.

The show was divided into pieces, one for each of her ten albums, tracing her evolution from country prodigy to chart-topping pop sensation to lockup-era folk artist (albeit with a mixed-up chronology).

She began with Miss Americana & The Heartbroken Prince, a fan favorite from her 2019 album Lover, before segueing into Cruel Summer, a lovely pop number.

Clad in a diamond-encrusted leotard and surrounded by dancers with ornate peacock tails, she soaked up the ovation of the audience and exclaimed,

“I don’t know how to comprehend this and how it’s making me feel right now.”

“[But] let me begin by stating that you make me feel great.”

With 16 dancers, many set and costume changes, and a long, illuminated catwalk leading to a second stage, the show is a tremendous production.

At one point, she appeared to plunge into the stage and swim to the middle of the stadium, after which she emerged onto a rising platform to perform her most recent single, Lavender Haze.

Look What Made You Do was played in front of a massive video wall depicting Swift’s different personas over the course of her 17-year career, whereas Blank Space included dancers riding neon blue bicycles reminiscent of Tron.

For the more pastoral tracks of Folklore, Swift performed in a moss-covered country hut for the first time at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Later, in the violent vengeance fantasy Vigilante, she performed a chair routine inspired by Fosse.

But for many, the highlight was the complete 10-minute rendition of All Too Well, the song she purportedly composed about actor and ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, played in a flowing red coat as snowflakes drifted from the ceiling.

The audience sang every word with unwavering devotion. The sentiment was plainly reciprocal.

Swift halted her own stage banter at one point to joke, “I’m trying to tell you I love you, but I’m rambling.”

Early reviews of the show have been overwhelmingly positive, praising the lengthy setlist and dramatic production aspects.

Setlist for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour

The Times proclaimed,

“The queen of pop reclaims her throne” and added, “Although jumping between 10 such diverse albums could lead to an uneven experience, it is somehow avoided here, with Swift producing a unified experience despite the continuously changing clothing and backdrops.”

Local news agency Arizona Central said,

“She managed to make the voyage look effortless, loving it as much as the Swifties in attendance.”

In a review filled with Swift’s song titles, Hello magazine proclaimed,

“The Swifties will undoubtedly be Charmed.”

“This moment has been a long time coming, but karma is a queen, and the wait was well worth it.”

“The accomplishment is often astounding,” said Billboard, “with wardrobe changes, set-piece upheaval, and vulnerable moments in front of tens of thousands of fans, as well as sing-alongs that will rival the scale of any tour this year.”

The sole complaint from fans and critics alike was that only one song from Swift’s third album Speak Now was included on the lineup (the understated ballad Enchanted, performed in a ballgown, pictured above).

One concertgoer posted on Reddit, “She buried this record.” But, the dress was lovely.

Taylor Swift is anticipated to release a re-recorded version of the album as part of her continuing effort to regain control of her masters, and rumors are already circulating that the Speak Now section may be enlarged during the tour.

Currently, the 52-date tour is limited to the United States. It is unknown if the expensive show will be brought to the rest of the world, but supporters are hopeful.

Also Read: M. Shadows Married His Wife After A 6th-Grade Romance