An Inside Look At Taylor Swift’s “The Eras” Tour

After the delay of Taylor Swift’s worldwide tour Loverfest in 2020 due to covid restrictions, fans waited for months for rescheduled dates until it was ultimately declared canceled. Since then, she has released 3 brand-new albums and 2 rerecordings. Folklore and Evermore; two albums written in the depths of quarantine were surprises in more ways than one: they were dropped with no prior announcement, released 5 months apart, and completely unique, as they were Taylor’s debut into the genre of alternative music. This was a turning point in her career, as these two albums generated masses of new fans. She then proceeded to release Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) in April 2021 and November 2021 respectively. Finally, she announced her tenth studio album, Midnights, at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, which was later released in October of 2022. 

Before the start of The Eras Tour, Taylor had almost 70 songs that had never been performed live, and with every new album came the question, “When is the next tour?”.  

The answer to that question arrived in November 2022 with the announcement of The Eras Tour, set to be over 3 hours long with 52 dates throughout the US. The setlist consists of 44 songs divided into 10 acts. Every act represents an “era” of hers that revolves around the culture and overall aesthetic of each of her albums. Fans are encouraged to dress as their favorite era.

This tour is significant because of Taylor’s legacy and her work in the music industry. We’ve yet to have an artist quite like her who weaves in and out of genres and finds success in every one of them. From country, to pop, to alternative, Taylor does it all. The Eras Tour is a chance to experience all of the ins, outs, and different sounds of Taylor’s discography. 

Before Taylor begins, her openers (2 per show) get things started. Her list of openers for The Eras Tour includes Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, HAIM, Girl in Red, Muna, Gayle, Beabadoobee, and Owenn. An impressive lineup of women in music. 

Nashville night one was graced with Pheobe Bridgers and Gracie Abrams who both gave amazing performances. (Taylor, Gracie, and Pheobe in one night…literal Holy Trinity.) Phoebe Bridgers brought out her supergroup, Boygenius (Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and herself) as a surprise which was absolutely AMAZING.

Taylor opens with her Lover Era, full of rhinestones, glitter, and vibrant pastels. She wears a bejeweled body suit and sparkly boots as she sings 6 songs from this album, including a skit to go along with her performance of the title song Lover.

She then moves into her second studio album Fearless, wearing sparkly gold fringe and recreating dances that she did on her original tour for the album in 2010. This act of the concert holds a lot of nostalgia for her long-term fans. She sings 4 songs from this album.

After Fearless comes Evermore, a drastic shift from bubbly high school romance into a more melancholy, lyrically complex piece written by a more mature Taylor. She wears a series of long, earth-toned dresses and gives us 5 gutwrenching performances from this album, including Marjorie, a touching song written about her late grandmother.

From there we move straight into the dark, loud, edginess of Reputation, an era of revenge. Taylor wears a black glitter bodysuit with snake detailing and sings 4 songs from Reputation. 

She then dons a floor-length, gem-studded ball gown for the performance of Enchanted, the only song played from Speak Now. 

Following Speak Now is Red. Taylor has been seen wearing a series of outfits similar to her first Red tour, including a sparkling red and black train conductor suit, a graphic t-shirt from 22, and a long red trench coat. During this set, she sings 4 songs, including All Too Well (10 minute version). At Taylor’s concerts in Nashville (May 5-7) she performed Nothing New for the first time live with Phoebe Bridgers, a song not yet performed at her previous shows. 

From Red, we transition into folklore, an album full of made-up characters starring James, Betty, and Augustine. Taylor wears flowy, bohemian dresses for this part. She performs 7 songs.

From folklore, we go straight into 1989 where she stunts a glittery, fringed two-piece set with varying colors. She sings 5 songs from 1989, including a fiery (with literal fire) performance of Bad Blood.

After 1989 at around 11 pm, it’s surprise song o’clock! At this time, Taylor surprises fans with two acoustic “surprise” songs, one on piano and one on guitar. Taylor has said that she is trying her best to not do any repeats. 

Many Swifties try to guess what the next surprise songs will be. “For Nashville, since it’s Taylor’s like– origin, I think she is going to pull out some debut songs… I’m not quite sure what, but I think debut.” Says Central sophomore, Nina Nieto.

I spoke to two concertgoers named Presley and Adrien, both from Kentucky, attending Taylor’s concert in Nashville on May 5th. I asked them what they thought the surprise songs for the night would be. Presley, dressed as the Lover Era, said, “I don’t know, I’m probably wrong but I’m really hoping for Cornelia Street– she’s already sang Clean but that would’ve been a great one, maybe Sparks Fly– meet me in the pouring rain.” Presley quotes a lyric from the song as the forecast for that night held an 80% chance of rain. “Rain or shine, we’re here for Taylor, I don’t care about the weather!” She says. We love devoted Swifties!​​

Adrien, dressed as Reputation said, “I would really like Getaway Car and… Mine,” Two very different, but amazing songs. 

Nina guessed correctly, as Teardrops On My Guitar from the debut album, was the second surprise song for Nashville’s first night.

Presley got her wish for Sparks Fly, as it ended up being the first surprise song of the night, following the SPEAK NOW (Taylor’s Version) LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! This was a huge moment for all the swifties present at Nashville (N1). Speak Now (TV) is something long anticipated and being the first to hear about it from Taylor herself was insane.

Finally, Taylor dives under the stage (literally) and emerges in the blue and purple sequins of the Midnights era. She closes the concert with her most recent album and wears sequins, rhinestones, and knee-high boots with colors ranging from lavender to navy. The final song of the night is Karma and she gives a dazzling performance as confetti rains from the sky and fireworks go off to close the night.

Overall, Taylor delivers a stunning, encapsulating performance that takes you into all of the musical worlds that she’s created throughout the years. It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am so grateful to have attended and so glad to be able to share it with you all!