TAYLOR'S NEW ERAS IS UPON US
The first weekend of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is in the books, with another 50 shows to go across the U.S. After Swifties descended on Glendale, Arizona's State Farm Stadium this weekend—fans in Taylor tour garb outnumbered spring training Dodger fans by a 10-to-1 ratio—here’s what we learned.
Tay's stadium show, which next stops in Las Vegas on Friday (3/24) and Saturday (3/25), is more than three hours long, features 44 songs and, on opening night, at least, included selections from all 10 of her studio albums.
The production is divided into acts grouped together by the eras of each of her studio albums, with sets and costumes reflecting each album’s look and feel. As Rolling Stone noted, “This isn’t a hastily put together set list with a vague thread of connective tissue—Swift is taking her audience on a nostalgic extravaganza.” Variety ventured, “It’s reimagining the visuals that she cherishes, and to that end, there was no shortage of all-new production design, costuming and choreography.”
While that part of the show is locked in, Swift has a solo-acoustic segment she can change nightly; opening night’s selections were folklore’s “Mirrorball” and her first hit, “Tim McGraw," whereas night two featured “This Is Me Trying” from folklore and Red’s “State of Grace.” The solo songs, Variety noted, are the only ones that don’t aim to reproduce her records.
The New York Times reported, "Swift zigzagged between stretches of high-octane hits from older albums and mixed-bag selections from more recent ones... What this ambitious and energetic if sometimes scattershot performance underscored, however, was just how many pivots Swift has undertaken in her career, and how the accompanying risks can have wildly different consequences.”
Rolling Stone capped its review by calling The Eras Tour show “live music at its highest spectacle and greatest excess," adding, "And for most, without the catalog and showmanship of Swift, it’d be too much. But 17 years into her career, maybe we ought to stop being surprised when she finds a way to top her own efforts year after year.”
The tour will head east before making its way north, stopping at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium for three nights, 5/5-7, and East Rutherford, New Jersey's MetLife Stadium 5/26-28. The trek ends in Los Angeles with a five-night stand at SoFi Stadium, 8/3-5 and 8/8-9.
📷: @johnshearer, @kevinmazur, @kevincwinter, @gettyimages
WELL. Last night was a rush. Thank you to everyone in that glorious Glendale night 2 crowd for giving us all you had and more. Counting down the hours til we get to play again. See you in Vegas 😆
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 20, 2023
IG 📷 @ShearerPhoto @GettyImages pic.twitter.com/dsG4197X0L
I miss you like it was the very first night. Good thing we’re about to go onstage and do the whole thing again tonight. See you 🔜 Glendale, Erazona☺️
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 19, 2023
📷: @ShearerPhoto, Kevin Winter, @GettyImages pic.twitter.com/i8FfeuG1B2
