Anticipation hung in the air inside Paris’ La Défense Arena on Thursday night as a clock counted down to Taylor Swift‘s first European date of the Eras Tour.
Yes, the record-breaking tour had been running for over a year and was very well-documented — Swift even released a concert film of it in October that is now streaming on Disney+ — but tonight was different. Just under a month ago, during a break from the tour, Swift had released her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” and this show would mark its live debut.
No one could be sure of how it would fit into her set — would it be an entirely new era or just included in the “surprise songs” portion? Would she kick off the show with it or put it at the end? I had my money on the former, but when the lights dimmed and Swift sang “It’s been a long time coming” — signaling the beginning of the “Lover” era — I was proven wrong.
But even early on, there were plenty of changes made to the set to accommodate the new songs, and new outfits throughout. She debuted a new orangey-pink bodysuit for the “Lover” era, complete with a matching blazer for “The Man.” However, one of her prized track No. 5s, “The Archer,” was removed from the setlist. Next, in the “Fearless” era, a new black-and-gold fringed dress made an appearance — but the real first surprise of the night came when the “Red” era followed, instead of “Evermore.” During “Red,” Swift also debuted a new T-shirt which read, “This Is Not Taylor’s Version.”
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Heading into the “Speak Now” era, Swift debuted a new intro with purple flower visuals, cut “Long Live” and went back to just doing “Enchanted” as the sole song of that album’s set. The “Reputation” era remained unchanged, with Swift even sticking to the same outfit as before — an asymmetrical black-and-red snake bodysuit.
Fans erupted into applause when the “Folklore” cabin appeared on stage, signaling the start of that era. However, Swift then revealed that she would be combining the “Folklore” and “Evermore” sets from now on. “We have now reunited the sisters and combined them into one chapter,” Swift said. She then proceeded to flip-flop between the two albums, beginning with “Cardigan” and “Betty” but then moving to a moss-covered piano for “Champagne Problems.” The song was greeted with several minutes of cheers, causing Swift to get emotional and mouth “I love you” to the crowd. She then went back to “Folklore” for “August,” “Illicit Affairs” and “My Tears Ricochet” before ending with “Evermore” songs “Marjorie” and “Willow.” The casualties of the new combined era included “The 1,” “Tis the Damn Season,” “The Last Great American Dynasty” and “Tolerate It.” “1989” followed, with the only difference being a new pink-and-blue two-piece outfit.
As unfamiliar visuals came across the screen, it became clear that it was now time for “The Tortured Poets Department.” Assorted pieces of furniture — a chair, a lamp, a door — floated from the sky alongside pieces of paper, which then evolved into a desert road where the fixtures crashed onto the floor. Swift then appeared in a white corset dress with cursive writing adorning its skirt and a chunky Vivienne Westwood choker. First up was “But Daddy I Love Him,” followed by a snippet of “So High School” that segued into “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” The set’s graphics were mainly in black-and-white, and included a UFO that looked like it was about to abduct Swift and a filter that whited-out her eyes, giving her a demonic look. One chorus of “Down Bad,” during which Swift rotated around the stage on a spinning metal block, led into “Fortnight,” where a “TTPD”-emblazoned bed was brought out and Swift’s dancers dressed in nurse costumes. As Swift sat across from a dancer on a typewriter, the bed was tilted every which way, creating a fascinating display. She then donned a marching band jacket for “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” as her dancers followed her with drums.
