Taylor Swift continued her history-making Eras Tour on Friday night (March 31), kicking off three shows through Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
Though fans and media who caught the tour at its first stop in Glendale, Ariz., and subsequent shows in Las Vegas have already revealed key details about the extensive 3 hour and 15 minute set list, elaborate costumes, and more, Friday’s concert held some special surprise moments for Swifties.
Leading up to the night, local news outlets made a slew of announcements that urged citizens to beware of Eras Tour-induced traffic jams and parking issues in Arlington, which sits right in between Dallas and Fort Worth and boasts most of the metroplex’s major amusements, including Globe Life Field, Six Flags Over Texas and the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium — where Swift performed — but many concertgoers seemingly avoided the regular rush by arriving early, planting themselves in line for merchandise and entrance to the concert.
So what made Swift’s first Arlington show stand out from the previous Eras shows? Read below for some brand-new moments from the Friday night concert.
One of the notable changes in Swift’s evolving Eras Tour setlist on Friday was the omission of songs from Taylor Swift on night 1 in Arlington. In the opening night of each of the previous weekends so far, one song from her self-titled project made it into the acoustic portion of her show. The first night in Glendale, she played her debut single “Tim McGraw,” and night 1 in Las Vegas, she played crowd favorite “Our Song.”
After playing “The 1” — a swap-out for her usual Folklore opener “Invisible String” — Swift admitted, “You know, I’ve never played that song live before,” making its performance both a debut on the Eras Tour setlist and a live debut in general.
She also worked in “Sad Beautiful Tragic” from Red to the setlist during her acoustic portion. Strumming it on just an acoustic guitar, she introduced the song saying, “I love this one. When I love a song, I don’t care what anyone says.”
To follow it up, Swift moved over to an upright piano at the end of the stage and began playing “Ours” from Speak Now. Another surprise for fans: “Ours” became the second Speak Now cut to make it onto the setlist, the first being “Enchanted,” which has been played every night of the tour so far.
Los Angeles-based trio MUNA joined the Eras Tour on Friday for their first performance, following fellow opener GAYLE. Comprised of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson, the Saddest Factory-signed band made full use of the stage, parading up and down the catwalk while performing a number of songs from their 2022 self-titled album. “They’re all over every playlist of mine,” Swift said of MUNA in a break after singing “Lover.” “They absolutely killed it.”
After surprising the crowd with her first-ever performance of “The 1,” Swift grabbed the mic, smiling as she teased her fans: “You think you can just scroll the setlist? You think you can just come prepared? Let it be said about The Eras Tour … there’s high jinks.” The taunt may not just be a reference to the Arlington set and could be an overall message for the rest of the U.S. stadium tour.
Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince
Cruel Summer
The Man
You Need to Calm Down
Lover
The Archer
Fearless
You Belong With Me
Love Story
‘Tis the Damn Season
Willow
Marjorie
Champagne Problems
Tolerate It
…Ready for It?
Delicate
Don’t Blame Me
Look What You Made Me Do
Enchanted
22
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
I Knew You Were Trouble
All Too Well (10-Minute Version)
The 1
Betty
The Last Great American Dynasty
August
Illicit Affairs
My Tears Ricochet
Cardigan
Style
Blank Space
Shake It Off
Wildest Dreams
Bad Blood
Sad Beautiful Tragic (acoustic)
Ours (acoustic)
Lavender Haze
Anti-Hero
Midnight Rain
Vigilante Shit
Bejeweled
Mastermind
Karma