Taylor Swift Shares the Stage With Gracie Abrams, Aaron Dessner During ‘Best Two Nights’ in Cincinnati
Written by djfrosty on July 2, 2023
Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio, was an exciting one for Swifties. She debuted two Evermore songs live for the first time during her acoustic sets — one with an assist from collaborator Aaron Dessner — and she performed a Gracie Abrams song with Abrams.
The superstar shared several photos from her Cincinnati shows on social media Sunday (July 2), along with a message that recapped some highlights — and reminded fans what they still have to look forward to later in the week.
“Cincinnati I couldn’t love you more,” Swift wrote. “Had the best two nights with you!!”
She continued, “Last night was so special getting to sing ‘I miss you, I’m sorry’ with @gracieabrams in the acoustic set and bringing out @aarondessner to play ‘Ivy’ in his hometown.”
Swift invited Abrams to the stage with her Saturday night (July 1), as the opening act’s set was cut due to a schedule change based on the weather forecast. The two shared vocals on Minor track “I Miss You, I’m Sorry,” with Swift on guitar and Abrams on piano, and Abrams posted her own reaction to this unforgettable moment: “@taylorswift I love you forever friend. Just thank you.”
Dessner brought Evermore‘s “Ivy” to life on the stage for the first time with Swift the same night. And on Friday (June 30), Swift sang the album’s title track, “Evermore,” for the first time live.
Dessner uploaded a video of “Ivy” on Instagram and wrote, “Cincinnati!! It’s hard to describe what it felt like to play ‘Ivy’ from evermore last night with @taylorswift in the town I grew up in, where I learned to play music in the first place. Grateful as always to Taylor and all of you for listening.”
Meanwhile, Swift wrapped up her note to fans on Sunday: “See you soon Kansas City, meanwhile I’ll be counting down the minutes til Speak Now (my version) comes out July 7th WHICH IS VERY SOON.”
Swift first announced that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) will be arriving on July 7 at one of her Eras shows at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium in May.
She wrote about Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) on social media on May 5: “It fills me with such pride and joy to announce that my version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9th, iykyk. I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing … and living to speak about it. With six extra songs I’ve sprung loose from the vault, I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) with you on July 7th.”
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is the third re-recorded album she’s releasing, following Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021.
For more about Swift’s weekend in Cincinnati, check out Billboard‘s review of Saturday night’s concert, plus an ongoing record of the surprise songs she’s performed on tour here. Watch clips of this weekend’s special performances with Aaron Dessner and Gracie Abrams below.