7 Best Moments From Taylor Swift’s 2nd Night in Cincinnati on Eras Tour: 2 Special Guests, 3 Surprise Songs

A threat of severe weather pushed the show start time up an hour, which meant that MUNA got to play her set, but Gracie Abrams was forced to sit night two out. Taylor more than made up for it during the evening’s signature surprise song set, which was bumped up to three selections for the first time. It kicked off with Cincinnati native and frequent collaborator Aaron Dessner of The National strumming alongside the singer on the Evermore track “Ivy.” It got even better, though, when Swift invited Abrams out for a make-good run through Gracie’s song “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” from her Minor album, a sweet gesture to the opener who didn’t get her time to shine. The first-ever third surprise song was “Call It What You Want” from Tay’s Reputation album performed on upright piano. Even better, the rain held off all night.

Cincinnati lived up to its royal reputation by rolling out the red carpet for its weekend pop queen. From jokey highway signs that read “Avoid a Cruel Summer: Buckle Up,” to parking meter messages welcoming Swifties to town and bars with custom cocktails (Lavender Haze, Saturn and Back, Lemon Drops on My Guitar, Midnight Rain shots) everywhere you looked it was all about Taylor. Even a rowdy group of drunk Reds baseball fans wobbling out of the day game toward the Tay-Gate party near the stadium mixed-and-matched their red baseball jerseys with pink cowboy hats as they shouted encouragement to the thousands of fans streaming toward Paycor Stadium.

Rule number one of Swift club is you have to come prepared. Especially if you’re a Tay Dad. Some of the best custom shirts we saw on night two included: “I was under the impression there was going to be a football game,” “Dad Reputation,” “It’s Me, I’m the Husband It’s Me,” “Hi, I’m Dad, I’m the Problem It’s Me,” “Where’s the Scarf, Jake?” and the cutest one, a shirt with the words “Proud Swiftie Dad — 13 Years of Loving Taylor,” complete with pics of dad and daughter at earlier shows.

One of the signatures of the Eras era is the ubiquitous throwback friendship bracelets fans are making, trading and gifting to each other. The trend, inspired by the lyrics from the Midnights song “You’re On Your Own, Kid” (“Everything you lose is a step you take/ So make the friendship bracelets/ Take the moment and taste it”), was in overdrive on night two. Not only did stacks of the colorful, blocky bracelets adorn nearly every fans’ wrist, but the Paycor ushers, ticket takers and concessionaires all got in on the action as well, as did the body armor-wearing, assault rifle-toting SWAT team members posted up on their military Humvee outside the venue.

With the exception of a few stray drops here and there, the expected storm never materialized during the more-than-three-hour set. In fact, during the second song, “Cruel Summer,” the sun peeked out through the oppressively hot, cloudy sky for a moment as Swift flipped her hair and smiled silently at the crowd for a good two minutes as she looked around and thanked them for spoiling her with their attention and devotion. Before “Lover,” Swift joked about the updated set time, lamenting that “weather is still somehow out of my control… but I’m working on it.” And, then, as if on cue, a single red heart-shaped balloon floated up from the crowd on the floor.

Eagle-eyed fans likely spotted a bit of rock royalty in the house during the Reputation track “Don’t Blame Me.” No, it wasn’t only The Nationals’ Aaron Dessner, but a very special guitar busted out by Taylor’s longtime lead guitarist, Paul Sidoti. The six-stinger who has been by Swift’s side since 2007 is a huge Eddie Van Halen fan and he played his solo on a replica of EVH’s signature red, white and black striped “Frankenstrat” guitar, which elicited an especially lusty whoop from a nearby father wearing a “Dad Reputation” shirt.

One look at the outrageous prices on resale sites is evidence enough that the Eras Tour is the hottest ticket this summer. Which is why it was no surprise that thousands of Swifties who couldn’t get inside Paycor set up blankets, chairs and viewing spots all around the stadium to at least hear the show from afar. But in a sweet gesture, during the epic show’s last song, “Karma,” Taylor’s team built up some serious reserves of the latter by opening the barriers outside the venue, resulting in hundreds of superfans rushing up to the gates to get their first, last glimpse of the singer during the night’s fireworks-enhanced finale.