The Eras Tour

08 Aug 2023

The 6 Best Moments From Night 4 of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at LA’s SoFi Stadium

Monday’s surprise songs included an acoustic debut & a solo debut, with a particularly poignant “Exile” sing-along.

Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023.

Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023.

MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images

Taylor Swift greeted a brand-new crowd of 70,000 eager fans on Monday night (Aug. 8) as The Eras Tour returned to the L.A.-area SoFi Stadium for Night 4 in Inglewood, California. And while the first leg of her North American tour is coming to a close Wednesday night (for a total of six sold-out nights at SoFi), Swift continues to keep things fresh — especially with the night’s brand-new surprise songs, which included one acoustic debut and one solo debut.

“Welcome to the acoustic set!” Swift said as she made her way to the center catwalk, where a guitar and piano awaited her for the most anticipated portion of her setlist. “When I was putting together this tour and I was thinking about the stuff that I wanted to do, I was thinking about the fact that I named it The Eras Tour and I kind of wanted to sort of assign the acoustic set as a place where I would challenge myself to play songs that I don’t normally play live or songs that I haven’t played live in a really long time or songs that I haven’t played live in an acoustic way. So it’s been equally exhilarating and terrifying, because it’s a different one every single night – it’s a different two every single night.”

She broke out some special ones for the Monday night crowd, with the acoustic debut of “Dress” and the solo debut of “Exile” (much more on those below).

But the surprise songs were hardly the only standout moments from the latest Eras Tour stop. Below, find our six favorite moments from Night 4 at SoFi Stadium.

04 Aug 2023

The Nine Best Moments From Taylor Swift’s First Night in Los Angeles on Her Eras Tour

At long last, Taylor Swift has arrived in Los Angeles for the final stop of her U.S. tour — or so fans thought. 

Earlier on Thursday, August 3 — hours before the superstar would take the stage at SoFi Stadium — she announced a second leg of North American dates for 2024. The new dates include stops in Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Toronto. “Turns out it’s NOT the end of an era,” Swift wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

And as she made perfectly clear on the first of her six-night run in L.A., slowing down is simply not in the cards. Neither is performing the same show night after night, as evidenced by the addition of two surprise songs to each set list, which Swift says is a fun way to challenge herself to dig deep into her extensive catalog — while also keeping fans on their toes, creating a sort of “gotta catch ’em all” energy.

But on Thursday, there was an even greater buzz radiating throughout the packed stadium as 70,000 fans poured in, many of whom were eagerly discussing rumors that Selena Gomez may make an appearance or that the next Taylor’s Version could be announced on this very night.

That’s the thing about the Eras Tour: it’s safe to expect the unexpected. 

As it turns out, neither rumor was true. And yet, Swift’s opening night was nothing short of magical and filled with firsts, like having never performed at SoFi before or selecting a surprise song that she has never played live. And thankfully, it was all captured by a cameraman following her every move on stage, filming for something, as Swift managed to kick her power and poise into an even higher gear.

The night also included stellar opening sets from Gracie Abrams, who will join Swift on her 2024 dates, and HAIM. Of the sister trio, Swift said: “Not only are these three individuals my besties, but they’re my favorite band,” also noting it was a hometown show for the rockers. 

“We have a lot to catch up on, musically speaking,” Swift said later on. “I haven’t toured in five years before the Eras Tour; This is the last city on the U.S. leg and we knew we wanted to end someplace special.”

And that is was. Below are the best moments from Swift’s opening night in L.A.

28 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Fans Cause Seismic Activity Comparable to Small Earthquake at Seattle Eras Tour Shows

Flashback to her mistakes, her rebounds, her earthquakes. In another case of life imitating art (this time, the art being lyrics to Taylor Swift‘s 2017 Reputation track “Dress”), Swifties at the Eras Tour in Seattle last weekend danced so hard, they generated enough seismic activity to rival a low-grade earthquake. The discovery was found by Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a geology professor at Western Washington University, who measured the “Swift-quake” at Lumen Field to be equivalent to a 2.3 on the magnitude scale.

“For Taylor Swift, I collected about 10 hours of data where rhythm controlled the behavior,” Caplan-Auerbach explained to CNN Thursday (July 27). “The music, the speakers, the beat. All that energy can drive into the ground and shake it.”

The findings called back to another incident at Lumen Field in 2011, when fans watching a Seattle Seahawks game went wild over an impressive touchdown by running back Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch. The rumblings from the game showed up on the same local seismometer as the activity from the Eras show, according to Caplan-Auerbach.

“The shaking was twice as strong as ‘Beast Quake,’” she added. “It absolutely doubled it.”

Comparing activity from the Saturday (July 22) show with the Sunday (July 23) show, Caplan-Auerbach shared that there wasn’t one crowd of Swifties that was discernibly more raucous than the other. Both groups danced equally enthusiastically, the only main difference being that the second show started about half an hour later than the first due to delays.

It wasn’t just scientists who noticed the record-breaking movement at the stadium, by the way. Even Swift was impressed by all the energy she greeted with, afterward writing on Instagram, “Thank you for everything. All the cheering, screaming, jumping, dancing, singing at the top of your lungs.”

The conclusion of the Seattle shows means that Swift has just one more state to visit on the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, which she’ll wrap up with two performances at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., followed by six concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. From there, she’ll embark on months of international shows, traveling through Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia with support from Sabrina Carpenter and Paramore.

And even regardless of seismic activity, fans at the rest of those Eras Tour venues have a lot to live up to following Seattle. While onstage Sunday night, Swift doubled down on a diary entry she recalled writing during 2018’s Reputation Tour: “Seattle, Washington is the best crowd I have ever played for.” 

24 Jul 2023

8 Best Moments From Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Seattle: HAIM’s First Shows, New Surprise Songs & More

It was quite the summer bash this past weekend in Seattle. Steps from the iconic Space Needle, foodies from all over the Pacific Northwest gathered for the city’s three-day “premier food festival.” Less than a couple miles west, Sofi Tukker, Denzel Curry, Louis the Child, PinkPantheress and dozens more musical acts performed all weekend at the annual Capitol Hill Block Party. Heading south toward the SoDo neighborhood, the Seattle Mariners completed a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at their home base of T-Mobile Park.

And, of course, just across the street, Taylor Swift finally brought her Eras Tour to Lumen Field — the climax to the officially declared Taylor Swift Week in King County.

Despite tens of thousands of people moving in and out of Washington state for a variety of different reasons, the Swiftie Energy was strong and felt everywhere. I-5 and I-90 were bumper to bumper as several cars and trucks with license plates from Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia were covered in lyrics and puns. “Shaking it off to the Eras Tour,” read one SUV headed from eastern Washington.

Sidewalks and iconic landmarks like Pike Place Market and Gas Works Park were extra Swiftie-coded too. No matter where you looked, chances were high you’d spot pedestrians in merch, cowboy boots, 13s or sequins — all telltale signs of an Eras Tour ticket-holder. Even the Space Needle was dressed to impress — hanging from the skyscraper’s entrance were giant friendship bracelets of its own that read “In My Seattle Era” and “#SwiftNeedle.”

For two sold-out nights, Taylor — alongside openers Gracie Abrams and HAIM — undoubtedly matched the crowd’s energy and then some. Billboard was on site at both sold-out shows, and we’ve rounded up the best moments from her big return to the PNW below.

24 Jul 2023

Watch Taylor Swift Laugh During This Revenge Song at Her Seattle Concert

She can’t even sing it with a straight face. Taylor Swift dusted off one of her best revenge songs at her Seattle Eras Tour show on Saturday (July 22), during which she had to take a pause to let out some maniacal laughter.

Singing “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” — which has long been rumored to be about her feud with Kanye West, now known as Ye, and Kim Kardashian — as the night’s surprise song, the 33-year-old pop star got all the way through to the bridge without stopping. Then, at the lyric “Here’s to you, ’cause forgiveness is a nice thing to do,” she paused playing completely, taking her hands off her guitar and letting out an uproarious “Ha!”

Swift then took a full 20 seconds to cackle, leaning on the microphone stand for support as the crowd at Lumen Field joined in on the laughter. “I can’t even say it with a straight face,” the singer-songwriter eventually resumed. “This is why we can’t have nice things!”

One fan video from the performance featured Swift’s mom, Andrea, singing along in the audience to the lyric, “Here’s to my momma, had to listen to all this drama,” which the “Anti-Hero” artist sings just before the big laugh.

To be clear, the laughter was all part of the performance and is even featured on the original track, released in 2017 as part of Swift’s Reputation album. But the Grammy winner did take a significantly bigger pause in the Saturday acoustic performance than she does on the recording.

While “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is rumored to be about the rapper and his now ex-wife, it does contain what are probably the most incriminating lyrics tying the track back to their clash with Swift. “It was so nice being friends again/ There I was giving you a second chance,” she sings. “And therein lies the issue, friends don’t try to trick you/ Get you on the phone and mind-twist you.”

Ye and Swift first fell out in 2009 after the former notoriously stormed the VMAs stage upon the latter’s victory for best female video, taking the microphone and interrupting her speech to declare that Beyoncé should have won instead. Swift later penned “Innocent” about the Yeezy founder and the two reconciled, although things fell apart again in 2016 after Ye released his “Famous” single featuring the lyric: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that b—- famous.”

Kardashian proceeded to leak video footage of Ye telling Swift about the song before its release over the phone, but Swift maintained she was never made aware of the second half of that lyric, which she took issue with, saying on social media that the clip was “edited and manipulated.”

Flash forward to present day, and Swift is fresh off the release of her most successful Taylor’s Version re-recorded album yet, with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) surpassing 715,000 album unit sales in its first week. She also has two more stops on the U.S. leg of her blockbuster Eras Tour — Santa Clara and Inglewood — before she’ll take the trek global.

Meanwhile, Ye recently lost his billionaire status, with many of his brand partnerships cutting ties following his antisemitic hate speech and endorsement of “White Lives Matter” earlier this year. Kardashian filed for divorce from Ye in 2021.

Watch the moment below:

23 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Debuts ‘No Body, No Crime’ With Haim at Eras Tour Concert in Seattle

Taylor Swift gave the first live performance of her Evermore song “No Body, No Crime” with Haim during her Eras Tour stop at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Saturday (July 22).

To assist with the live unveiling, the pop superstar brought out longtime friends the Haim sisters, who were featured on the studio version of the 2020 track and serve as the opening act for the remainder of her Eras Tour in North America.

“No Body, No Crime” — which peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 2020 — replaced “Tis the Damn Season” during the Evermore portion of Swift’s usual Eras Tour setlist.

Swift’s team-up with Haim in Seattle arrived almost exactly one year after the sibling trio invited Tay to help perform “Gasoline” and “Love Story” at London’s O2 Arena on July 21, 2022. Swift appears on the recorded version of “Gasoline, which was originally on the expanded edition of Haim’s 2020 album, Women in Music Pt. III.

Swift and Haim have been best pals dating back to the 1989 World Tour, when the multi-Grammy winner first had the sister band open for one of her tours. Since then, the four women have collaborated on “No Body, No Crime” and joined forces again in 2022 for Swift’s “Bejweled” music video.

The North American leg of Swift’s Eras Tour will continue at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Sunday (July 23) before heading to Santa Clara, Calif.’s Levi’s Stadium (July 28-29) and closing at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium (Aug. 3-5 and 7-9). Haim is among the opening acts for the remaining dates.

Watch Swift debut “No Body, No Crime” with Haim in Seattle here.

12 Jul 2023

Colorado’s Gov. Jared Polis Pens Letter Using Taylor Swift Lyrics to Welcome The Eras Tour to Denver

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has a message for Taylor Swift ahead of her Eras Tour shows this weekend: “Welcome to Denver, it’s been waiting for you!”

In a clever letter posted recently to his official Instagram account, Polis tied in dozens of Swift’s song lyrics and titles to officially greet the Grammy winner before she kicks off two back-to-back shows in Denver Friday (July 14) and Saturday (July 15). “I know your performances will be Gorgeous and have our heartbeats skipping down Colfax Avenue,” he wrote. “I’m confident 140,000+ concert goers will look back and say your concert was The Best Day, straight out of their Wildest Dreams.”

The governor also shared a few pieces of advice for Denver Swifties planning to attend the shows at Empower Field at Mile High, including “Stay Stay Stay hydrated” and come prepared for “unpredictable Colorado Midnight Rain.”

“Swifties young and old will feel Enchanted while listening to 17 years of music live!” Polis concluded his letter, signed “Forever & Always.” “Long Story Short, This Is Me Trying to say if anyone is excited for your back-to-back nights in Denver, it’s ME!“

Colorado is far from the first Eras Tour destination to pull out all the stops in welcoming Ms. Swift. Officials from Glendale, Ariz., for instance, temporarily changed the city’s name to “Swift City” for the duration of the pop star’s kick-off shows earlier this year, and more recently, Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz sent out a proclamation naming Minneapolis show dates June 23 and 24 “Taylor Swift Days.”

After the “Anti-Hero” singer — who on July 7 dropped Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the third of her six planned re-recorded albums — wraps up her time in Denver, she’ll have shows in just three more U.S. cities on the Eras Tour before she takes her bestselling trek global. Featuring support from Paramore and Sabrina Carpenter, the international tour dates have Swift set to begin in Latin America before making her way through Asia, Europe and Australia.

Read Gov. Jared Polis’ full letter below:

11 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Dodges Friendship Bracelets Thrown at Her in Kansas City

Taylor Swift joins the list of artists who have been getting objects thrown at them over recent weeks.

In a video uploaded to TikTok by fan Natasha Litle on Monday (July 10), Swift is seen walking offstage after her show at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium through the side exit, where fans were waiting in the stands.

As Swift passed by, surrounded by security, she waved to cheering fans before eventually lifting her arms to her face to dodge a few friendship bracelets being thrown at her. See the full video here.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Drake, Harry Styles, Bebe Rexha, Lil Nas X and Kelsea Ballerini are among the slew of artists who have recently had their shows interrupted by the launching of various objects including phones, a sex toy and bracelet.

Ava Max was also slapped by a fan who rushed the stage, and another concertgoer threw their mother’s ashes onto the stage during P!nk’s performance at BST Hyde Park in London on June 25.

Adele even addressed the dangerous trend during one of her recent Las Vegas residency shows. “Have you noticed how people are, like, forgetting f–king show etiquette at the moment, people are throwing s–t on stage? Have you seen that?” she’s heard saying in a clip posted to social media. The “Easy on Me” singer, while striding across the stage holding a t-shirt gun, then added, “F–king dare you. I dare you to throw something at me.”

09 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Forgets the Lyrics to ‘Last Kiss’ — Not Once, But Twice — During Eras Tour Concert in KC

Taylor Swift was having a bit of trouble remembering her song lyrics during her Eras Tour stop in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday (July 8).

During the acoustic section of her set at Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the 33-year-old pop star hilariously forget the words — not once, but twice — to her sorrowful 2010 Speak Now track “Last Kiss.”

After effortlessly singing the first two lines of the opening verse, Swift accidentally skipped ahead to the “July ninth” portion of the second verse before pausing to acknowledge her mistake.

“Oh my God, the words… We have this rule on this tour where if I mess up a song that I have to play it again some other time on the tour so that I can avenge myself,” she explained to the crowd. “I got too excited, I got too excited. Will you allow me the honor of starting over?”

Swift then restarted the tune, getting through the first three lines without a hitch, before halting once again to second-guess herself.

“Oh my God! No, those are the right lyrics,” Tay said, repeating the opening lines. “I swear that I will not mess this up again! Oh my God! This one, I love this one. Why am I doing this to this song?”

The third time was a charm, as the songstress effortlessly delivered the Speak Now track without further interruption.

Prior to performing “Last Kiss,” Swift reminded the sold-out crowd of the date, which plays an important role in the song. “I don’t know if you noticed what the date is today, but it’s July 8th,” she said. “Soon it will be July 9th. You know what time it is, Kansas City. It’s time to play ‘Last Kiss’ and cry.”

“Last Kiss” reached No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2010. In the prologue included in the vinyl edition of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the newly released re-recorded version of her third album, Swift called it “the saddest song I’ve ever written.”

Watch Swift’s performance of “Last Kiss” in Kansas City here.

08 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Premieres ‘I Can See You’ Video With Taylor Lautner at Eras Tour Show in Kansas City

Taylor Swift surprised fans at her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday (July 7) by premiering the music video for her song “I Can See You.”

The action-packed visual for the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) track finds Swift and actors Taylor Lautner, Joey King and Presley Cash pulling off a heist of her third album. “I Can See You” appears as one of the newly released re-recorded album’s “From the Vault” songs.

During Friday’s show at Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Swift invited the three actors onstage to help introduce the video. Lautner delighted the sold-out audience by cartwheeling and backflipping onto the stage.

“WELL. SO. I’ve been counting down for months and finally the ‘I Can See You’ video is out,” Swift tweeted alongside behind-the-scenes photos from her self-directed video. “I wrote this video treatment over a year ago and really wanted to play out symbolically how it’s felt for me to have the fans helping me reclaim my music.”

The singer continued, “I had my heart set on @JoeyKing, Taylor Lautner and @IAmPresleyCash starring in it. Joey and Presley had been in the video for ‘Mean’ when they were 9 and 13 and they are back and so ridiculously bad ass!! Taytay is INCREDIBLE in this (didn’t have a stunt double!) and shout out to Tay Lautner for being so awesome to hang with on set.”

Swift, who briefly dated Lautner in 2009, concluded her post by noting that she’s “always wanted to direct fight scenes/a heist storyline and had the most incredible time plotting this out.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the newly released re-recording of Swift’s 2010 album, also arrived on Friday (July 7). The new set features all of the original recordings, plus six “From the Vault” tracks.

Lautner shared some kind words about Swift following the debut of the video. “Taylor, I respect you so much. Not just for the singer you are, the songwriter, the performer, but for the human you are. You are gracious, humble, kind and I am honored to know you,” the actor said.

Elsewhere during Friday’s concert, Swift included a performance of “Long Live” to the Speak Now section of her show directly after “Enchanted.” She also played Speak Now song “Never Grow Up” and “From the Vault” track “When Emma Falls in Love” during the surprise songs portion of her set.

Watch the video for Swift’s “I Can See You” below.