Taylor Swift opens highly anticipated Eras Tour with 44-song performance

Fans got to see Taylor Swift in concert for the first time in five years on Friday, when the hitmaker opened her highly anticipated The Eras Tour with back-to-back shows at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Commanding a crowd of about 70,000 screaming fans, the global star glided through the various eras of her highly publicised and acclaimed discography, performing at least one song per each of her 10 studio albums over the years.

Following the unprecedented demand for tickets, which crashed the Ticketmaster website back in November 2022, the sold-out stadium of Swifties sang every song the music icon played. The tour’s kick-off also marked the live debut of a handful of Swift’s setlist, particularly from her hit pandemic-era albums folklore, evermore and Midnights.

The singer opened her first show with her 2019 LP Lover, which included performances of ‘Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince’, ‘The Man’ and ‘You Need to Calm Down’. She then took the crowd back in time to 2008’s Fearless, performing the album’s title track for the first time in a decade, as well as fan favourites ‘Love Story’ and ‘You Belong With Me’.

Throughout the course of the show, Swift performed singles from 2017’s reputation, 2014’s 1989, 2010’s Speak Now, and closed the sold-out show with tracks from her latest album, Midnights, including instant hits ‘Anti-Hero’, ‘Bejeweled’ and ‘Lavender Haze’. The artist, often acclaimed for her poignant lyrics and honest songwriting ability, also saved time to perform the 10-minute version of Red’s ‘All Too Well’, another popular crowd-pleaser.

I miss you like it was the very first night. Good thing we’re about to go onstage and do the whole thing again tonight. See you 🔜 Glendale, Erazona☺️

📷: @ShearerPhoto, Kevin Winter, @GettyImages pic.twitter.com/i8FfeuG1B2

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 19, 2023

In addition to opening The Eras Tour on Friday, the global superstar gifted her fans with more music by releasing four new tracks on the same day, including re-recordings of her two songs from The Hunger Games soundtrack, along with ‘If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version)’ and the never-before-heard track ‘All of the Girls You Loved Before’.

After her reputation tour ended in 2018, the songwriter certainly hasn't rested on her laurels. Since fans last saw her live, Swift has released four original albums and two re-recorded albums – Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) – in her effort to reclaim the masters to her old music.

The Eras Tour currently includes 52 shows across the U.S., including stops in Texas, Florida, Tennessee and California, with the last U.S. show set for August 9th, 2023. International tour dates are expected to be announced as well.

Check out videos from the opening night of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour below. 

🏟️| Taylor giving her fedora hat to a little girl on the audience #TSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/2mmE3Y900A

— Taylor Swift Updates 🏟️ (@swifferupdates) March 18, 2023

🎥| @TaylorSwift13 performing "mirrorball" pic.twitter.com/e30EGxIwPP

— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) March 18, 2023

🏟️| The Lavender Haze visuals are beautiful!!! #TSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/xeVApRM8Tt

— Taylor Swift Updates 🏟️ (@swifferupdates) March 18, 2023

🏟️| Taylor doing the “Bejeweled” TikTok dance!!! #TSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/em3C4kos83

— Taylor Swift Updates 🏟️ (@swifferupdates) March 18, 2023

All too well intro I’m crying pic.twitter.com/hUCF8r8jGf

— g • glendale n1 n2 (@tayeaji) March 18, 2023