The Eras Tour

2023–2024 concert tour by Taylor Swift From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Eras Tour

The Eras Tour was the sixth concert tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It began in Glendale, Arizona, United States, on March 17, 2023, and concluded in Vancouver, Canada, on December 8, 2024. Spanning 149 shows in 51 cities across five continents, the Eras Tour had a cultural and socioeconomic impact. It became the highest-grossing tour of all time and the first to earn over $1 and $2 billion in revenue.

Quick Facts Location, Associated albums ...
The Eras Tour
Tour by Taylor Swift
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Promotional poster example
Location
  • Asia
  • Australia
  • Europe
  • North America
  • South America
Associated albumsAll of Swift's studio albums[a]
Start dateMarch 17, 2023 (2023-03-17)
End dateDecember 8, 2024 (2024-12-08)
No. of shows149
Supporting acts
Attendance10.1 million
Box office$2.077 billion[1]
Websitetstheerastour.taylorswift.com
Taylor Swift concert chronology
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Swift designated the tour as a retrospective tribute to all of her studio albums and their corresponding musical "eras". Running over 3.5 hours, the set list consisted of over 40 songs grouped into 10 acts that portrayed each album's mood and aesthetic. The show was revamped in May 2024 to incorporate her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Critics praised the Eras Tour for its concept, production, and immersive ambience, as well as Swift's vocals, stage presence, and versatile showmanship.

The tour recorded unprecedented public demand, ticket sales and attendances, bolstering economies, businesses, and tourism worldwide, dominating social media and news cycles, and garnering tributes from governments and organizations. This also gave rise to multifarious issues: ticketing crashes that inspired a string of anti-scalping laws and price regulation policies; scrutiny of Ticketmaster for monopoly by US authorities; diplomatic tensions in Southeast Asia due to Singapore's exclusivity grant; poor venue management in Rio de Janeiro resulting in a death; a failed ISIS plot to attack the tour in Vienna; and a political scandal in the UK.

Swift disclosed and released various works throughout the tour: the re-recorded albums Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version) in 2023; editions of Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department; the music videos of "Karma", "I Can See You", and "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart"; and "Cruel Summer" as a single. An accompanying concert film, documenting the Los Angeles shows, was released to theaters worldwide on October 13, 2023, in an uncommon distribution deal circumventing major film studios. Met with critical acclaim, the film became the highest-grossing concert film in history. A self-published photo book of the tour, The Eras Tour Book, was released on November 29, 2024. An iHeartRadio Music Award for Tour of the Century and six Guinness World Records are amongst the accolades the tour received.

Background

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Taylor Swift on the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), the highest-grossing North American concert tour before the Eras Tour

Taylor Swift's last concert tour, the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), broke the record for the highest-grossing US tour in history.[2] She cancelled a planned concert tour in support of her seventh studio album Lover (2019), due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020,[3] and subsequently released three new studio albums: Folklore (2020), Evermore (2020), and Midnights (2022). As part of her re-recording project to claim ownership over the masters of her past albums, she releasd two re-recorded albums, Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version), in 2021.[4]

During her promotion of Midnights, on November 1, 2022, she announced the Eras Tour, which she described as "a journey through the musical eras of [her] career", on Good Morning America and through her social media accounts.[5][6] Messina Touring Group, an Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) partner, was the tour's promoter.[7] She first announced 27 US shows from March to August 2023, beginning in Glendale, Arizona, and ending in Inglewood, California. The opening acts were Paramore, Haim, Phoebe Bridgers, Beabadoobee, Girl in Red, Muna, Gayle, Gracie Abrams, and Owenn, each two of whom shared a tour date.[4] Popular demand led Swift to announce eight additional US shows on November 4,[8] and 17 the following week.[9] A second US leg was announced on August 4, 2023, with Abrams as the opener.[10] Billboard thought that the huge demand contributed to "the most chaos-inducing tour announcement of the decade".[11]

On June 2, 2023, Swift announced the Latin American shows of the Eras Tour, with Sabrina Carpenter as the opening act.[12] A third show in Buenos Aires was announced on June 6, hours after the public sale commenced, due to high demand.[13] Louta was announced as an additional opening act.[14] Additional shows in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo were announced on June 12.[15] Shows in Asia, Australia, and Europe were announced on June 20.[16] From June to November 2023, new shows were added to the tour. In Asia-Pacific, six extra shows were added to Singapore,[17] and two to Australia.[18] In Europe, eight shows were added initially,[19] followed by fourteen more,[20] then two in London;[21] Paramore was announced as the leg's opening act.[20] Nine shows were also announced in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver), with Abrams as the opening act.[22][23] In February 2024, a second show was added in Madrid after the venue's football club, Real Madrid, asked La Liga to reschedule their match to cover the "extraordinary demand".[24]

Several politicians and government officials demanded the tour be brought to their country or city.[25] Places such as Canada and Chile were expected to be part of the tour but were absent in Swift's announcement on June 20, drawing dismay and demands from fans and officials.[26][27] Across Southeast Asia, fans decried the lack of shows in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong and demanded the tour be brought to there. In particular, her return to the Philippines had been highly anticipated.[28] Some journalists and fans opined that unlike venues in Japan and Singapore—the only Asian countries that are a part of the Eras Tour—those in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand might not have the proper infrastructure that is required to host the tour.[29] In addition, Hong Kong and mainland China reopened to foreigners much later than most other places following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, which may have affected touring plans, as per South China Morning Post.[30] In Malaysia, legal opposition to LGBT rights and the ban on pop concerts during Ramadan were cited as potential reasons.[31][32][33]

Ticket sales

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Ticket sales for the Eras Tour were handled by various ticketing agencies around the world, such as Ticketmaster, over several dates. Met with unprecedented, record-setting demand, tickets at every venue sold out in hours.[34][35] Sales faced technical malfunctions in many countries; bulk purchases of tickets by scalpers and bots were reported at numerous venues, resulting in tickets being listed on resale platforms for exorbitant prices.[36][37] StubHub noted that the Eras Tour ticket sales were "tracking to be the best-selling of any artist [they've] seen".[38] Jay Marciano, CEO of AEG, stated that Swift outright refused to impose dynamic pricing on the tickets in the purview of her fans.[39]

US and Canada

The first US leg was set to go on sale to the general public on November 18, 2022. Due to Swift's multi-year partnership with Capital One, cardholders had presale access, which was set to begin on November 15.[40] Fans registered for the Ticketmaster Verified Fan program from November 1 through 9 to receive a presale code that granted exclusive access to the TaylorSwiftTix Presale on November 15; those who purchased merchandise from Swift's website received "boosts", and previous Lover Fest ticket holders also received preferred access to the presale if they registered using the same Ticketmaster account.[41][42] Swift confirmed ticket prices in advance, abandoning the "platinum ticket" model; they ranged from US$49 to $449, while VIP packages ranged from $199 to $899.[4] According to Ticketmaster, the TaylorSwiftTix Presale provided "the best opportunity to get more tickets into the hands of fans who want to attend the show" by evading bots and scalpers.[43] It also noted that if demand from the program "exceeds supply", it is possible that "verified fans may be selected at random to participate in the presale."[44] It later reported that it received a record 3.5 million verified fan registrations for the Eras Tour.[45] Ahead of the second leg's presale on August 11, Ticketmaster estimated that 14 million users were vying for roughly 625,000 tickets.[46]

Ticketmaster handled the Canadian sales as well, using the Verified Fan program.[47] Members of the Royal Bank of Canada's Avion Rewards program received exclusive access to a separate presale.[48] An estimated 31 million people registered for the Toronto Verified Fan presale, equal to over 77 percent of Canada's population.[49]

Latin America

Latin American tickets went on sale in early June 2023.[12] Presale access was granted to Banco Patagonia clients in Argentina on June 5;[50] around one million customers were reported to have queued for the 24,000 available presale tickets for the Buenos Aires shows,[51] and over three million during the general sale.[52][53] DF Entertainment served as Swift's tour promotion partner in Argentina; CEO Diego Finkelstein called the demand "unprecedented",[54] based on which Perfil opined that Swift could fill the stadium 36 times if she wanted to.[55] On the day of the show, more than 1 million users tried to get last-minute seats.[56]

In Mexico, ticket presale was handled by Ticketmaster's Verified Fan program; registrations ran from June 2 through June 7, followed by a general public on-sale.[57] In Brazil, previous Lover Fest ticket holders and C6 Bank Mastercard holders gained access to presales on June 6 and 10, respectively. Instantly after the announcement of the shows on June 2, people camped outside Allianz Parque to purchase physical tickets to the São Paulo shows that would not go on sale to the general public until June 12.[58][59] The Mastercard presale tickets sold out in 30 minutes, with over one million customers queueing.[60] On June 12, over two million users queued for the general sale online.[61]

Asia-Pacific

Tickets in Japan were sold by Lawson under their Loppi ticket system. Unlike other countries, all Japanese tickets were only sold as lottery tickets. The pre-sale for American Express card holders began from June 23 to 26, 2023, and pre-sale for Lawson began from June 27 to July 10.[62] Due to the high demand, Lawson announced the second lottery pre-sale, which began from July 28 to August 3.[63] The additional general sale took place on August 22, 2023, and immediately sold out.[64]

In Australia, tickets were only available via Ticketek.[65] Guardian Australia reported that the Australian leg was met with unprecedented demand as well.[66] Within 12 hours, over one million people signed up for presale codes.[67] American Express cardholders purchased VIP packages from June 26 to 28; the website crashed within half an hour, and all packages sold out on June 26.[68] Following the scalping highlighted by Australian consumer organization Choice, the Victoria State Government declared the Eras Tour in Melbourne a "major event", a legal provision penalizing scalping and misleading advertisement in Victoria. Because reselling a ticket for more than 10% above the original price had already been illegal in New South Wales, the government investigated the ticket resale platform Viagogo after the scalping reports. On June 28, those registered with Frontier Touring Company gained access to a presale for which over four million users queued, setting a national record; tickets sold out within three hours. Ticketek stated it neutralized over 500 million bot purchase attempts during the presale. The public on-sale began on June 30, with tickets selling out that day.[66][69][70] A second sale on November 10 sold out within two hours for Sydney and under one hour for Melbourne.[71] A third sale for a limited number of tickets, including restricted view seats, occurred on February 13, 2024.[72]

For the Singaporean shows, United Overseas Bank (UOB) cardholders in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam had presale access on July 5, 2023, with over one million users in the virtual queue. The Straits Times reported that Swift's fans in Singapore and other eligible Southeast Asian countries began "scrambling" to sign up for UOB cards.[73][74] Around 22 million users registered for access to the 330,000 available tickets during the July 7 general sale, which happened both virtually and via Singapore Post offices; tickets sold out immediately despite website crashes.[35][37][75] Klook, an official experience partner for the Singapore leg, sold travel packages along with tickets, which were purchased by dozens of Filipino fans and instantly sold out.[76] Marina Bay Sands sold tickets coupled with hotel stays and other experiences.[77]

Europe

The Lisbon shows went on sale on July 12 and 27, 2023, via See Tickets, with transferrable access codes mailed to registered users, who were limited to four tickets per code.[78][79] Standard tickets for both shows sold out within 2.5 hours.[80] Following popular demand for an additional show in Madrid, Spain, La Liga approved football club Real Madrid's request to move their match from May 26 to May 25, 2024, to make way for a second Eras Tour show at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on May 29.[81][82]

Three million people queued for tickets in Germany,[83] and 600,000 registered for the Warsaw shows.[84] All 170,000 tickets for the three Vienna shows sold out within the first few hours, marking the largest and fastest ticket sale ever in Austria.[85] All 95,000 Zürich tickets sold out within 30 minutes.[34] In Italy, two million people tried to access tickets for the two shows in Milan, per Italian organizers D'Alessandro & Galli.[86]

In France, TF1 reported the highest demand ever for a presale. Angelo Gopee, head of Live Nation France, stated, "the demand is such that many have found themselves in a virtual queue just to subscribe to the mailing list which, potentially, will open access to the ticket office. From memory, we had never seen that in France".[87] The Paris presale opened on July 11, 2023, to over one million queued users. Ticketmaster suspended both Paris and Lyon presales within an hour after reports of login glitches;[88] they were rescheduled to July 17 to 21.[89] Over 250,000 tickets were sold for the six French dates, with AEG France executive Arnaud Meersseman estimating Swift could have done twelve shows due to the overwhelming demand.[90] According to RMC, the capacity for the four shows at Paris La Défense Arena was also increased from 41,500 to 45,000; meaning Swift will perform for 180,000 attendees in Paris alone.[91]

Ticketmaster and AXS handled the United Kingdom sale.[92] Those who had previously pre-ordered Midnights were able to access presales from July 10 to 12.[36] London's Wembley Stadium officials described the demand for tickets as "unprecedented" and noted that waiting times were "longer than usual".[93] Cardiff's Principality Stadium tickets were pre-sold on July 14. In addition to website malfunctions, Forbes reported widespread scalping of the tour's UK tickets, with immediate re-listing on sites like StubHub and Viagogo for extortionate prices.[94][36] Viagogo responded that the demand of the tour's European leg is something the company had not seen "since the Beatles".[95] The UK general sale took place from July 17 to 19.[96] In Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council granted organizers permission to increase Murrayfield Stadium's capacity from 67,130 to 72,990 for Swift's three shows.[97] In Ireland, around 500,000 people registered for the Dublin shows.[98] On account of the website crashes during the UK sale, Ticketmaster announced staggered on-sale times for Dublin on July 20, 2023; tickets sold out in minutes. The Irish Times highlighted that, unlike the UK, "the practice of reselling tickets above face value has been illegal in Ireland since 2021", so no scalping was reported.[99]

Production

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The Eras Tour was produced by Swift's in-house tour production company, Taylor Swift Touring.[100] The company hired around 90 trucks to haul staging, costumes and other equipment for the shows.[101] Canadian production designer Ethan Tobman served as the tour's creative director.[102] The Wall Street Journal stated, the tour is one of the most expensive and "technically ambitious" productions of the 21st century.[103] Interior design magazine Architectural Digest named the tour Swift's "most ambitious" set design and praised its worldbuilding.[104]

Stage and lighting

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The production consists of light beams, smoke machines, confetti shooters, coordinated serial lights, pyrotechnics, and hydraulic platforms.[105][106][107] The middle stage has mobile blocks that form different shapes of elevated platform throughout the show.[108]

The Eras Tour staging is expansive, made of digital displays. It consists of three separate stages connected by a broad ramp:[109] a main stage with a giant, curved widescreen;[110][111] a rhombic middle stage;[108] and a rectangular stage that along with the ramp forms a T-shape at the middle of the floor.[112] The stages feature various visuals and effects throughout the show.[113] The tour's concept centers on worldbuilding, featuring a diverse set of props and performing styles to convey the varying moods and aesthetics of Swift's albums.[114][112]

The staging is equipped with an in-built "hyperactive" hydraulic platform,[107] with the main and middle stages having mobile blocks that manually rise from the center to form platforms of different shapes,[108] and another car-like platform that is moved on the middle stage, driven by an operator seated within the platform but concealed from the audience.[115] The tour's "massive" production is heavily inspired by Broadway theatre.[112][116][114] It was described as a 4D cognitive experience,[110] featuring pyrotechnics, laser lights,[106] smoke machines, fire cannons,[105] indoor fireworks, PixMob LED bracelets,[107] and image projection technology,[109] such as projection mapping.[110]

Music and performance

Designed as a tribute to Swift's discography across her career since 2006, the Eras Tour covers all styles of music from her 11 studio albums, including The Tortured Poets Department which added since European leg of the tour, ranging from country and pop to folk and alternative rock genres.[117] Some media outlets dubbed the Eras Tour the "greatest hits" tour of an artist still in her commercial prime.[118][114] The set list placed a somewhat greater focus on albums Swift had not previously toured, including first-ever live performances of several tracks.[119] According to the music journalist Alexis Petridis, the Eras Tour is a musically eclectic production, consisting of "dubstep-inspired, dark-hued pop; tweedy folk; monster-chorus-sporting anthems and acoustic guitar-driven songs that show her Nashville grounding".[120]

The concert ensemble included 15 backup dancers,[121] choreographed by Mandy Moore,[122] and Swift's live band of six instrumentalists who have been touring with her since 2007 and four female backing vocalists.[123] Moore was recommended by Swift's friend, American actress Emma Stone, who had worked with Moore on the musical film La La Land (2016).[124] To prepare for the tour physically, Swift trained using a custom workout routine designed by personal trainer Kirk Myers;[125] Swift sang the entire set list daily while running on a treadmill, trained in dance for three months leading up to the first show, and forwent the consumption of alcohol.[126]

Fashion

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Designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Zuhair Murad and Oscar de la Renta custom-made Swift's outfits for the tour to complement each album's aesthetic[127][128]

Swift's wardrobe at the Eras Tour was a subject of widespread media coverage.[129] Her costumes and those of her accompanying dancers, as well as her microphones and guitars, paid homage to her 10 albums.[128][130] They were inspired by previous performances, music videos, and public appearances,[131][132] intended to align with the overarching themes and palette of the era Swift referenced in an act, showcasing the various sonic and visual aesthetics she had adopted in her career.[128][132] However, crystals were a unifying fashion choice; costumes of every act were adorned with them.[133]

Attire and accessories were mostly custom-made by fashion houses Swift had worked with before, such as Atelier Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Etro, Nicole + Felicia Couture, Zuhair Murad, Elie Saab, Ashish, Alberta Ferretti, Jessica Jones, and Oscar de la Renta.[127][128][129] Swift wore variations of some costumes at different shows, usually paired with Christian Louboutin shoes.[129] Swift's black fedora from "22" was designed by Gladys Tamez.[134] Fausto Puglisi, a designer for Roberto Cavalli, stated that he took an "artisanal approach to craftsmanship" while customizing the outfits, claiming "everything must be eye-catching" when designing for concerts.[128] He incorporated Swarovski crystals in the costumes Swift wore during the Fearless, 1989, and Reputation acts, which required over 170 hours of meticulous "hand-craftsmanship by skilled artisans" to make.[135] The sequined tulle ball gown that Murad designed for the Speak Now act required "over 350 hours of atelier handwork". Ferretti used chiffon and micro-beading for the Folklore era dresses, while the Midnights Oscar de la Renta fringed bodysuit was hand-adorned with more than 5,300 beads and crystals.[133]

StyleCaster regarded the Eras Tour wardrobe as Swift's best fashion collection for a tour.[136] The New York Times' chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman considered the Eras Tour a fashion show beyond merely live music and praised Swift's "fabulous" but purposeful wardrobe choices for setting the bar high for future concerts by other artists.[129]

Concert synopsis

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Swift performing with her band during the first two acts: Lover (top) and Fearless (bottom)

A typical show of the Eras Tour lasted 3 hours and 15 minutes. It consisted of between 44 and 46 songs, grouped into 10 acts, representing each "musical era" of her discography. Each act was characterized by a specific color scheme, costume, and stage design, and transitions between acts were facilitated by on-screen interlude visuals and marked by costume changes with negligible intermissions.[137]

March 2023 to March 2024

The show commenced with the Lover act. A clock on-screen counted down to show time as Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Own Me" (1964) played.[138] Surrounded by dancers in pastel-colored, fan-like tapestry,[139] Swift emerged from the platform at mid-stage in a bodysuit and boots.[140][114] She opened the show with the chorus of "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" leading into "Cruel Summer".[141] Accompanied by dancers, Swift performed "The Man" and "You Need to Calm Down" in a sequined blazer, through a set emulating office cubicles. She then delivered the welcome note with the dollhouse from the "Lover" music video on-screen, depicting her various album eras.[139] She played an acoustic version of "Lover" on the guitar with her band, backup singers, and dancers,[142][143] followed by a stripped-down rendition of "The Archer" alone on the ramp.[114] The second act, Fearless, began with the screen showing gold electric sparks raining down. Swift reappeared in a metallic fringed dress and country boots.[140] She performed "Fearless" on the main stage, "You Belong with Me" at mid-stage, and "Love Story" on the T-stage, all alongside her band while her backup singers wore metallic gold and silver jackets and black jumpsuits.[108]

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Swift performing "Willow" and "Look What You Made Me Do" as part of the Evermore (top) and Reputation (bottom) acts

The third act, Evermore, adopted a forest aesthetic.[117] Swift began singing "'Tis the Damn Season" in a long gown,[140] followed by a dark theme that leads to "Willow" in a "witchy" séance;[138] she wore a cape and performed with dancers holding luminescent orange orbs.[131][140] She continued with "Marjorie",[108] then "Champagne Problems" on a moss-covered piano beneath an oak tree,[117][139] concluding the act with Swift introducing her pianist Karina DePiano followed by "Tolerate It" with a male dancer at a dinner table reminiscent of Citizen Kane (1941).[144] Snakes visuals and dimming lights started the Reputation act.[139][131] Swift reemerged in a black asymmetrical catsuit with snake motifs.[145] She delivered a high-energy performance of "...Ready for It?" with female dancers wearing black-dark red gothic leotards, "Delicate",[108][112] and "Don't Blame Me" featured light beams and Swift on an elevated platform.[146] She transitioned to "Look What You Made Me Do", which featured on-screen visuals of Swift from all of her eras trapped in glass boxes and dancers dressed in some of Swift's older looks.[131][117] The act concluded with a snake slithering away on-screen.[113]

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For the Red act, Swift wore a custom Gladys Tamez black fedora hat that she presented to a fan from the audience while performing "22".

The fifth act, Speak Now, began with an abstract mosaic of purple lights on the stage.[147] Swift, in a ball gown, walked in from the screen and performed "Enchanted" with female dancers; since July 7, 2023, she also performed "Long Live" with her band.[108] The color scheme changed to match the next act, Red; a female dancer opened a box that plays snippets of "Red", "Everything Has Changed" or "Holy Ground", and "State of Grace".[138] Red balloons emerged, and Swift performed "22" wearing a version of the white T-shirt and black hat from the song's music video.[107] Near the end of the song, she greeted a fan pre-selected from the audience, giving them the hat.[148] Swift sang "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" with male dancers next, dressed in a red-black romper.[132] She donned a red-black ombre coat next, and performed "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" on a guitar, backed by the band.[107][132] The act concluded with artificial snow falling.[108]

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Swift in a frilly Alberta Ferretti gown for the Folklore act, complementing the album's cottagecore aesthetic

Cottagecore dominated the seventh act, Folklore, introduced with a spoken-word interlude of "Seven".[147] Onstage is a bucolic, A-frame cabin setup, similar to the one from Swift's performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards (2021),[149][143] on an elevated platform with a staircase.[112][139] Swift performed "Invisible String" or "The 1" on the cabin's roof, "Betty" with her band, and "The Last Great American Dynasty" with dancers dressed in period clothing.[140] She then sang "August", which transitioned to the bridge of a rock-tinged "Illicit Affairs",[109][147] followed by "My Tears Ricochet" with female dancers wearing sparkly black long sleeved dresses and choreography resembling a funeral procession.[150] Swift returned to the cabin to perform "Cardigan", ending the act with fireflies as the cabin retreated.[140]

1989, the eighth act, commenced with the screen showing a neon-lit city skyline.[113] Swift, wearing a crop top and skirt, sang "Style" with dancers dressed in black-and-white outfits.[114] Moving to mid-stage, female dancers rode neon bicycles for "Blank Space" and used blue golf clubs to smash an animated Shelby Cobra car.[108][139] She followed with "Shake It Off", performed as a robust dance party; "Wildest Dreams", backed with backup singers and clips of a couple in bed; and "Bad Blood", with female dancers and accentuated by intense pyrotechnics.[140] It was followed by the acoustic set, where Swift performed two surprise songs on guitar and piano.[151] In an optical illusion, a body of water developed around the piano and enveloped the stage; Swift then dove into the stage and appeared to swim underwater, along the ramp and toward the main stage.[152]

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Swift performing "Lavender Haze" and "Vigilante Shit" during the Midnights act

The final act, Midnights, began with a wave from the illusion crashing against the screen; Swift woke up from a bed and climbed a ladder into a cloud. The lower screen split, and dancers carried out clouds as Swift reemerged in a purple faux fur coat, a glittery oversized shirt, and dark blue boots to sing "Lavender Haze".[140] She removed the coat and performed "Anti-Hero" alongside a video of herself as a creature terrorizing a city.[108] Dancers performed with umbrellas as Swift sang "Midnight Rain" and changed costumes,[140] reappeared in a rhinestone-adorned midnight blue bodysuit.[112] She then performed a "chair dance" choreographed for "Vigilante Shit",[108] influenced by "sultry" burlesque[149] and the 1975 musical Chicago.[138] Swift followed with "Bejeweled", featuring moves inspired by the song's viral TikTok dance,[153] and "Mastermind" with the entire dance crew wearing black robes.[117] "Karma" was performed last, with Swift, backup singers, and dancers in tinsel-fringed jackets, closing the show with fireworks, colorful visuals, and confetti.[149][140]

May to December 2024

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Swift performing "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" on a moving glass-plated block (top) and "Fortnight" on a bed emblazoned with the album's logo (bottom) for The Tortured Poets Department act

Starting from May 2024, Swift revamped the set list to include a new act with songs from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, released on April 19, 2024. "The Archer", "Long Live", "The 1", "The Last Great American Dynasty", "'Tis the Damn Season", and "Tolerate It" were removed from their respective acts to accommodate the album.[154] The Speak Now and Red acts were brought forward as the fourth and third acts, while the acts for Folklore and Evermore, which are considered "sister albums", merged into one. The Tortured Poets Department act was placed between the 1989 act and acoustic set.[155]

The Tortured Poets Department act featured predominantly black-and-white graphics,[155] drawing from dark academia.[156] It began with the screen showing pieces of furniture descending from the sky alongside paper pieces, which then transform into a deserted road and the furniture crash down.[155] Swift appeared onstage in a white corset dress and sings "But Daddy I Love Him" and parts of "So High School", alongside dancers dressed in white.[155][157] She performed "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" on a moving glass-plated block and appeared to levitate in an illusion, which ended with the screen depicting an evil-possessed Swift. A UFO then appeared on screen and attempted to abduct Swift, who started singing "Down Bad" on the moving block that hovered over a digital galaxy.[158][156] Transitioning to "Fortnight", the stage featured a "TTPD"-emblazoned bed and two female dancers dressed as nurses. Swift sang the song as she sat on a typewriter, across from a male dancer.[155] She proceeded with "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived", for which she put on a white marching band jacket as dancers marched beside her with drums.[155] The act ended with a silent skit with two male dancers accompanied by enthusiastic jazz music, where Swift removed her dress to reveal a two-piece bodysuit, leading up to "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart".[157][159]

Critical reception

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It's easy to compare one of Swift's stadium shows to something you'd see on Broadway—never has that been more true than for The Eras Tour. The setlist is cut up into acts, grouped by eras for each of Swift's ten studio albums. For each era/act, Swift went full-send into that album's look, feel, costume, color blocking, and more.

David Waiss Aramesh, "Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour Is a 3-Hour Career-Spanning Victory Lap", Rolling Stone[114]

The tour received "overwhelmingly positive" reviews from music and entertainment critics,[160][161] who praised both the high-end spectacle and "polished artistry" of the tour.[162] Billboard described the Eras Tour as "the must-see blockbuster of the year".[163] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph, Keiran Southern of The Times, Adrian Horton of The Guardian, Kelsey Barnes of The Independent, Ilana Kaplan of the i, and Erica Campbell of NME gave the Eras Tour total five-star ratings. McCormick called the show "one of the most ambitious, spectacular, and charming stadium pop shows ever seen", lauding Swift's musicianship, vocals, and energy.[164] Southern declared the Eras Tour "a pop genius at the top of her game".[165] Horton praised the "rapturous" music selection, concept, "extravagant" staging, and Swift's stamina and vocals.[112] Barnes noted the tour as "a career-defining spectacle" with acts marking the shifts in Swift's artistry,[117] while Kaplan commended the "unparalleled" showmanship, "spicier" choreography, camp styles, and "seamless" transitions between acts.[166] Campbell praised the storytelling aspect of the show that ties all the 10 acts together, enhanced by staging, cinematic ambience and fashion.[167] Australian Financial Review's James Thomson opined, "Swift works the massive stage like a master, cycling through countless costume changes and several elaborate sets, all while belting out 44 songs over three-and-a-half hours."[168]

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The show's performance styles, fashion and transitions were subjects of critical praise;[166][167] pictured is Swift's costume change from a glittery oversized shirt to a rhinestone-adorned bodysuit while singing "Midnight Rain".

The versatility of the show's music, visuals, and performance art was often a point of praise in its reviews. Journalists Rebecca Lewis and Carson Mlnarik of Hello! and MTV, respectively, commended Swift's stage presence and commitment to her artistry; Lewis described Swift's alter egos during the tour as shifting from "country ingénue to pop princess and folklore witch",[141] whereas Mlnarik affirmed that the on-screen visuals stayed true to every album's aesthetic.[169] The Week and Dallas Observer critics agreed, highlighting the "jaw-dropping" visuals and "bedazzled" fashion.[160][106] Billboard editor Jason Lipshutz underscored Swift's "powerhouse" vocals, engaging artistic personas, and skill set.[108] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times highlighted the tour's scale, ambition, and portrayal of all the musical pivots of Swift's career,[170] whereas The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber complimented the show's art direction, suspense, and the sequencing of the acts.[171] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times described the show as a "masterclass in pop ambition", showcasing Swift's range.[142] According to The New Yorker senior editor Tyler Foggatt, the Eras Tour is a product of Swift's understanding of herself, building a tour "solely devoted to the idea of a trajectory—that of a career, of a musical identity, of a life—that can be traced cleanly from one era to the next."[172]

Critics also appreciated the tour's production value and artistic direction. Philip Cosores of Uproxx dubbed it the "most impressive stadium show ever conceived".[131] Spin critic Jonathan Cohen admired the rich stage design, usage of "state-of-the-art" technology, and immersive experience into Swift's "increasingly accomplished musical world-building".[109] Variety journalist Chris Willman felt that the "epic" show demonstrated that "the person who has come up with the single greatest body of pop songwriting in the 21st century is also its most popular performer".[111] Pollstar's Christina Fuoco and Andy Gensler praised the production as "stunning and tastefully rendered" and "live music at its highest spectacle".[7][105] Rolling Stone's Waiss David Aramesh opined that it is "a production spectacle of the highest echelon".[114] Melinda Sheckels of Consequence praised the tour's "nuanced and interpretive" approach in depicting Swift's albums and the "sheer magnitude, artistry, and technical prowess" of the production.[110]

The revamped tour, following the release of The Tortured Poets Department, continued to receive rave reviews. Annabel Nugent of The Independent and Fiona Sheperd of The Scotsman praised the tour's choreography, state-of-the-art production, song selection, and Swift's consistent energy.[173][174] McCormick declared, "there's no doubt that Taylor Swift is the best in the world right now."[175] Critics Mark Sutherland and Anna Leszkiewicz opined that the tour's scale and performances continued to impress despite crossing 100 shows and being available as a film on streaming; Leszkiewicz, in New Statesman, described Swift as "a talented actress" with a "high camp" stage presence—"whether flashing faux-coy smiles, luxuriating in overdramatic eyerolls, or throwing herself into theatrical Wicked Witch of the West arm movements."[176][177] Petridis described the tour in The Guardian as "an astonishing, risk-taking, strangely intimate extravaganza", adding it is pointless to review the tour anymore as "every conceivable detail has already been dissected and discussed in depth."[120] Reviews published in the Berliner Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung praised Swift for what they considered as a commanding stage presence and charisma that is rare in her peers.[178][179]

Commercial performance

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Box score

The Eras Tour has broken a string of ticket sales records worldwide. In the first day of the US presale alone, the tour sold over 2.4 million tickets, the most sold by an artist in a single day,[180] surpassing Robbie Williams, who had sold 1.6 million tickets for his Close Encounters Tour in 2005.[181] Billboard reported on December 15 that the Eras Tour had already grossed an estimated US$554 million, and projected the US leg to finish with $591 million, surpassing the former all-time female record set by Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour ($407 million) in 2008–2009.[182][183] Following the tour's launch, Swift rose to number one on Pollstar's Artist Power Index chart.[184] MetLife Stadium named her their "#1 best-selling artist" of all time after the tour's third East Rutherford show, which was the 100th concert in the stadium's history.[185]

In June 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Eras Tour "on track to become the biggest in concert history, with the potential to gross over $1 billion";[103] Pollstar estimates projected a $1.4 billion gross.[186] Bloomberg News reported that the average gross per show on the US leg was $13 million.[187] According to Forbes, the Eras Tour has grossed $780 million from 56 shows as of August 2023, making it the highest-grossing tour by a woman in history based on its first North American leg alone, surpassing Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour.[188] In November 2023, Billboard estimated a gross of over $900 million from the tour thus far and that the total could nearly double after the 2024 shows.[189] Swift's team stated they do not intend to announce the box score,[190] but Pollstar reported in December 2023 an estimated gross of $1,039,263,762 from 60 shows that year, making the Eras Tour the highest-grossing concert tour ever and the first to reach the $1 billion mark.[191] In June 2024, the BBC estimated 11 million tickets sold across the entire tour.[192] In October 2024, Forbes reported that the tour had grossed an additional $1.15 billion from 65 shows in 2024, bringing the tour's estimated gross up to $1.93 billion.[193]

After the tour concluded in December 2024, The New York Times published the first gross reported by Taylor Swift Touring, Swift's production company. The publication revealed that the tour grossed $2.07 billion with an attendance of 10.1 million.[1] Pollstar's final estimate was $2.2 billion from 10.055 million tickets, making Swift the first solo act in history to sell over 10 million tickets on a single tour.[194] With an average of 67,487 tickets, she broke U2 360° Tour's record for highest attendance per show.[194] Inc. opined that Swift could have made an additional $1.5 billion if she had adopted traditional ticketing strategies like other artists.[195]

Venue records

More information Year, Period ...
Venue records of the Eras Tour
Year Period Venue Region Description Ref.
2023 March 17–18 State Farm Stadium United States First act to perform two shows on a single tour [196]
March 24–25 Allegiant Stadium First female act to perform one and two shows on a single tour [197]
March 31–April 2 AT&T Stadium First act to perform three shows on a single tour [198]
Biggest three-day attendance (210,607) [199]
April 13–15 Raymond James Stadium First act to perform two and three shows on a single tour [200]
April 21–23 NRG Stadium First act to perform three shows on a single tour [201]
April 28–30 Mercedes-Benz Stadium [202]
May 5–7 Nissan Stadium [203]
May 7 Biggest single-day attendance (71,000)[b] [205]
May 12–14 Lincoln Financial Field First female act to perform three shows on a single tour [206]
May 26–28 MetLife Stadium Biggest three-day attendance (217,635) [207]
June 2–4 Soldier Field First female act to perform three shows on a single tour [208]
June 9 –10 Ford Field First female act to perform two shows on a single tour [209]
June 16–17 Acrisure Stadium First act to perform two shows on a single tour [210]
June 17 Biggest single-day attendance (73,117) [211]
June 30–July 1 Paycor Stadium First female act to perform one and two shows on a single tour [212]
July 7–8 Arrowhead Stadium First act to perform two shows on a single tour [213]
July 14–15 Empower Field at Mile High [214]
July 22 and 23 Lumen Field [215]
July 22 Biggest single-day attendance (72,171) [216]
August 3–9 SoFi Stadium First act to perform five and six shows on a single tour [217]
August 24–27 Foro Sol Mexico First female act to perform four shows on a single tour [218]
November 17–20 Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos Brazil First female act to perform three shows on a single tour [219]
November 24–26 Allianz Parque Biggest three-day attendance [220]
November 26 Biggest single-day attendance
2024 February 7–10 Tokyo Dome Japan First international female act to perform four consecutive days [221]
February 16–18 Melbourne Cricket Ground Australia Biggest three-day attendance (288,000) [222]
February 23–26 Accor Stadium First act to perform four shows on a single tour [18]
March 2–4 and 7–9 Singapore National Stadium Singapore First solo act to perform three to six shows on a single tour [223]
March 9 Biggest single-day attendance (63,000) [224]
May 19 Friends Arena Sweden Biggest single-day attendance (60,243) [225]
May 17–19 Biggest three-day attendance (178,679)
May 24–25 Estádio da Luz Portugal First female act to perform one and two shows at the stadium [226]
June 3 Groupama Stadium France Biggest single-day attendance for a female act (61,000) [227]
June 9 Murrayfield Stadium Scotland Biggest single-day concert attendance in Scottish history (73,000) [228]
June 13 Anfield England Biggest single-day attendance (62,000) [229]
June 21–23
August 15–17 and 19–20
Wembley Stadium First solo act to perform four to eight shows on a single tour [230]
June 28–30 Aviva Stadium Ireland First act to perform three shows on a single tour [231]
August 1–3 PGE Narodowy Poland [232]
August 8–10 Ernst-Happel-Stadion Austria First act to schedule three shows on a single tour [233]
October 18–20 Hard Rock Stadium United States First act to perform three shows on a single tour [234]
October 25–27 Caesars Superdome First act to perform two and three shows on a single tour [235]
November 1–3 Lucas Oil Stadium [236]
Biggest single-day attendance (69,000) [237]
November 14–16 and 21–23 Rogers Centre Canada First act to perform six shows on a single tour [238]
December 6–8 BC Place First act to perform three shows on a single tour [239]
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Spin-off media

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Swift wore blue variants of her outfits for the Speak Now, Folklore, and 1989 acts to tease 1989 (Taylor's Version), her fourth re-recorded album, at the final show in Los Angeles's SoFi Stadium on August 9, 2023.[240]

Swift unveiled various musical works during the tour. On the day of the opening show, she released four songs to celebrate the tour's launch: the re-recordings of "Eyes Open" and "Safe & Sound", both originally from the 2012 soundtrack The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond; a re-recording of "If This Was a Movie", one of the deluxe tracks from Speak Now (2010); and "All of the Girls You Loved Before", a previously unreleased outtake of Lover.[241]

A special CD edition of Midnights, subtitled The Late Night Edition, was released during the Eras Tour. It was only purchasable in-person at merchandise stands at certain shows, beginning in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 26, 2023. It exclusively contained the bonus track "You're Losing Me", which became a "ravenously anticipated" song; Variety reported that "fans were so eager to get their hands" on the CD, causing queues at the stadium the day before the merchandise store opened.[242][243][244]

On May 5, 2023, at the first Nashville show of the tour, Swift announced her third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), and its release date as July 7.[245] She also premiered two music videos, both of which she wrote and directed, during the tour. She premiered the videos for "Karma" featuring American rapper Ice Spice and "I Can See You" before the acoustic set at the first East Rutherford show and first Kansas City show, respectively.[246][247] On August 9, at the final Los Angeles show, Swift announced 1989 (Taylor's Version) as her fourth re-recorded album, which was released on October 27, exactly nine years after the release of the original 1989 album.[240] On November 3, Hits reported that a live album of the tour was discussed.[248]

On February 16, 2024, at the first Melbourne show, Swift announced a second variant of The Tortured Poets Department, with a bonus track titled "The Bolter".[249] She announced another variant of the album, with the bonus track "The Albatross" on February 23, at the first Sydney show.[250] The fourth variant of the album, containing the bonus track "The Black Dog", was announced on March 3, at the second Singapore show of the tour.[251] On August 20, Swift premiered the music video for "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart", a song inspired by the tour after leaving the stage at the end of the eighth show in London. The video features footage of tour performances, rehearsals, audiences, and backstage moments.[252][253]

On October 13, 2023, Swift released the self-produced concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, directed by Sam Wrench, to theaters worldwide. It was produced from the footage recorded at the tour's Los Angeles shows.[254][255] The film, in an unprecedented move, had Swift partnering directly with the theaters to both distribute and exhibit the film instead of a major film studio.[256][257] It received critical acclaim for capturing the spectacle and energy of the show and became the highest-grossing concert film of all time.[257][258]

On October 15, 2024, Swift announced her first-ever book, The Eras Tour Book.[259] Dubbed "the official retrospective" of the tour,[260] it is a 256-page photo book with over 500 on-stage and behind-the-scenes images, as well as Swift's personal reflections and notes.[261][262] Concurrently, Swift launched her in-house publishing imprint, Taylor Swift Publications.[263][264][265] The book was released exclusively in Target stores on a Black Friday—November 29, 2024.[266] Selling over a million copies in its first week in the US alone, the book became the best-selling book of 2024.[267]

Accolades

More information Year, Ceremony ...
Awards and nominations for the Eras Tour
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2023 MTV Video Music Awards Show of the Summer Won [268]
Guinness World Records Highest-Grossing Music Tour Won [269]
Highest-Grossing Music Tour by a Female Artist Won [270]
Highest-Grossing Music Tour in a Single Year Won [271]
Highest-Grossing Music Tour by a Female Artist (2023) Won [272]
Highest-Grossing Music Tour by a Solo Artist Won [273]
Highest-Grossing Music Tour Per Concert by a Female Artist Won [274]
MTV Europe Music Awards Best Live Act Won [275]
2024 People's Choice Awards The Concert Tour of the Year Won [276]
Pollstar Awards Major Tour of the Year Won [277]
Pop Tour of the Year Nominated
Brand Partnership/Live Campaign of the Year (AMC Theatres) Won
Support/Special Guest of the Year (Phoebe Bridgers) Nominated
iHeartRadio Music Awards Favorite Tour Style of the Year Won [278]
Tour of the Year Won
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Ticket of the Year Won
MTV Millennial Awards Event of the Year Nominated
2025 Pollstar Awards Major Tour of the Year Won [281]
Pop Tour of the Year Nominated
Support/Special Guest of the Year (Gracie Abrams) Nominated
iHeartRadio Music Awards Favorite Tour Style of the Year Won [282]
Favourite Tour Tradition (22 hat) Nominated
Favourite Tour Tradition (Surprise song) Won
Favourite Surprise Guest (Travis Kelce) Won
Tour of the Century Won
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Impact

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Taylor Swift keeps building the legend of her Eras Tour, week after week, city by city, making every night so much longer, wilder, louder, more jubilant than it has to be. There's nothing in history to compare. This is her best tour ever, by an absurd margin. It's a journey through her past, starring all the different Taylors she's ever been, which means all the Taylors that you've ever been.

The Eras Tour had an impact on the music industry, entertainment and beyond. It was described as one of the most prominent cultural phenomena of the 21st century,[162][284][285] generating a level of attention similar to the 1960s' Beatlemania.[286] The tour elevated the economy of its stops by revitalizing local businesses and tourism,[287][288][186] attracted large crowds of spectators outside stadiums,[289][290] dominated news cycles and social media,[291][292] inspired tributes from governments and organizations.[293] Critics often described the Eras Tour as a monocultural event demonstrating Swift's impact on popular culture.[285] The tour fueled an increase in public consumption of her discography as well.[294] Swift's net worth, which was $740 million before the tour began, was updated to $1.1 billion after the first 57 shows of the tour; Swift became the first billionaire in history with music as the main source of income.[295][296]

Controversies

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US ticket sales crash

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The US Federal Trade Commission proposed to outlaw junk fees in the country following the controversy.[297]

On November 15, the day of the first US presale, Ticketmaster's website crashed following what Variety called "historically unprecedented demand".[298] Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, said they prepared for 1.5 million verified fans, but 14 million turned up;[299] published a statement saying they had been "unprepared" to accommodate them;[5] and canceled any further sales, citing inability to meet demand.[300] The fiasco was the subject of public criticism and political scrutiny. Customers and fans criticized Ticketmaster for its allegedly flawed systems and inefficient technical resolutions.[301][302] US lawmakers, including attorneys general and members of Congress, took notice of the issue,[303] which became the focus of multiple state, federal and congressional inquiries,[182][304] and an antitrust lawsuit.[305]

Venue management in Brazil

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Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, where the incident took place[306]

Unrest was reported on June 11, 2023, outside the Brazilian venues' box offices, as scalpers attempted to cut in line, including some armed scalpers who threatened violence, until the police intervened.[307] The agency responsible for the tour in Brazil, T4F – Time For Fun (T4F), was reported over 100 times to authorities for their inaction.[308] On June 20, federal lawmakers in Brazil filed the "Taylor Swift Law", which would penalize scalpers with up to four years in prison and a fine of up to 100 times the value of the ticket.[309]

On November 17, 2023, before the start of the first Rio de Janeiro show, T4F reportedly prohibited concertgoers from bringing their own water bottles inside the venue. It was one of the hottest days in the city, with a heat index of 59.3 °C (138.74 °F),[310] as part of a heat wave in the country. Videos posted to social media by fans showed thousands of queued concertgoers waiting for hours in the sun before entry into the stadium;[311] Swift and her team arranged and distributed water bottles to the crowd.[312] A concert attendee, Ana Clara Benevides, died while being taken to a hospital after she fainted during the first few minutes of the show.[310] T4F attracted widespread criticism from fans and politicians.[311] Several claimed that stadium organizers "refused" to provide concertgoers water; a criminal investigation was opened.[313][312] Benevides' cause of death was forensically determined to be cardiac arrest caused by heat exhaustion.[314] Swift grieved Benevides' death on social media.[313] She postponed the show that had been scheduled for November 18 to November 20, citing "extreme temperatures".[315]

Diplomacy in Asia

Srettha Thavisin, then Prime Minister of Thailand, claimed that the government of Singapore offered subsidies of $2 million–$3 million per show of the Eras Tour in exchange for making Singapore the exclusive venue in Southeast Asia.[316] He criticized Singapore for excluding other member countries of the ASEAN from witnessing Swift.[317] The Singapore Tourism Board responded that they did provide a "grant" to bring the Eras Tour to Singapore, and that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth worked with the tour's promoter, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), but did not reveal the size of the grant or attached conditions due to "business confidentiality".[318] Minister Edwin Tong commented, the alleged sum of the grant was "nowhere as high as what is being speculated".[319] Joey Salceda, member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, criticized Singapore and demanded that the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs seek an explanation from the Embassy of Singapore, Manila.[320][321] Sandiaga Uno, Indonesian minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, also expressed his disappointment, stating "Indonesia was eager to replicate the success of Swiftonomics".[322] Subsequently, Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore since 2004, assured that the exclusivity grant did not have an hostile intention.[323]

Swift included neither the People's Republic of China nor the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Eras Tour.[324] The tour skipping Taiwan was a topic of political debate during the campaigns preceding the 2024 Taiwanese presidential and legislative body elections. Jaw Shaw-kong, vice-presidential candidate of the opposition (Kuomintang party), claimed he invited Swift to perform at the Taipei Dome and that she initially agreed to perform but later declined due to "geopolitical risks" of the sensitive Cross-Strait relations. The Taiwanese Ministry of Culture commented on the issue but neither denied nor confirmed Jaw's claims. Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai described Jaw's claims about Swift as an attempt at manipulating the voters.[324][325][326]

Security in Europe

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Police vehicle set afire by rioters following a fatal stabbing attack on children in a Swiftie workshop in Southport, United Kingdom

On July 18, 2024, a suspected stalker of Swift, who was accused of threatening her and her boyfriend, American football player Travis Kelce, on social media was detained and arrested as he attempted to enter the second of Swift's shows in Gelsenkirchen.[327] The same month, three children were killed at a mass stabbing attack at a Swiftie workshop in Southport, Merseyside, UK. The incident caused public unrest in Southport, and over the next few days, escalated into nationwide protests and riots.[328][329] A week later, authorities thwarted an Islamic State (ISIS) plot to attack Swift's three shows in Vienna.[330] Police arrested three teenagers who were "radicalized on the Internet" and plotted to kill "tens of thousands" at the concerts.[331] Initially, Austrian public security director Franz Ruf stated that the shows would take place as scheduled, with additional security measures in place.[332][333][334][335] However, event organizer Barracuda Music announced that all three shows would be canceled with tickets refunded, after confirmation from the Government of Austria of an elaborate terrorist plan.[336] With Swift's permit, Austrian public broadcaster ORF aired the tour's accompanying concert film on August 10 for free.[337] The tour's next stop, London, increased its security for the shows.[338]

In October 2024, controversy ensued in the UK when it was reported that politicians of the ruling Labour Party were gifted with over £20,000 in free tickets to the Eras Tour after Swift's demands for the highest level of security were denied, with the politicians allegedly pressuring the Metropolitan Police to give in to the demands.[339] In advance of the London dates, Swift's team had reportedly demanded additional "VVIP" security from the Metropolitan Police's Special Escort Group and threatened to cancel the London shows if not provided.[339] The police initially turned down the request, claiming their intelligence did not detect any threat to Swift's London shows and hence she did not require the top-level "taxpayer-funded" security reserved for heads of state.[339][340] However, the police subsequently reversed its decision and provided Swift with the requested protection.[339] Various politicians of the opposition Conservative Party, such as Susan Hall, Robert Jenrick, Gavin Williamson and Andrew Murrison, criticized the Labour government, accusing it of abuse of power.[341][342][343] Both the police and the government denied the allegations of bribery;[329] Starmer's spokesperson described it as a conflict of interest.[344]

Philanthropy

Swift donated to food bank units at every stop of the Eras Tour, as reported by the respective organizations,[345][346] and exclusively employed various local businesses to fulfill her crew's daily requirements.[347] At the conclusion of the first US leg, Swift gave "unprecedented" bonus payments totaling over $55 million to her entire touring crew,[348][349] including $100,000 to each of the 50 truck drivers involved in transporting the stage setup and production equipment.[350] By the end of the tour, Swift distributed $197 million in bonus payments to her crew.[351] She also reportedly purchased more than double the carbon credits needed to offset emissions generated by her travel throughout the tour.[352] In October 2023, Swift donated Eras Tour tickets to the Rare Impact Fund, a charity and mental health awareness initiative by American singer Selena Gomez's cosmetic company, Rare Beauty. The auctioned tickets sold for $15,000 and were the "biggest ticket item of the event".[353] On April 27, 2024, four Eras Tour tickets raised $80,000 at auction in a gala benefiting the 15 and The Mahomies Foundation, a charity by the American football player Patrick Mahomes.[354]

Standard set list

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March 2023 to March 2024

This set list was taken from the show in Glendale on March 17, 2023. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour.[138][355]

Alterations

May to December 2024

This set list was taken from the show in Nanterre on May 9, 2024. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour.[363][364]

Alterations

Surprise songs

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Swift performed two numbers from her discography, as either a standalone song or a mashup, at each show as "surprise songs" in the ninth act—the first on acoustic guitar and the second on piano.[151][368]

2023

More information Date (2023), City ...
Date (2023) City Guitar surprise song Piano surprise song
March 17 Glendale "Mirrorball" "Tim McGraw"
March 18 "This Is Me Trying" "State of Grace"
March 24 Las Vegas "Our Song" "Snow on the Beach"
March 25 "Cowboy like Me" (with Marcus Mumford) "White Horse"
March 31 Arlington "Sad Beautiful Tragic" "Ours"
April 1 "Death by a Thousand Cuts" "Clean"
April 2 "Jump then Fall" "The Lucky One"
April 13 Tampa "Speak Now" "Treacherous"
April 14 "The Great War" (with Aaron Dessner) "You're on Your Own, Kid"
April 15 "Mean" "Mad Woman" (with Aaron Dessner)
April 21 Houston "Wonderland" "You're Not Sorry"
April 22 "A Place in This World" "Today Was a Fairytale"
April 23 "Begin Again" "Cold as You"
April 28 Atlanta "The Other Side of the Door" "Coney Island"
April 29 "High Infidelity" "Gorgeous"
April 30 "I Bet You Think About Me" "How You Get the Girl"
May 5 Nashville "Sparks Fly" "Teardrops on My Guitar"
May 6 "Out of the Woods" "Fifteen"
May 7 "Would've, Could've, Should've" (with Aaron Dessner) "Mine"
May 12 Philadelphia "Gold Rush" "Come Back... Be Here"
May 13 "Forever & Always" "This Love"
May 14 "Hey Stephen" "The Best Day"
May 19 Foxborough "Should've Said No" "Better Man"
May 20 "Question...?" "Invisible"
May 21 "I Think He Knows" and "Red" [c]
May 26 East Rutherford "Getaway Car" (with Jack Antonoff) "Maroon"
May 27 "Holy Ground" "False God"
May 28 "Welcome to New York" "Clean"
June 2 Chicago "I Wish You Would" "The Lakes"
June 3 "You All Over Me" (with Maren Morris) "I Don't Wanna Live Forever"
June 4 "Hits Different" "The Moment I Knew"
June 9 Detroit "Haunted" "I Almost Do"
June 10 "All You Had to Do Was Stay" "Breathe"
June 16 Pittsburgh "Mr. Perfectly Fine" "The Last Time"
June 17 "The Story of Us" "Seven" (with Aaron Dessner)
June 23 Minneapolis "Paper Rings" "If This Was a Movie"
June 24 "Dear John" "Daylight"
June 30 Cincinnati "I'm Only Me When I'm with You" "Evermore"
July 1 "Ivy" (with Aaron Dessner) "Call It What You Want"
July 7 Kansas City "Never Grow Up" "When Emma Falls in Love"
July 8 "Last Kiss" "Dorothea"
July 14 Denver "Picture to Burn" "Timeless"
July 15 "Starlight" "Back to December"
July 22 Seattle "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" "Everything Has Changed"
July 23 "Message in a Bottle" "Tied Together with a Smile"
July 28 Santa Clara "Right Where You Left Me" (with Aaron Dessner) "Castles Crumbling"
July 29 "Stay Stay Stay" "All of the Girls You Loved Before"
August 3 Los Angeles "I Can See You" "Maroon"
August 4 "Our Song" "You Are in Love"
August 5 "Death by a Thousand Cuts" "You're on Your Own, Kid"
August 7 "Dress" "Exile"
August 8 "I Know Places" "King of My Heart"
August 9 "New Romantics" "New Year's Day"
August 24 Mexico City "I Forgot That You Existed" "Sweet Nothing"
August 25 "Tell Me Why" "Snow on the Beach"
August 26 "Cornelia Street" "You're on Your Own, Kid"
August 27 "Afterglow" "Maroon"
November 9 Buenos Aires "The Very First Night" "Labyrinth"
November 11 "Is It Over Now?" / "Out of the Woods" "End Game"
November 12 "Better than Revenge" "'Slut!'"
November 17 Rio de Janeiro "Stay Beautiful" "Suburban Legends"
November 19 "Dancing with Our Hands Tied" "Bigger Than the Whole Sky"
November 20 "Me!" "So It Goes..."
November 24 São Paulo "Now That We Don't Talk" "Innocent"
November 25 "Safe & Sound" "Untouchable"
November 26 "Say Don't Go" "It's Time to Go"
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2024

More information Date (2024), City ...
Date (2024) City Guitar surprise song Piano surprise song
February 7 Tokyo "Dear Reader" "Holy Ground"
February 8 "Eyes Open" "Electric Touch"
February 9 "Superman" "The Outside"
February 10 "Come In with the Rain" "You're on Your Own, Kid"
February 16 Melbourne "Red" "You're Losing Me"
February 17 "Getaway Car" / "August" / "The Other Side of the Door" "This Is Me Trying"
February 18 "Come Back... Be Here" / "Daylight" "Teardrops on My Guitar"
February 23 Sydney "How You Get the Girl" "White Horse" / "Coney Island" (with Sabrina Carpenter)
February 24 "Should've Said No" / "You're Not Sorry" "New Year's Day" / "Peace"
February 25 "Is It Over Now?" / "I Wish You Would" "Haunted" / "Exile"
February 26 "Would've, Could've, Should've" / "Ivy" "Forever & Always" / "Maroon"
March 2 Singapore "Mine" / "Starlight" "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" / "Dress"
March 3 "Long Story Short" / "The Story of Us" "Clean" / "Evermore"
March 4 "Foolish One" / "Tell Me Why" "This Love" / "Call It What You Want"
March 7 "Death by a Thousand Cuts" / "Babe" "Fifteen" / "You're on Your Own, Kid"
March 8 "Sparks Fly" / "Gold Rush" "False God" / "'Slut!'"
March 9 "Tim McGraw" / "Cowboy like Me" "Mirrorball" / "Epiphany"
May 9 Paris "Paris" "Loml"
May 10 "Is It Over Now?" / "Out of the Woods" "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
May 11 "Hey Stephen" "Maroon"
May 12 "The Alchemy" / "Treacherous" "Begin Again" / "Paris"
May 17 Stockholm "I Think He Knows" / "Gorgeous" "Peter"
May 18 "Guilty as Sin?" "Say Don't Go" / "Welcome to New York" / "Clean"
May 19 "Message in a Bottle" / "How You Get the Girl" / "New Romantics" "How Did It End?"
May 24 Lisbon "Come Back... Be Here" / "The Way I Loved You" / "The Other Side of the Door" "Fresh Out the Slammer" / "High Infidelity"
May 25 "The Tortured Poets Department" / "Now That We Don't Talk" "You're on Your Own, Kid" / "Long Live"
May 29 Madrid "Sparks Fly" / "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" "I Look in People's Windows" / "Snow on the Beach"
May 30 "Our Song" / "Jump then Fall" "King of My Heart"
June 2 Lyon "The Prophecy" / "Long Story Short" "Fifteen" / "You're on Your Own, Kid"
June 3 "Glitch" / "Everything Has Changed" "Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus"
June 7 Edinburgh "Would've, Could've, Should've" / "I Know Places" "'Tis the Damn Season" / "Daylight"
June 8 "The Bolter" / "Getaway Car" "All of the Girls You Loved Before" / "Crazier"
June 9 "It's Nice to Have a Friend" / "Dorothea" "Haunted" / "Exile"
June 13 Liverpool "I Can See You" / "Mine" "Cornelia Street" / "Maroon"
June 14 "This Is What You Came For" / "Gold Rush" "The Great War" / "You're Losing Me"
June 15 "Carolina" / "No Body, No Crime" "The Manuscript" / "Red"
June 18 Cardiff "I Forgot That You Existed" / "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" "I Hate It Here" / "The Lakes"
June 21 London "Hits Different" / "Death by a Thousand Cuts" "The Black Dog" / "Come Back... Be Here" / "Maroon"
June 22 "Thank You Aimee" / "Mean" "Castles Crumbling" (with Hayley Williams)
June 23 "Us" (with Gracie Abrams) "Out of the Woods" / "Is It Over Now?" / "Clean"
June 28 Dublin "State of Grace" / "You're on Your Own, Kid" "Sweet Nothing" / "Hoax"
June 29 "The Albatross" / "Dancing with Our Hands Tied" "This Love" / "Ours"
June 30 "Clara Bow" / "The Lucky One" "You're on Your Own, Kid"
July 4 Amsterdam "Guilty as Sin?" / "Untouchable" "The Archer" / "Question...?"
July 5 "Imgonnagetyouback" / "Dress" "You Are in Love" / "Cowboy like Me"
July 6 "Sweeter than Fiction" / "Holy Ground" "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" / "So High School" / "Everything Has Changed"
July 9 Zürich "Right Where You Left Me" / "All You Had to Do Was Stay" "Last Kiss" / "Sad Beautiful Tragic"
July 10 "Closure" / "A Perfectly Good Heart" "Robin" / "Never Grow Up"
July 13 Milan "The 1" / "Wonderland" "I Almost Do" / "The Moment I Knew"
July 14 "Mr. Perfectly Fine" / "Red" "Getaway Car" / "Out of the Woods"
July 17 Gelsenkirchen "Superstar" / "Invisible String" "'Slut!'" / "False God"
July 18 "Speak Now" / "Hey Stephen" "This Is Me Trying" / "Labyrinth"
July 19 "Paper Rings" / "Stay Stay Stay" "It's Time to Go" / "Better Man"
July 23 Hamburg "Teardrops on My Guitar" / "The Last Time" "We Were Happy" / "Happiness"
July 24 "The Last Great American Dynasty" / "Run" "Nothing New" / "Dear Reader"
July 27 Munich "Fresh Out the Slammer" / "You Are in Love" "Ivy" / "Call It What You Want"
July 28 "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" / "Imgonnagetyouback" "Loml" / "Don't You"
August 1 Warsaw "Mirrorball" / "Clara Bow" "Suburban Legends" / "New Year's Day"
August 2 "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" / "I Can See You" "Red" / "Maroon"
August 3 "Today Was a Fairytale" / "I Think He Knows" "The Black Dog" / "Exile"
August 15 London "Everything Has Changed" / "End Game" / "Thinking Out Loud" (with Ed Sheeran) "King of My Heart" / "The Alchemy"
August 16 "London Boy" "Dear John" / "Sad Beautiful Tragic"
August 17 "I Did Something Bad" "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" / "Coney Island"
August 19 "Long Live" / "Change" "The Archer" / "You're on Your Own, Kid"
August 20 "Death by a Thousand Cuts" / "Getaway Car" (with Jack Antonoff) "So Long, London"
October 18 Miami "Tim McGraw" / "Timeless" "This Is Me Trying" / "Daylight"
October 19 "Should've Said No" / "I Did Something Bad" "Loml" / "White Horse"
October 20 "Out of the Woods" / "All You Had to Do Was Stay" "Mirrorball" / "Guilty as Sin?"
October 25 New Orleans "Our Song" / "Call It What You Want" "The Black Dog" / "Haunted"
October 26 "Espresso" / "Is It Over Now?" / "Please Please Please" (with Sabrina Carpenter) "Hits Different" / "Welcome to New York"
October 27 "Afterglow" / "Dress" "How You Get the Girl" / "Clean"
November 1 Indianapolis "The Albatross" / "Holy Ground" "Cold as You" / "Exile"
November 2 "The Prophecy" / "This Love" "Maroon" / "Cowboy like Me"
November 3 "Cornelia Street" / "The Bolter" "Death by a Thousand Cuts" / "The Great War"
November 14 Toronto "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" / "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" "False God" / "'Tis the Damn Season"
November 15 "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" / "Mine" "Evermore" / "Peter"
November 16 "Us" / "Out of the Woods" (with Gracie Abrams) "You're on Your Own, Kid" / "Long Story Short"
November 21 "Mr. Perfectly Fine" / "Better than Revenge" "State of Grace" / "Labyrinth"
November 22 "Ours" / "The Last Great American Dynasty" "Cassandra" / "Mad Woman" / "I Did Something Bad"
November 23 "Sparks Fly" / "Message in a Bottle" "You're Losing Me" / "How Did It End?"
December 6 Vancouver "Haunted" / "Wonderland" "Never Grow Up" / "The Best Day"
December 7 "I Love You, I'm Sorry" / "Last Kiss" (with Gracie Abrams) "The Tortured Poets Department" / "Maroon"
December 8 "A Place in This World" / "New Romantics" "Long Live" / "New Year's Day" / "The Manuscript"
Close

Notes

  • At the third Tampa show and the second Pittsburgh show, Swift reversed the order of the instruments she used to perform the surprise songs, playing the first on piano with Aaron Dessner and the second on acoustic guitar.[151]
  • At the third Foxborough show, Swift performed both surprise songs on acoustic guitar due to technical difficulties with the piano caused by the previous night's rain.[369]
  • At the second Cincinnati show, Swift performed "I Miss You, I'm Sorry" on acoustic guitar with Gracie Abrams on piano between the first and second surprise songs.[370]

Tour dates

More information Date (2023), City ...
2023 shows[162][9][371][372][19]
Date (2023) City Country Venue Opening act(s) Attendance
March 17 Glendale United States State Farm Stadium Paramore
Gayle
March 18
March 24 Paradise[i] Allegiant Stadium Beabadoobee
Gayle
March 25
March 31 Arlington AT&T Stadium Muna
Gayle
210,607 / 210,607[199]
April 1 Beabadoobee
Gracie Abrams
April 2
April 13 Tampa Raymond James Stadium Beabadoobee
Gayle
April 14 Beabadoobee
Gracie Abrams
April 15
April 21 Houston NRG Stadium
April 22
April 23
April 28 Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium
April 29
April 30 Muna
Gayle
May 5 Nashville Nissan Stadium Phoebe Bridgers
Gracie Abrams
213,000 / 213,000[d]
May 6 Phoebe Bridgers
Gayle
May 7 [e]
May 12 Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field Phoebe Bridgers
Gayle
May 13
May 14 Phoebe Bridgers
Gracie Abrams
May 19 Foxborough Gillette Stadium Phoebe Bridgers
Gayle
May 20
May 21 Phoebe Bridgers
Gracie Abrams
May 26 East Rutherford MetLife Stadium Phoebe Bridgers
Gayle
217,635 / 217,635[207]
May 27 Phoebe Bridgers
Gracie Abrams
May 28 Phoebe Bridgers
Owenn
June 2 Chicago Soldier Field Girl in Red
Owenn
June 3
June 4 Muna
Gracie Abrams
June 9 Detroit Ford Field Girl in Red
Gracie Abrams
118,661 / 118,661[374]
June 10 Girl in Red
Owenn
June 16 Pittsburgh Acrisure Stadium Girl in Red
Gracie Abrams
146,234 / 146,234[f]
June 17 Girl in Red
Owenn
June 23 Minneapolis U.S. Bank Stadium Girl in Red
Gracie Abrams
June 24 Girl in Red
Owenn
June 30 Cincinnati Paycor Stadium Muna
Gracie Abrams
July 1 Muna[g]
July 7 Kansas City GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Muna
Gracie Abrams
July 8
July 14 Denver Empower Field at Mile High
July 15
July 22 Seattle Lumen Field Haim
Gracie Abrams
144,342 / 144,342[h]
July 23
July 28 Santa Clara Levi's Stadium
July 29
August 3 Inglewood[ii] SoFi Stadium
August 4 Haim
Owenn
August 5 Haim
Gayle
August 7 Haim
Gracie Abrams
August 8
August 9 Haim
Gayle
August 24 Mexico City Mexico Foro Sol Sabrina Carpenter
August 25
August 26
August 27
November 9 Buenos Aires Argentina Estadio River Plate Sabrina Carpenter
Louta
November 11
November 12[i]
November 17 Rio de Janeiro Brazil Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos Sabrina Carpenter
November 19
November 20[j]
November 24 São Paulo Allianz Parque
November 25
November 26
Close
More information Date (2024), City ...
2024 shows[16][10][34][237][372][377][378][379]
Date (2024) City Country Venue Opening act(s) Attendance
February 7 Tokyo Japan Tokyo Dome
February 8
February 9
February 10
February 16 Melbourne Australia Melbourne Cricket Ground Sabrina Carpenter 288,000 / 288,000[222]
February 17
February 18
February 23 Sydney Accor Stadium [k]
February 24 Sabrina Carpenter
February 25
February 26
March 2 Singapore Singapore National Stadium 378,000 / 378,000[l]
March 3
March 4
March 7
March 8
March 9
May 9 Nanterre[iii] France Paris La Défense Arena Paramore 180,000 / 180,000[91]
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 17 Stockholm Sweden Friends Arena 178,679 / 178,679[225]
May 18
May 19
May 24 Lisbon Portugal Estádio da Luz 120,000 / 120,000[381]
May 25
May 29 Madrid Spain Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
May 30
June 2 Décines-Charpieu[iv] France Groupama Stadium 122,000 / 122,000[m]
June 3
June 7 Edinburgh Scotland Murrayfield Stadium 219,000 / 219,000[382]
June 8
June 9
June 13 Liverpool England Anfield 186,000 / 186,000[n]
June 14
June 15
June 18 Cardiff Wales Principality Stadium
June 21 London England Wembley Stadium Paramore
Mette
753,112 / 753,112[o]
June 22 Paramore
Griff
June 23 Paramore
Benson Boone
June 28 Dublin Ireland Aviva Stadium Paramore
June 29
June 30
July 4 Amsterdam Netherlands Johan Cruyff Arena
July 5
July 6
July 9 Zürich Switzerland Letzigrund 95,000 / 95,000
July 10
July 13 Milan Italy San Siro
July 14
July 17 Gelsenkirchen Germany Veltins-Arena
July 18
July 19
July 23 Hamburg Volksparkstadion
July 24
July 27 Munich Olympiastadion 148,000 / 148,000[383]
July 28
August 1 Warsaw Poland PGE Narodowy
August 2
August 3
August 15 London England Wembley Stadium Paramore
Sofia Isella
753,112 / 753,112[o]
August 16 Paramore
Holly Humberstone
August 17 Paramore
Suki Waterhouse
August 19 Paramore
Maisie Peters
August 20 Paramore
Raye
October 18 Miami Gardens[v] United States Hard Rock Stadium Gracie Abrams
October 19
October 20
October 25 New Orleans Caesars Superdome
October 26
October 27
November 1 Indianapolis Lucas Oil Stadium
November 2
November 3
November 14 Toronto Canada Rogers Centre
November 15
November 16
November 21
November 22
November 23
December 6 Vancouver BC Place
December 7
December 8
Total 3,718,270 / 3,718,270 (100%)
Close

Canceled shows

More information Date (2024), City ...
List of canceled concerts
Date (2024) City Country Venue Reason Ref.
August 8 Vienna Austria Ernst-Happel-Stadion Terrorism plot [384]
August 9
August 10
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Personnel

Adapted from the credits of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film.[385]

Band & Vocalists

  • Mike Meadows – co-band leader, guitar, keyboards, cello, harmonica, mandolin, background vocals
  • Max Bernstein – co-band leader, guitar, keyboards, pedal steel
  • Paul Sidoti – guitar
  • Amos Heller – bass, keyboard bass
  • Matthew Billingslea – drums
  • Karina DePiano – keyboards
  • Melanie Nyema – background vocalist section leader
  • Kamilah Marshall – background vocalist dance captain
  • Jeslyn Gorman – background vocals (except shows in Seattle, Latin America, Tokyo, and Melbourne)
  • Eliotte Woodford – background vocals (except shows in Hamburg, Munich, Warsaw, London nights 4-8, Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, and Toronto night 1)

Dancers

  • Amanda Balen – dance captain
  • Tori Evans
  • Audrey Douglass
  • Jan Ravnik
  • Taylor Banks
  • Sydney Moss
  • Natalie Lecznar
  • Whyley Yoshimura
  • Raphael Thomas
  • Kevin Scheitzbach
  • Kameron Saunders
  • Natalie Peterson
  • Tamiya Lewis
  • Sam McWilliams
  • Karen Chuang

See also

Footnotes

Summarize
Perspective

References

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