The first performance of the European leg of Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour is underway in Paris, and for weeks, diehard Swifties have been desperate to find out whether she’d be altering her three-hour set to accommodate the release of her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.
Judging from the frenzied posts from Parisian fans on the front lines, the answer is a resounding YES. The biggest news out of the evening is that Swift has indeed introduced a new portion of the Eras Tour set list for Tortured Poets that includes new costumes, a new stage set and choreography; the whole nine yards. But more on that later.
In chronological order: it appears that Swift has adjusted the dreamy intro to the tour, which consists of a mash-up of lyrics in which she sings the titles of her past albums. In the new intro, she’s added herself singing, “Straight from the tortured poets department,” officially solidifying it as a new era.
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More changes followed. Swift kicked off her Paris concert with the Lover album era, as per usual, but removed “The Archer” from the set list. In terms of her onstage ensemble, Swift also debuted a glittering bodysuit in a previously unseen shade of orange.
Next, Swift rolled into the Fearless era, for which she also donned a new outfit. Eagle-eyed sleuths put the pieces together of what’s likely going on: Swift has new outfits for every album era aside from Reputation: the only album in her catalogue for which she has not yet released the “Taylor’s Version” that would allow her to own its masters.
At previous Eras Tour stops, Swift has always followed up Fearless with songs from her album Evermore, but according to Paris attendees, the pop star has rearranged the order of the show. The Red album section of the concert now follows Fearless, and the Evermore set now falls later in the show, and has been combined with the Folklore era (Evermore and Folklore are sister albums, after all).
For any pop star worth their salt, switching up a mammoth concert’s set list is, strategically, a no-brainer: audiences keep coming back as long as they know they’ll be surprised. But because it’s Taylor Swift we’re talking about, each adjustment clearly feels more monumental than the last to her most loyal devotees.
After the Red era, Swift revealed a new intro and choreography for the Speak Now portion of the show, and removed the power ballad “Long Live” from the set list.
The Reputation portion now follows Speak Now, and although Swift is still wearing the same black and red bodysuit she’s worn in the past, she’s added new snake graphics to that portion of the show.
Next, Swift debuted the new combined set list for Folklore and Evermore, which meant several beloved tracks got the axe. The new set list includes “Cardigan,” “Betty,” “Champagne Problems,” “August,” “Illicit Affairs,” “My Tears Ricochet,” “Marjorie,” and “Willow.”
After the 1989 era, which remained unchanged except for new costumes, came the moment everyone had been waiting for: Swift debuted her Tortured Poets Department era in spectacular fashion.
She emerged in a white ballgown to kick off the new stretch of songs, which included “Daddy I Love Him,” “So High School,” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” (For those unaware, that third song is more or less about how Swift’s fans are ruining her life; performing it in front of hundreds of thousands of them is a funny choice.)
For “Down Bad,” Swift has new alien-centric visuals that include a very cool sliding platform and roving spotlight. And, yes, she’s also included her Tortured Poets lead single, “Fortnight.” Swifties can rest easy.
