The Eras Tour: Taylor Swift Embraces Her Musical Past, Present, and Future

Last Friday night, Gillette Stadium was filled with fans of all ages coming together to celebrate the legacy of one of the biggest pop stars of our time. Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour took a sold-out, 70,000-person crowd in Foxborough, MA, through a mesmerizing journey embracing her musical past, present, and future. The 12-time Grammy winner took the stage for a hypnotizing 3 hours performing 45 songs, bringing the real question: Is Swift the ultimate performer?

Opening the first night of The Eras Tour’s Gillette Stadium run, GAYLE came out with her powerful vocals and fun stage presence. Fans sang along as she sang her hits including “Everybody Hates Me,” “Luv Starved,” a cover of Alanis Morissette's song “ You Outta Know,” and of course, her viral song, “ABCDEFU”, to close her set out.

Next up was the talented, Phoebe Bridgers. Starting off her set with her hit, “Motion Sickness,” fans sang so loud along with her the entire time. She sang other hits such as, “Garden Song,” and “Chinese Satellite,” which she ironically dedicated the song to someone who she recognized from a past show recently.

As soon as 8pm came around and the lights went down, stunning visuals and vocals filled the stadium of thousands of devoted Swifties screaming, as the larger-than-life, Taylor Swift took the stage. Starting the night with her Lover era, the songs “Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince” had fans losing their minds. Her smooth transition into “Cruel Summer” brought along her first iconic bridge, “Alright Foxborough. What do we do when we reach a bridge of this proportion? Oh yeah, that's right - we scream it, we go off,” in reaction to that, fans screamed along with her absolutely going off. That set the exhilarating energy for the rest of the night.

Next up was Fearless. She came out in a gorgeous gold outfit, and sang her title track, “Fearless” along with the nostalgia-inducing, “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story”.

Then, as smoke filled the stage, the stadium became very witchy and dark, with trees appearing to set as Swift emerged in a new flowy outfit, cape attached, signaling the start of the evermore era. As she sang, “tis the season,” “willow,” and "marjorie,” fans threw their flashlights up, making the stadium glow. Explaining to the crowd that she wrote evermore during the pandemic to ‘stay connected,’ the singer went on to have yet another amazing, touching moment with the crowd. As the final notes of “champagne problems” rang throughout the stadium, fans cheered for her for nearly three straight minutes before she spoke up: “That was so loud and for so long,” she said in absolute amazement. To close out this part of the show, she then sang and put on a beautiful theatrical performance of her song, “tolerate It.”

Quickly contrasting evermore’s melancholic mood, the rattles of snakes filled the stadium in preparation for her Reputation era. Swift came out in a gorgeous black and red outfit kicking of the set with, “...Ready for it?” Beams of light shot up to the sky, giving the stadium the “edgy” feel that the era represents. Singing her hit single, “Delicate,” then went right into “Don’t Blame Me,” and “Look What You Made Me Do.” which transitioned together perfectly.

A quick dress change signaled the start of the next era, as Swift appeared in a stunning ball-gown and started singing a fan-favorite, her beautiful song, “Enchanted,” marking the start of her Speak Now era.

Jumping into her upbeat Red Era, Swift’s hit song “22” began as she ran around the stage, making her way to the end of the catwalk to give her Red hat away to the lucky fan that was picked for the night. She also sang her radio hits, “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble,” as the crowd sang it back to her. Swift then brought back out Phoebe Bridgers to sing ”Nothing New.” After a pause, she cheekily asked the crowd “Do you guys have 10 minutes to spare?” – as the first few notes of the fan-favorite song, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) rang out. ” Fans screamed every word.

As the folklore era came around, Swift described the stage set as the woodsy ‘cabin of her dreams.’” From the top of the cabin, she sang “the 1” followed by the songs, “betty” and “cardigan.” In a heart-wrenching medley, Swift performed, “august,” “illicit affairs” and “my tears ricochet,” a performance that brought her to the ground.

Leaving behind the drama of folklore, Swift then took us through the poppy and energy-filled 1989 era, with beloved hits like "Style,” "Blank Space,” "Shake it Off,” "Wildest Dreams" and "Bad Blood.”

Up next, it was finally time for the moment of the night every Swiftie waits in anticiaption for - the surprise songs Swift has been uniquely performing at each of her tour stops. She appeared on stage in a flowy bright yellow dress for Foxborough’s two surprise songs which were, “You Should’ve Said No,” on acoustic guitar, and “Better Man,” which she performed on the piano.

Ending the long but magical night Swift appeared in a new outfit, backed by breath-taking production that marked the start of the final era - Midnights. Performing her newest hits such as “Lavender Haze,” “Anti-Hero,” and “Bejeweled,” this set marked the first time many fans were hearing songs from her latest era live. She finished off the night with her revenge-filled single, “Karma,” bringing The Eras Tour to an end, leaving fans with fireworks, confetti, and once-in-a-lifetime memories.

Ultimately, the night was absolutely enchanted (pun intended) and exceeded all expectations.The show flawlessly blended nostalgic elements with a fresh perspective, spectacularly showcasing Taylor Swift's growth as an artist. The Eras Tour was undoubtedly a night we’ll never forget.