image source, Good pictures
- author, Mark Savage
- stock, Music Correspondent
-
Taylor Swift kicked off her record-breaking Eras tour in France with a revamped European tour.
The star cut several songs and restructured the concert to showcase music from his latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.
Fan favorites including The Archer and The 1 were dropped in favor of new songs like Fortnite and Down Bad.
The star debuted several new outfits, including a bright red bodysuit for the show’s opening segment and a black dress with silver studs during the Fearless era.
image source, Good pictures
Swift hit the stage at La Défense Arena in Paris just after 8pm local time, playing Miss Americana and Heartbreak Prince, and greeted the sold-out crowd with a giddy “stunner”.
He said he was “incredibly lucky” to start his European tour in “the most beautiful, romantic city in the world”.
The 34-year-old was on stage for more than three hours, finishing just after 11pm, playing 45 songs from his 18-year career.
The tour is themed around the different “eras” he created during that time, with separate sets for each of his 11 studio albums.
This will be Swift’s first concert since releasing the 31-track double album The Tortured Poets Department three weeks ago.
Sister albums Folklore and Evermore (both recorded during the Covid pandemic) were condensed into a single “Folkmore” episode to accommodate the new material.
All songs were added and deleted by Taylor
Songs cut from the setlist:
- Archer (Romance Era)
- Live (Speak Now)
- 1 (Folklore Era)
- This The Damn Season (Evermore Era)
- Tolerate (Evermore Era)
- The Last Great American Dynasty (Folklore Era)
- But Dad, I love him
- So high school
- Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
- Down pad
- Fifteen days
- The smallest man who ever lived
- I could do with a broken heart
Amazing Songs / Acoustic Collection
- Paris (Midnights)
- Lommel (Department of Tortured Poets)
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Fans saw the changes soon after the extravagant stadium show began, with an intro that included snippets of The Tortured Poets’ Department.
But the first real confirmation came when Archer cut 15 minutes into the concert. It was traditionally the sixth song in the setlist in the previous legs.
Then Swift pulled another surprise — moving a lineup focused on her Red Album to an earlier part of the show.
During those songs, the star wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “This is not Taylor’s version” – a reference to the ongoing campaign to re-record her first six albums.
image source, Good pictures
Swift performed Tortured Poets Department material in a billowing cream ball gown, while the stage scenes adopted a new black and white theme.
He appeared on UFO’s Tractor Beam for the downbeat ballad Down Bad – a reference to the song’s opening lines: “Did you really lift me up / In a cloud of shimmering dust / To do experiments?”
The new musical mostly deals with the breakdown of two relationships – with British actor Joe Alwyn and 1975’s lead singer, Matty Healy.
Onstage, Swift jokingly described this part of the show as “girl rage, music.”
The final part of the show – focusing on diaphanous pop from 2022’s album Midnights – ended with Swift’s hit single Karma.
image source, Good pictures
The pop superstar’s tour has become a cultural event on a scale not seen since Madonna and Michael Jackson’s concerts in the 1980s.
He plays at the 152 Stadium, with dates booked through December 2024.
By the time he finishes, ticket sales are predicted to reach $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion) – making him the most profitable tour of all time, surpassing the $939 million (£750 million) Elton John made on his multi-year farewell tour.
The tour hits the UK on June 7 with dates in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London.
