Taylor Swift has commenced the European segment of her record-breaking Eras tour in France, unveiling a revamped setlist.
The renowned artist made adjustments by removing several songs and rearranging the concert to spotlight music from her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.
Fan-favorite tracks such as The Archer and The 1 were replaced by fresh compositions like Fortnight and Down Bad.
Furthermore, Swift debuted numerous new outfits, including a dazzling red bodysuit for the initial segment of the show and a black dress adorned with silver tassels reminiscent of the Fearless era.
Taking the stage at La Défense Arena in Paris just after 8 pm local time, Swift commenced with Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince, warmly greeting the capacity crowd with a playful “enchanté”.
Expressing gratitude, she remarked feeling “incredibly fortunate” to inaugurate the European leg of her tour in “the most exquisite, romantic city in the world”.
The 34-year-old delivered a performance exceeding three hours, concluding shortly after 11 pm, encompassing 45 songs spanning her 18-year career.
Structured around the various “eras” she has crafted over time, the tour features distinct segments dedicated to each of her 11 studio albums.
Commencing in the United States last year, the tour has witnessed fans energizing local economies and generating seismic activity with their exuberant dance moves.
The Paris concert marked Swift’s first performance since releasing The Tortured Poets Department, a 31-track double album, three weeks ago.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, the album shattered numerous sales records in its debut week.
To accommodate the new material, Swift condensed the sister albums Folklore and Evermore, both recorded during the Covid pandemic, into a single “Folkmore” chapter.
All the songs Taylor added and removed
Songs cut from the setlist:
- The Archer (Lover era)
- Long Live (Speak Now era)
- The 1 (Folklore era)
- Tis The Damn Season (Evermore era)
- Tolerate It (Evermore era)
- The Last Great American Dynasty (Folklore era)
New songs added:
- But Daddy, I Love Him
- So High School
- Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me
- Down Bad
- Fortnight
- The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
- I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
Surprise songs / acoustic set
- Paris (Midnights)
- Loml (Tortured Poets Department)
Fans immediately noticed alterations to the extravagant stadium performance as soon as it commenced, with the introduction music updated to incorporate snippets from The Tortured Poets Department.
The first notable change occurred approximately 15 minutes into the concert when The Archer was omitted. Traditionally, it occupied the sixth slot on the setlist during previous legs of the tour.
Swift then surprised the audience by rearranging the segment focusing on her Red album to an earlier section of the show.
During these performances, the star sported a t-shirt adorned with the phrase: “This is not Taylor’s version,” alluding to the ongoing campaign to re-record her initial six albums.
Swift showcased The Tortured Poets Department material in an elegant cream ball gown, complemented by on-stage visuals adopting a new black-and-white aesthetic.
For the somber ballad Down Bad, she made a theatrical entrance within the tractor beam of a UFO, a nod to the song’s opening lyric: “Did you really beam me up / In a cloud of sparkling dust / Just to do experiments on?”
The new music predominantly explores the dissolution of two relationships – with British actor Joe Alwyn and The 1975’s frontman, Matty Healy.
In a lighthearted moment, Swift humorously referred to this segment of the show as “female rage, the musical.”
The final segment of the performance, highlighting the ethereal pop of the 2022 album Midnights, remained unchanged, with Swift concluding the show with the hit single Karma.
The pop superstar’s tour has become a cultural phenomenon, on a scale not seen since Madonna and Michael Jackson’s concerts in the 1980s.
She is playing 152 stadium dates, with dates booked until December 2024.
When she wraps up, ticket sales are projected to reach $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion) – making it the most profitable tour of all time, surpassing the $939 million (£750 million) Elton John made on his multiyear farewell tour.
The tour comes to the UK on 7 June, with dates in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London.