CNN
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Baby, let the games begin.
Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” kicked off Friday night in Glendale, Ariz., with a three-hour show that cycled through hits from all eras of the Grammy winner’s 17-year career.
“Swifties,” as her fans are known, took to town in Swift-inspired costumes and the venue itself changed its name to “Swift City,” according to the Glendale, Arizona website. Ticket sales for the tour even broke Ticketmaster, which the singer drew attention to on Friday when she told her audience that she felt it was safe to assume it took “effort considerable” for them to be there.
Full disclosure: This CNN writer is a Swiftie. I managed to get tickets to Swift’s penultimate show in Los Angeles in August, but here are some of the highlights from her Friday performance, based on social media posts from those in attendance.
Donning a crystallized corset and matching boots, Swift kicked off her gig with her “Lover” era by opening with “Miss Americana and Prince Heartbreak,” a track from the 2019 album, then performed “Cruel Summer” for the very first time in concert.
While performing “Willow” and “Champagne Problems” from her pandemic-era album “Evermore,” Swift asked her audience, “Is it just me or do we have a lot to catch up on?” That’s a fair question, considering this tour is Swift’s first since her “Reputation” shows in 2018.
Audiences were transported back to that era, when Swift performed popular hits such as “Delicate” and “Don’t Blame Me” on a set where the snake “Reputation” slithered.
The “Red” era brought even more throwbacks with some of Swift’s catchiest tracks like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Swift also performed the ten-minute version of “All Too Well”.
She then performed songs from her 2020 album “Folklore” for the first time during a live concert. Swift stood on a set decorated like the moss-covered “Folklore” cabin seen in several of her music videos. The moody and imaginative album came to life when she sang “Invisible String”, “Cardigan” and “Betty”, among others. She later performed an acoustic rendition of “Mirrorball” after informing her audience that she would be playing a different acoustic song at each show throughout the tour.
In true “1989” fashion, this part of the show felt like one big dance party, as it included some of Swift’s most popular hits like “Blank Space,” “Shake it Off,” and “Wildest Dreams.”
There were other nostalgic moments throughout the show, with Swift singing through her “Fearless” era along with “You Belong with Me” and “Love Story.” She also sang “Tim McGraw” on the piano, a song from her debut era in 2006.
As the concert moved into its final and current era, Swift played various songs from her record-breaking 2022 album “Midnights,” including “Anti-Hero,” “Lavender Haze,” “Mastermind” and “Bejeweled,” and closed the show with the high energy hit “Karma”.
Swift’s set list spanned over 40 songs, likely proving to her fans that an exhausting wait for their anti-hero Taylor Swift to return to the stage was worth it.
Cnn
