GLENDALE, Arizona. – When Taylor Swift says she’s going to stage the eras of her career, believe her.
Not since the most energetic days of Bruce Springsteen and his legendary live concerts has a mainstream artist packed so much music into one show. On Friday night at State Farm Stadium near Phoenix, Swift kicked off The Eras Tour with a whopping 44 songs presented in a span of three hours and 15 minutes.
But more than just a roll call from her ubiquitous hit singles and fan-loved albums, Swift’s show is as ambitious as a Broadway musical. Countless moving set pieces, teams of dancers and backup singers, a quick-change costume parade, confetti, pyro, synchronized flashing wristbands, and a beautifully curved video screen to cover her ever-smiling face for those in the furthest rafters complemented her songs, as her versatile band sat inconspicuously on a corner of the stage.
True to its title, The Eras Tour indeed covered every facet of Swift’s career, from a low-key rendition of her 2006 debut single “Tim McGraw” to the closing “Karma” from her current album “Midnights.” (Only her 2010 album “Speak Now” got a single version, the beautiful “Enchanted”.)
Swift commented at the start of the concert that she knew her fans – about 70,000 of them on this night – were making “considerable effort” to attend the show, and through her singing, dancing, storytelling, sweating and strutting both on the main stage as the long catwalk, she rewarded them mightily.
The Eras Tour will cross the country for 51 more dates through August, including a second round at Glendale on Saturday. As feisty as Swift is at 33 years old, this is a grueling show that will require tremendous stamina over the next five months.
But if any artist can achieve the level of perfection she demands of herself, it’s Swift.
Here are some highlights from Swift’s career overview.
The ‘Lover’ era
As Lesley Gore’s 1963 statement song “You Don’t Own Me” echoed through the stadium, a clock ticked off to show the time — as if these Swifty disciples needed their anticipation.
“Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” served as the opening salvo as Swift, slim in sequined silver boots and a leotard that evoked the pastel motif from her “Lover” album, rose from beneath the catwalk onto a massive platform that became a frequent set piece during the show.
Since Swift never toured behind her 2019 album due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this marked the live debut of “Cruel Summer” and also allowed for a cheeky presentation of “The Man,” with Swift donning an oversized sparkly jacket to frolic on a sleek office set and a cool remix of ‘You Need to Calm Down’.
Her joy to return to the stage for the first time since 2018 was palpable. Swift took in the admiration for a moment.
“I don’t know how to deal with the way I feel right now,” she said, visibly moved.
The ‘fearless’ era
Swift hopped out in a short gold dress and matching guitar as she spun through a trio of tracks from her 2008 release.
A quartet of band members followed her in formation as she roamed the runway during “You Belong With Me.” She ended the song with her arms wrapped around her four backup singers before segueing into a punchy “Love Story.”
The ‘Evermore’ era
A backdrop of trees and a dark theatrical theme introduced ‘Tis the Damn Season’, another live debut.
In a rust-colored floral dress and forest green cape, Swift sank into a cloud of dry ice for the ethereal “Willow” before descending the catwalk and spinning as if inhabited by the ghost of Stevie Nicks.
But the highlight of the second of the pair of folk-inflected albums Swift released during the pandemic came with “Champagne Problems,” which she performed while seated at a moss-covered piano. As emotions escalated in the song, the fiery crowd screamed along with every word, sharing in its merry venom.
The era of ‘reputation’
From the first glimpse of a snake on the video screens, it was clear that Swift would next delve into her polarizing 2017 release and she came equipped with the perfect outfit – a fierce one-legged black and red bodysuit.
These songs are always imbued with attitude, and Swift and her crew grunted proficiently and threw sultry looks as they continued through “Ready For It?” Rays of light surrounded Swift as she roared during the pop-metal crunch of the anything but “Delicate,” and a cool display of outfits from throughout her career — worn by her dancers — combined with the electro-goth romp, “Look What You Made Me Do .
The ‘red’ era
Appropriately, the stage was framed in a crimson hue as Swift blazed through the carefree atmosphere of “22” throwing some mischievous stare-downs against the thunderous heartbeat of “Trouble.”
But it was the long version of “All Too Well,” which Swift says she sang as a thank you to the fans, that captivated as audiences warmly applauded the words of the labyrinthine story song.
The ‘Folklore’ era
Swift picked seven songs from her Grammy-winning 2020 release, dotting her selections, including “Invisible String” and “My Tears Ricochet,” with beautiful simplicity to match her elegantly billowing purple gown.
While her voice transitioned easily from soft to powerful throughout the show, Swift’s vocals on the poignant “Betty,” with its sing-along chorus, soared as one of her best of the night.
The era of ‘1989’
Perhaps her most consistently perky album, which is named after Swift’s birth year, contains countless gems.
The gliding “Style” and the undiminished “Blank Space,” with its epic chorus, unfolded with a wink and a click as dancers with Day Glo golf clubs took their best swing at a car (on video).
Hearing the giddy “Shake it Off” after the thoughtful characterizations of “Folklore” served as an after-meal sundae.
The Age of the Midnights
Swift followed an acoustic segment — which she said she hopes to change every show — with an aquatic-themed segment that began with the hazy feelings of “Lavender Haze” (and yes, she wore a lavender ensemble).
Her recent hit “Anti-Hero” positioned herself as another addition to her canon that will be heard on tours for years to come, while Swift and her dancers paid homage to Bob Fosse’s “Chicago” with a sneaky chair routine to “Vigilante S —.”
At the end of the show, as confetti rained onto the stage, Swift took her curtain call with her entire performance team before soloing on a victory lap to express her gratitude to her devotees one more time.
At 6:30pm sharp, Gayle opened the night, delivering a tight set of melodic rockers, including the Grammy-nominated “abcdefu” and a solid cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.”
Paramore’s pop-punk-rock styles followed just before 7pm, with frontwoman Hayley Williams, sporting red ankle boots and constantly gyrating hips, hopping across the stage and catwalk during their nine-song, 40-minute set.
There was plenty of singing along to ‘That’s What You Get’, ‘Misery Business’ and closing in on ‘Ain’t It Fun’, while the band also broke out the swinging ballad – not a favorite of Williams’, she admitted – ‘The Only Exception.”
A smorgasbord from Swift
