Taylor Swift Slays Nashville During First of Three Sold-Out Shows

If there is only one concert that you are thinking of going to see this year, make it the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. Even the slight rain (early on) couldn’t dampen the spirits of the Swifties who descended on Nashville Friday night (May 5) for the first of three sold-out shows at Nissan Stadium.

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The crowd arrived early and ready to go, taking in the opening acts, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers, who was celebrating her first night on the Eras Tour. In addition to her 30 minute set, the celebration saw Bridgers bring out two of her close friends, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, who with Bridgers, make up the Supergroup boygenius, to the delight of the concert-goers.

A light rain began to fall down from the cloud filled skies but the fans were unaffected, pulling out their ponchos (already prepared since the forecast called for rain) as their anticipation for Swift’s entrance outweighed the slight annoyance.

That’s when the countdown clock began. A two minute warning until Swift made her entrance on the stage. The excitement was palpable. The crowd was giddy and the cheers began, getting louder as the clock wound down closer to 0:00. And just like that, Swift appeared center stage to kick off the show with her Lover Era.

“Oh hi,” Swift said following the opening number of “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” as if surprised to see 70,000+ (setting a single night attendance record at Nissan Stadium) of her closest friends show up in her living room.

Photo by Lisa Konicki

Ever the entertainer, Swift didn’t stop singing and dancing (each song expertly choreographed) for the almost 3 1/2 hour show, akin to a Broadway theatrical production, where costume changes and set decoration were paramount. A 70 foot screen as the backdrop (as well as a screen at the back of the stadium) insured every seat in the house had a clear line of sight to the stage as well as the eye catching, fantastical graphics, and an assortment of back up dancers that enhanced the magic that is Taylor Swift.

Kicking off with her Lover Era, from her 2019 Lover album, Swift ran through songs like “Cruel Summer,” “You Need to Calm Down” and “The Archer,” bringing her idea of the era and imagination to life. Upon entry, fans were handed light up bracelets that perfectly turned on during Taylor’s set, timed to each beat of her songs.

Photo by Lisa Konicki

Each era saw a short break and outfit change before moving on to the next. Starting out in the silver sequined shorts romper, with silver sparkling cowboy boots, Swift made the change to gold fringed sequined dress with gold sparkling cowboy boots for her Fearless era, where she sang only 3 songs from the 2008 album, including “Fearless,” “You Belong To Me,” and “Love Story.”

The whimsical era of evermore followed with a fantasy setting of forest-like scenenery, and songs that included “’tis the damn season,” “champagne problems” and “marjorie.”

“What are you trying to do to me. Oh my God, that was so beautiful,” Swift said to the audience after singing “marjorie.” “I love you guys so much, that was so meaningful and so special.”

From whimsical to badass, Swift made the transition seem effortless as she took on the reputation era. Decked out in a red and black body hugging outfit, with snake patterns winding down one leg (the other leg was bare), Swift belted out classics “…Ready For It?” “Delicate,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “Look What you Made Me Do.”

Photo by John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Switching back to the fairytale theme in a cinderella-like ballgown, Swift performed “Enchanted” from her 2010 Speak Now album before engulfing the stadium and audience in red lights and decor for her Red era, singing “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” She then captivated fans with the full 10-minute version of “All Too Well.”

“I’ve gotten to record and release that [Red] album twice now because a few years ago I decided to re-record my first six albums,” said Swift to a screaming crowd. “I have to be honest with you guys. That started out as a passion project just for me. I wanted to own my work, I wanted to own my art. I didn’t care how it did commercially because it was for me, it was a passion project. And that’s where you came in and you were like, ‘No, we got you.” You consistently keep doing the nicest things anyone has ever done for me, for me. I can’t thank you enough.”

Folklore got the most attention as Swift performed 8 songs from the 2020 album, including “betty,” “cardigan,” “august,” and “the last great american dynasty.” Returning in a pink crop top and skirt, both with fringe and sparkling sequins, Swift went into “Style,” “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Bad Blood.”

Then came a moment that Swift fans had been waiting for and they didn’t even know it. The pop star nonchalantly revealed that her Speak Now album is the next to get the Taylor’s version treatment and it will be released to fans on July 7.

“You know how I love to surprise you. It’s my love language with you,” Swift shared with fans. “I plot. I scheme. I plan. And then I get to tell you about it.” That’s when the album and release date were splashed across the enormous screens within the stadium and the crowd erupted in screams loud enough to pierce eardrums.

Photo by Lisa Konicki

As par for the tour course, Swift surprised her fans with 2 new songs not on her setlist. Nashville was lucky enough to get treated to “Sparks Fly” from Speak Now and “Teardrops on My Guitar” from her 2006 debut album.

It was then that fans knew the evening was coming to an end. With 1 album left to go, Swift shared her most recent work, performing songs from the 2022 released Midnights album. In a colorful display of showmanship, with backup dancers taking over the stage, Swift ran from one end of the stage to the other, singing “Midnight Rain,” “Bejeweled” and “Mastermind,” following an outstanding and quite sexy performance of “Vigilante Shit.”

“Karma” closed out the night with Swift and crew taking a bow as fireworks burst into the night’s sky, signaling the end of… well, an Eras Tour.

Sell out crowds, broken attendance records and Eras worth of music have once again proven and solidified that Swift is not an ordinary performer but a first class entertainer with many more eras ahead of her.