Music
The 13 Greatest Moments From Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
The singer made every show of her history-making tour unique.
After 152 shows in 51 cities across five continents over the past two years, Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour ended on Dec. 8 in Vancouver, Canada. To say this marks the end of an era would be an understatement (and, yes, an intentional pun).
The Eras Tour was both a personal and global feat, with Swift performing a 45-song setlist from her 10 studio albums over an astounding 3-and-a-half hours, with one more album being added after April 2024. The tour boosted the economy of nearly every city it stopped in, with Swift breaking attendance records worldwide and achieving the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Perhaps most impressively, Swift made her epic spectacle feel personal and unique at every show, starting with her “Secret Songs” segment, where she performed two different acoustic tracks nightly. Along the way, she crafted many more surprises and Easter eggs to thrill fans, from guest performers and shout-outs to mash-ups and new songs.
Below, revisit the greatest moments from Swift’s history-making Eras Tour.
The Olympic Stage Dive
Swifties were utterly shook on opening night after realizing just how long the show was and how many songs were included. But they were arguably most shocked by Swift diving head-first into the B-stage and “swimming” through the catwalk back to her main stage for the Midnights act, which went off (almost) without a hitch every night. I’m still waiting for her Olympic medal.
The “Taylor’s Version” Announcements
At her May 5 show in Nashville, Swift delivered a huge surprise to fans by announcing the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), her third re-recording, before performing fan favorite “Sparks Fly” as her first Secret Song. She repeated that three months later, announcing 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on Aug. 9 (aka 8/9) and singing “New Romantics” to celebrate.
“Karma” Video Premiere
Swift used her Eras Tour stage for nearly everything, including music video premieres. At her May 25 show in New Jersey (attended by this writer), she and her dancers sat down onstage to watch her new music video for “Karma,” featuring Ice Spice, with the crowd. Just a few songs later, Ice Spice performed her verse on the remix.
Taylor Lautner’s Backflip
A few weeks later, Swift premiered her video for “I Can See You” at her July 7 show in Kansas City, bringing out her video’s stars Joey King, Presley Cash, and Taylor Lautner to introduce it. While the video was an exciting treat, Lautner’s entrance — walking on the catwalk and doing a backflip for no reason — was truly the most impressive.
The Very First Mash-up
At the start of the Eras Tour, Swift said her goal was to perform each “Secret Song” just once to get through her entire catalog. After hitting that mark, she mixed it up by creating new mash-ups of songs that shared some theme or emotion, starting on Nov. 12 in Buenos Aires with 1989 sister tracks “Is It Over Now?” and “Out of the Woods,” which left the crowd utterly spellbound.
Travis Kelce’s Special Shoutout
Travis Kelce first saw Swift’s Eras Tour in July 2023, where he tried to shoot his shot using a friendship bracelet. Months later, he returned in Buenos Aires as Swift’s boyfriend. In his honor, Swift changed the “Karma” lyrics to nod to his football team, singing, “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs,” which was met with absolute mayhem from fans and astonishment from Kelce himself.
The Tortured Poets Act
After releasing The Tortured Poets Department in April, fans expected Swift to incorporate the album into the ongoing Eras Tour — and she delivered in spades. Swift debuted an entirely new Tortured Poets act at her May 9 show in Paris, which she and her crew had rehearsed secretly for months. Between the cult imagery, moving rover, alien abduction, marching band, old Hollywood skit, and intricate choreography, it may have been the most immaculately crafted era of the entire show.
Hayley Williams’ Duet
At one of her shows in London, Swift finally joined forces with Hayley Williams, whose band Paramore had been opening for the European leg of the Eras Tour, to perform their duet, “Castles Crumbling.”
Travis’ Stage Debut
During her first weekend of London shows, Swift saved her best surprise for last when Kelce made a surprise appearance during the “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” skit. After falling in devastation during the previous song, Swift’s BF carried her to a bed and helped her dancers prepare her to perform again, hamming it up to the crowd as she attempted not to laugh.
Ed Sheeran’s Performance
When Swift returned to London on Aug. 15 for five more shows, she started out strong by bringing out longtime collaborator and friend Ed Sheeran during the Secret Songs segment. The duo sang a mashup of their beloved collabs “Everything Has Changed” and “End Game,” with a bit of Sheeran’s own “Thinking Out Loud” for good measure.
Florence Welch’s Surprise
Swift had another major surprise at her Aug. 20 show in London when she brought out Florence Welch to sing their Tortured Poets duet “Florida!!!” But this wasn’t just an average Secret Song. The duo crafted an entirely new performance with ominous lights and full-on choreography, which they repeated at all three shows in Miami from Oct. 18-20. They couldn’t not sing “Florida!!!” in Florida.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Moment
Sabrina Carpenter was Swift’s Eras Tour opener in Latin America, Australia, and Asia — and then had her breakout moment months later with Short n’ Sweet. In a full-circle moment, she returned to the Eras Tour stage on Oct. 26 in New Orleans as Swift’s surprise guest. She was introduced by a lovingly cheesy phone call before joining Swift onstage to sing “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” mashed up with “Is It Over Now?”
Taylor’s Final Secret Song
Tissues were required for Swift’s final Secret Song of the Eras Tour. Taking to her piano one last time on Dec. 8, Swift began with Speak Now’s “Long Live,” which she wrote as a message to her fans. She then went into Reputation’s “New Year's Day,” about the joys of cleaning up after a party, and ended with “The Manuscript” from The Tortured Poets Department, a ballad that essentially sums up this chapter of her career. It all made for her most emotional and career-defining mash-up to date.
