Pop Break Live: Taylor Swift ‘Generations’ Tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday May 14, 2023
“And I don’t know how it gets better than this.”
Not only is this the beginning of the classic chorus from Taylor Swift’s “Fearless,” but something I kept reiterating to myself at every conceivable moment during the final night of The Eras Tour stop in Philadelphia.
Sunday May 14th was special for a multitude of reasons.
First, it was a homecoming show for Swift, who was born 40 minutes outside of Philadelphia in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Secondly, the show was on Mother’s Day, and during her massive 45-song setlist she would dedicate “The Best Day” — making its tour debut during the surprise songs part of the evening — to her mother.
Perhaps the most special part of the show came early in the evening. Just after Swift appeared on stage hidden between dancers and their giant flowing capes, the multi-time Grammy Award-winner launched into “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Kid” followed by “Cruel Summer” — a fan favorite from the Lover era.
In her lead up to “The Man,” Swift said to the audience, “You’re making me feel like the first artist to ever play in this stadium three nights in a row.”
This of course is a huge feat, but based on the reported 20,000+ people who stood outside Lincoln Financial Field just to listen to the show the night before, it made perfect sense. In all honesty, with the performance that Swift gave throughout the night, the bewildering number of songs, costume changes, and the magnificent digital and practical stage production, she could have easily sold out any of the stops on this tour for weeks, let alone days.
The Eras Tour is Swift’s first tour since 2018’s Reputation Tour. Since then she has recorded four new albums, and re-recorded two album from her iconic discography. The previously mentioned expansive 45-song setlist encompassed nine of her ten albums and featured everything from mega hits like “Shake It Off,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Look What You Made Me Do” to deep album cuts “betty,” as well as the extended Taylor’s Version of “All Too Well,” which earned Swift a Grammy for Best Music Video in 2022.
The setlist was divided by era/album and featured multiple costume changes and both practical sets and incredible digital visuals that blended past music videos and dynamic art that transported you to each of Swift’s different eras of her rich musical career. Eras like Folklore and Evermore really popped off the stage and featured storybook visuals, a treehouse set (complete with a smoking chimney), and costumes that look like they were straight out of a Lord of the Rings film.
This wasn’t just any concert, it was a highly produced, well-oiled, Broadway-esque spectacular. With The Eras Tour, Swift has reached an all new level of performer that will be hard to rival or top for many years to come.
Setlist
Lover
Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince (shortened)
Cruel Summer
The Man
You Need to Calm Down (shortened)
Lover (spoken intro)
The Archer (extended outro)
Fearless
Fearless (shortened)
You Belong With Me
Love Story
evermore
’tis the damn season(shortened)
willow
Marjorie (shortened)
champagne problems (spoken intro)
tolerate it (extended intro w/ keys)
reputation
…Ready for It? (extended intro)
Delicate
Don’t Blame Me (shortened)
Look What You Made Me Do
Speak Now
Enchanted (extended intro)
Red
22
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
I Knew You Were Trouble (shortened)
Nothing New (with Phoebe Bridgers)
All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (spoken intro)
folklore
the 1
betty (spoken intro)
the last great american dynasty
august
illicit affairs (shortened)
my tears ricochet
cardigan
1989
Style (shortened)
Blank Space
Shake It Off
Wildest Dreams (shortened)
Bad Blood (shortened)
Surprise Songs
Hey Stephen (Tour debut)
The Best Day (Tour debut )
Midnights
Lavender Haze
Anti‐Hero
Midnight Rain
Vigilante Shit
Bejeweled
Mastermind
Karma
Comments are closed.