Breaking Down The Biggest Changes Made To Taylor Swift's Eras Tour After The Tortured Poets Department's Release
Whenever one of Taylor Swift’s upcoming projects finally comes out, pandemonium ensues, and Swifties dissect every single detail about it. While her kicking back into high gear for the Eras Tour doesn’t feel like anything new, her first show in Paris proved to be something we weren’t expecting at all. This is because she didn’t just add a set for The Tortured Poets Department, oh no, many other changes were made, and we’re here to break down the biggest updates made to this worldwide phenomenon of a tour.
Updated The Intro To Include The Tortured Poets Department
Before Taylor Swift appears on the stage singing “Miss. Americana and The Heartbreak Prince,” a gorgeous and dramatic intro plays that features her saying all the names of her albums. Now, as you can see in the video below, The Tortured Poets Department has been added to the intro:
While everyone knew TTPD would probably be added to the setlist, seeing this intro for the first time really drove the point home that this album is now a chapter in the epic that is the Eras Tour setlist.
The Order Of The Eras Changed
Maybe the biggest jump scare of the show came when Swifties realized the order of the sets had changed. We’ve become so accustomed to the show Swift has been performing for over a year that altering the order of its sections was jarring in the best way.
To illustrate the differences in the setlist, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the order Swift goes through her albums in The Eras Tour pre and post-The Tortured Poets Department's release:
As you can see, along with adding The Tortured Poets Department, Red was moved up in the set, and folklore and evermore were combined. These two actions have made it so the overall order of the show is very different in terms of the way we journey through the albums.
Taylor Swift Mashed Folklore And Evermore Together, Creating ‘Folkmore’
Arguably, the biggest change Swift made to the concert (other than adding the TTPD set, but more on that later) came when everyone realized the folklore and evermore sets had been combined into one. According to a TikTok posted by alanathegreat, the pop star said:
On the Eras Tour, we have now reunited the sisters and combined them into one chapter. You can call it folkmore, you can call it everlore, you can call it the sister albums. You can call it anything you want as long as you promise to sing ‘champagne problems.’
The combination of the two albums means this is where the greatest number of cuts happened. From evermore, Swift left out “tis the damn season” and “tolerate it.” And from folklore she cut “the 1” and “the last great american dynasty.” At this point, here’s what the folkmore set looks like:
cardigan
betty
champagne problems
august
illicit affairs
my tears ricochet
willow
marjorie
As someone who gained a new appreciation for folklore and evermore after seeing the Eras Tour concert movie, these cuts hurt just a little bit. However, it’s impossible to deny how logical it is for her to combine the sister albums to add some time to her show.
Lover And Speak Now Also Have Shorter Set Lists
Along with losing songs from folklore and evermore, Swift cut one song from her Lover set and one from Speak Now. Much like when we found out the Eras Tour movie would be shorter than the live concert, the release of TTPD made me nervous that other songs would be cut. Sadly, in this process, we lost “The Archer” and “Long Live.”
“The Archer” was the number that closed out the Lover set, and it was wonderful seeing Swift perform it by herself during the opening section of the concert. Sadly, it got cut for time, and it will be dearly missed.
Along with that, we lost one of the two songs in the Speak Now set, “Long Live.” When I saw The Eras Tour live, it was a week after she had added “Long Live” to the setlist, and it was amazing! The song is written for the fans, and screaming it along with Taylor Swift as she played that koi fish guitar was one of my favorite moments. However, sadly the track was cut, and now many Swifties are feeling like this:
For those wondering about the unmentioned sets, the tracklists for Fearless, Red, Reputation, 1989 and Midnights stayed the same. Swift also still performs two surprise songs – at her first show back, it was “Paris” and “loml.”
While these updates are hard losses to take, it’s logical why she did it, because, as we’re going to talk about next, The Tortured Poets Department now has its own set.
The Tortured Poets Department Set Was Added
Yes, we lost a few songs, but we also gained so much with the addition of The Tortured Poets Department. Donning a gorgeous white dress that features a skirt that has the lyrics to songs on the album all over it in cursive, Taylor Swift brought the theatrics and the drama to this set.
The song selection for this section is also top tier because Swift chose to perform (in this order):
But Dady, I Love Him
So High School
Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
Down Bad
Fortnight
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
All-in-all Swift’s set brings some of the most heartbreaking lyrics on TTPD to life, and it immerses the audience into the white world of The Tortured Poets Department.
Every Set Got A New Outfit…Except Reputation
Now, the Eras Tour outfits have always been rotating and changing. However, normally we don’t get basically all new ensembles in one night, but here we are!
Here's a breakdown of each set and the outfit Swift wore during it:
Lover: She wore an orange and pink bodysuit with matching blazer.
Fearless: Swift donned a black and silver dress reminiscent of one of her outfits from the Fearless tour.
Red: Taylor Swift debuted a new “22” T-shirt that read “This is not Taylor’s Version.”
Speak Now: We got another “dress shaped like a pastry,” but this time it’s light pink.
Reputation: Stayed the same.
Folklore + Evermore Combo Set: She wore a new yellow flowy dress. Color-wise, it matched evermore; cut-wise it was totally folklore.
1989: A completely new two-piece set that’s blue and pink with mismatched colored booties was debuted.
The Tortured Poets Department: Like the set, the outfits – a white dress and a black set – were brand new.
Midnights: Swift put on a new fringy bodysuit with a different cut but the same midnight blue colors.
The level of freakout about all these new outfits reminded me a lot of the time she debuted a ton of blue fits when she announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in Los Angeles. It was honestly crazy to see everything get a new look…except for Reputation.
So, is it a sign that the re-release of Reputation is coming? I wouldn’t put it past Taylor Swift…
Overall, while there were some substantial changes made, the Eras Tour is still very much what it always has been, a celebration of Taylor Swift’s discography. As she continues on this new leg of her tour, we’ll be sure to keep you posted about any changes that are made to her show.
