'I've Seen Taylor Swift Perform Over 25 Times—Here Are the 13 Biggest Surprises During Opening Night of the Eras Tour'
One superfan tells Parade about the best moments from Taylor Swift's new tour.
One of the reasons Taylor Swift is such a popular artist is not only due to her immense talent, but also her relatability—millions of strangers feel like she's someone they could get along with so easily. Meanwhile, for Sofia Jain, 26, that's a reality that she's experienced firsthand and now knows all too well (in the best way).
From being followed by Swift on Tumblr back when Jain was 17 years old in 2014, to attending a Secret Session ahead of reputation's release, being invited to reputation's release party, getting tagged in a photo posted to Swift's Instagram and experiencing PLENTY of concerts and interactions in between, Jain has been blown away by all of the generosity and genuine kindness that Swift has consistently shown over the years.
Courtesy Sofia Jain
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Jain flew out to attend the first night of the Eras Tour, and while she had been to 20 of Taylor's concerts previously (along with a handful of other performances as well), she had no idea what was in store for this brand new tour.
"Every moment of it was a surprise, from the setlist, outfits Taylor wore, jokes she made and more!" Jain tells Parade.
Related: 'I Polish Up Real Nice'—15 Best TikTok Videos of Fans Dressing Up as Taylor Swift Eras
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From the most unexpected songs to Taylor addressing the crowd to an acoustic rendition of a folklore favorite and so much more, here are some of the biggest takeaways and special moments from the "surreal" opening night of the Eras Tour, shared by "the lovely Sofia Jain" as Taylor Swift has previously tagged her.
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13 Biggest Surprises During Opening Night of the Eras Tour
Courtesy Sofia Jain
1. Entrance
One detail that had fans excited right at the start of the show? "The countdown at the beginning before she came on stage—she’s never done that before," Jain tells Parade.
2. Opening Song
"No one predicted her to open with 'Miss Americana,'" Jain says. Other songs that came as a surprise? "My Tears Ricochet," "Marjorie," "Tolerate It" and "Vigilante S--t."
Courtesy Sofia Jain
3. Throwing It Back
"One of the coolest elements was that she incorporated a little bit from the tours of each album that she went on tour with (like the 1989 golf club, 'Shake It Off' outfit, the way she performed 'Enchanted' on Speak Now, [wearing] sparkly oxfords for Red, etc.)—she also made each one a little bit new as well," Jain says.
4. Crowd Favorite
According to Jain, "When she sang 'Cruel Summer,' the whole stadium erupted."
5. Heightened Emotions
"Her talking about how much she missed us so many times made us almost cry (and some of us did!)," Jain admits.
Related: We Might Be Called Swifties, But What Are the 15+ Nicknames For Taylor Swift Herself?
6. Lover Fest 2.0
"The whole lover part felt surreal—it reminded us of 'Lover Fest' and what it could've been," says Jain.
Courtesy Sofia Jain
7. Fan Traditions
Not necessarily a surprise, but Jain shared that one of her favorite core memories during opening night was when the entire crowd yelled, "1, 2, 3, let's go b---h!" during "Delicate," which was a tradition that began during the reputation tour.
Courtesy Sofia Jain
8. Taylor Addressing Theories About evermore
Jain tells Parade that Swift was "roasting us for saying she doesn't like evermore," telling the crowd, “The evermore album, which is an album I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, despite what some of y’all say on TikTok.”
9. The "LWYMMD" Moment
Another favorite moment? "Finally hearing Taylor scream, 'cause she's dead' during ['Look What You Made Me Do']."
10. An Acoustic Take
"Her singing 'Mirrorball' as the surprise song was incredible and it’s one of my favorite songs—hearing it acoustic was so beautiful," Jain tells Parade.
Courtesy Sofia Jain
11. Surprise Songs
According to Jain, during the tour, "[Swift] told us she would try to perform a different song that she’s never done live before each time."
Courtesy Sofia Jain
12. The Set List Length
While Swifties have been wondering for months just how many of their favorite songs they might have a chance to hear, unsure of just how many hits will be able to be performed in one show, Jain says there was actually a shocking amount of songs on the set list. The final number? 44!
13. Closing the Show
Fans have been curious about the opening and closing numbers, so one of the biggest surprises of the night was the song selected to end the show. "'Karma' as a closer was such incredible energy—the whole stadium was singing so loud and dancing and just so happy," Jain shares.
Follow Sofia for more! @sofiaeatsnyc & @sofiajain on Instagram, @sofiaeatsnyc on TikTok and @avocadoswifts on Twitter.
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