Taylor Swift Fans Think Latest Eras Tour Show Had a Bold Message for Ex Joe Alwyn
Taylor Swift; Joe Alwyn
Taylor Swift just put on another show-stopping concert in Melbourne, Australia—and her fans are still reeling.
The "Anti-Hero" singer continued the international leg of her Eras Tour this month, and her performance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, Feb. 17, left fans absolutely awe-struck by the surprise Swift pulled out of her sleeve during the show. In fact, they think she may have sent a message to her ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.
As her fans know all too well, Swift plays an acoustic set at each concert featuring one song on guitar and one on piano—but fans never know which songs she will pick.
The acoustic set—commonly called "the surprise songs" in the Swiftie universe—can be some of the most jaw-dropping points of the show, especially since Swift chooses any two songs from within her entire discography to perform.
During Saturday's show, the Grammy-winning artist pulled out all the stops by singing the fan-favorite track "Getaway Car" from her reputation album—but she didn't stop there.
She mashed up the song with the folklore track "August," which is already on the Eras Tour setlist and, therefore, was completely unexpected. And she topped things off by adding "The Other Side of the Door" from her Fearless album.
In addition to the shock of hearing three songs mixed together, fans couldn't help but notice each track has something in common: they all contain a message about cheating.
This immediately prompted Swifties to speculate if she performed that specific trio of songs for a reason. Many fans wondered if she hinted at the downfall of her relationship with Alwyn, 32.
Swift and Alwyn dated for six years before their split went public in April 2023, but the exact timeline of their relationship's breakdown is still somewhat unclear. Still, fans have always been curious about what caused their breakup, with many often wondering if he cheated on her—something Saturday's surprise songs seemed to align with.
"She saw people debating whether Joe cheated and had to confirm it imo [in my opinion]" one fan wrote on X in response to the latest surprise songs.
"She is clearly sending us a message," someone else theorized.
“Omg guys streets are saying yb cheated?”
Taylor: “I need y’all to ACTUALLY listen this time” pic.twitter.com/ReykXC8uYQ— ???????????????? ?? (@perfectlyfine89) February 17, 2024
"I didn't wanna believe it, but the evidence just keeps stacking up now," another X user reacted.
Another fan shared a picture with lyrics from each of the three songs that all point to someone having an affair, writing, "I'll just leave it here."
i’ll just leave it here pic.twitter.com/dGI8k3CNiT
— ver??nica?? (@VIsOnCorneliaSt) February 17, 2024
While there is definitely no confirmation about whether an affair was involved with Swift and Alwyn's breakup, fans hope for more insight when she drops her newest album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19.
Next: Why Taylor Swift Says She 'Never Needed Songwriting More' Than on Her New Album