Her new “Eras” tour, promising a journey “through all the musical eras of my career,” was announced Tuesday (Nov. 1) and will visit U.S. stadiums beginning in March 2023. But to consider what this tour’s setlist might resemble is like trying to understand the true size of our galaxy — there’s just so much … of everything.
There are synth-pop bangers, the acoustic slow burns, the twangy throwbacks, the fan-worshiped deep cuts — not to mention the fact that Swift has dropped six No. 1 albums totaling 86 new or previously unreleased songs since her last roadshow, the Reputation Tour, in 2018.
Where does one even begin to cobble together an ideal setlist that can represent her prolific catalog and celebrate her latest world-beater in Midnights? Right here, that’s where!
Below is our dream setlist, which visits all 10 of her studio albums, keeps past tour tendencies in mind, and still makes the spectacle somewhat manageable. By our count, she could blast through all these hits and medleys in about two-and-a-half hours — a reasonable show length, considering it’s her first trek in nearly five years.
This set would surely bring incredible highs and torrents of tears — what more could a Swiftie want? Until then, we’ll keep dreaming!
ACT I: ‘Midnights’
After weeks, months and years of anticipation, the stadium lights finally drop. The crowd shrieks in elation and relief, shaking the concrete. A montage begins to play on the massive video screens of Swift through the years, from the country-pop teen years all the way through smoldering Midnights. She winks at the camera and the video screen cuts to black, it’s silent for a moment, and then we hear “It’s me. Hi.” The crowd erupts again. But “Anti-Hero” doesn’t begin. Instead the screens begin to part, light purple smoke pouring through, and the bass kicks in …
“Lavender Haze”
In line with her 1989 and Reputation tours, Swift launches into her marathon set with the bumping opening track of her most recent album. Instantly, it’s a spectacle of maximalist pop fury: A dozen dancers, in full choreo, with Swift at the center, swaying her hips, donning some sort of purple and black sequined one-piece. The heavy bassline quakes the stadium as 55,000 LED wristbands flash lavender, keeping time. A fever pitch is reached immediately, and many fans burst into tears. It’s finally happening. She’s here.
(Video) my ideal setlist for The Eras Tour 2023 - stage, concept, mashups // Taylor Swift tour predictions"Vigilante Shit"
She’s hunting early, out for blood. The bass drops again, the crowd is a volcano. Swift struts her troupe of dancers down onto the single runway, which bisects the stadium floor and leads to an empty B-stage (more on that later). At the center of the runway, Swift is all business; stone face, steely glances. The runway is lit crimson red. “Lately I’ve been dressing for revenge,” she croons, the crowd howling in chorus.
"Karma"
The mood lightens, she returns to the main stage for this new banger, complete with kitschy visuals on the screen — her three kitties appear, of course, for the “Karma is a cat” line. A backup dancer dons a feline mask, Swift pats him on the head.
"Bejeweled"
Still in glittery pure-pop bliss, Swift tears through the tune, rocking a jewel-studded cane or hat (or both!), and on the line “I can still make the whole place shimmer,” a wave of flickering, gem-reflective light flows through the LED wristbands. Technology!
"Anti-Hero"
The first act ends with the already beloved Midnights single, with leagues of similarly self-loathing fans absolutely belting, “It’s Me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.” The moment is massive, cathartic, and fuels an influx of therapy bookings as soon as the concert finishes.
ACT II: ‘Fearless’ / ‘Taylor Swift’
As Swift trots off the change costumes, a video interlude plays, ethereal at first, then with some flickers of twang — echoes of “Fifteen,” “White Horse” and “Teardrops on My Guitar.” Fans slowly realize what’s next. She’s taking them all the way back.
“Hey Stephen” / “The Way I Loved You” / “Fearless” / “Mr. Perfectly Fine”
A big, fun, full-band mash-up of uptempo Fearless tunes kicks off the mini-set. Guitarist, bassist, drummer and violinist all trot out, reminiscent of Swift’s earlier tours (the dancers take a break backstage). Swift is donning some sort of knee-length dress. It finishes with “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” the hella-hooky vault track included last year on the Fearless (Taylor’s Version), nodding to the album’s past and present.
“Tim McGraw” / “Picture to Burn” / “Our Song” / “Should’ve Said No”
The Swiftie lifers — the ones who still wear cowboy boots to her shows and bemoaned the lack of self-titled stuff on her last two tours — get their moment in the spotlight during this big, bright mash-up. Swift thanks the fans who’ve been with her from the VERY beginning. The pop stans don’t know these songs well and run to the bathroom. The line is too long. They snag another hard seltzer.
“You Belong With Me” / “Love Story”
She reprises the mash-up of her two monster Fearless hits as she did on the Reputation tour. It played great then, it’s even better now. Swift is bouncing around, solo on the center ramp, the band jamming hard behind her. She strolls back to center stage and descends into the floor, as fans who’ve been with her for 15 years consider their own mortality.
(Video) my dream setlist for taylor swift's the eras tour! | gitzie raeACT III: ‘Reputation’
Another interlude, but this time it’s just a black screen and a low, faceless hum. The crowd doesn’t know what to make of it, until the back of Swift’s head appears on the screen. She turns around, brings her hand to her cheek. There’s a slithering snake ring on her finger. “Are you ready for it?” she asks the camera. The screen cuts to black, columns of fire blast on the main stage, and Swift rises from the smoke …
“Look What You Made Me Do”
No towering inflatable snake this time, but the dauntless lead single off Reputation still goes hard. The dancers are back, matching Swift’s black and gold get-up, like a goddess of war. The deafening bass vibrates the hair on 110,000 arms.
“I Did Something Bad” / “Don’t Blame Me”
The thrilling medley sears with more bursts of flame and full choreography. The dancers lift Swift up and carry her around for a while, giving her feet a break from the knee-high heeled boots.
“King of My Heart” / “Delicate” (piano versions)
The show slows down for a few minutes as Swift plinks through a solo version of “King of My Heart” on the black baby grand piano that’s appeared at center stage. She plays a verse and chorus before a quick transition into the more swelling “Delicate.” With the heavy synth pulled off Swift’s vocal, the track achieves newfound vulnerability. The platform on which the piano sits lifts about 20 feet high for a small spectacle and then descends back into the stage, Swift still sitting there.
ACT IV: ‘Speak Now’
At this point, the crowd understands the game: Every time Swift leaves the stage, a new album era is soon to follow. But which one is next? The answer comes soon as the stage lights up — in purple. The interlude hits “Dear John” and “Haunted,” the heavy strings cutting off to begin …
“Sparks Fly” / “Mine” / “Long Live”
Swift is back out with the band, glamorous in a purple mini-dress, guitar in her hand for this epic medley, which crests on the triumphant chorus of “Long Live,” the crowd delirious with joy, belting along. Somewhere high above the stadium, a pilot asks his co-pilot, “Hey, did you hear that?”
“Mean” (rock version) / “Better than Revenge”
The teeth come out. No banjo but electric guitar, as “Mean” gets a pop-punk treatment that feeds right into “Better than Revenge,” which is practically a Paramore song. Everyone thinks of their ex and shouts along.
"Enchanted"
Swift jams the full, original version, chugging on her six-string, down on the center ramp — but look, the ramp lifts into a mechanical arm that carries Swift around the stadium, singing her heart out as fans in the cheap seats get a closer look. Luckily, “Enchanted” is almost six minutes long, giving the contraption enough time to swing all the way around.
(Video) MY DREAM ERAS TOUR SETLIST!ACT V: ‘Folklore’ / ‘Evermore’
All night, fans have glanced back at the B-stage at the opposite end of the stadium floor, wondering when it would be used. Now is the time, as an extended interlude of Swift ambling through grayscale scenes of pine trees and meadows plays on the screen. Pieces of “The 1,” “Invisible String,” “Champagne Problems” and “No Body, No Crime” can be heard.
“Cardigan” / “August” / “Betty”
The stage platform lifts into view, revealing a cozy, lamp-lit auxiliary stage with a three-piece band: Drummer, pianist and Swift on guitar, hair pulled into a loose braid, wearing a chic jacket. Did it just get colder in here? They dutifully play the trio of tunes bound to the Folklore main characters of Betty, Inez and James, and fans who spent most of quarantine trying to unpack the twisted story lines squeal with glee.
“Exile” (with Justin Vernon)
It seems like it’s just the pianist and Swift at the old-fashioned microphone for this beast of a duet, but then, trotting up the side stairs that lead to the small stage, it’s none other than Justin Vernon of Bon Iver to repay the favor Swift did him, emerging to perform “Exile” at his London show last month. Will this happen every tour night? No, but this is OUR dream setlist, and on this night, it happens!
"Willow"
Vernon leaves and Swift rekindles some of the magic of her 2021 Grammy Awards performance, merging the campfire jaunt of “Willow” with stadium swell. The vibes are many levels beyond immaculate.
ACT IV: ‘1989’
While the crowd has been lulled into a state of tranquil folk-pop euphoria, the energy begins to build again, especially as people realize which albums have yet to be touched — and all the smashes they contain. Suddenly, the drum claps and bright synth of “Welcome to New York” start to pulse from the PA, giving way to “Out of the Woods.” The party is back on.
"Blank Space"
Swift returns to the main stage, rocking a shining silver leotard and red lipstick, and as soon as “Blank Space” kicks in, the crowd collectively loses its mind. The encompassing human noise of 55,000 fans screaming “Nice to meet you, where you been” sets off local seismographs and some fans’ cell phones alert them they are experiencing an earthquake. Worth it.
"Style"
All swagger and glitz, Swift walks the runway with her dancers. It doesn’t quite match her 2015 gig at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where Heidi Klum and the Women’s U.S. Soccer Team trailed behind her, but it’s still epic.
"Wildest Dreams"
Unlimited vibes. Bottomless aesthetic. BOGO joy and rapture.
(Video) trying to create the Era's Tour setlist (level: impossible)"Shake It Off"
Swift is dancing, the dancers are dancing, the crowd is dancing, the concession workers are dancing, the dutiful dads in the audience — who know this song from their niece’s wedding — are dancing. Pure, goofy glee.
ACT VII: ‘Lover’
Swift leaves again, the stadium goes dark again. No one wants to leave but people do begin to wonder which era will close the show — the most dramatic one, or the one that never got its due. But then they see it, it starts in the pit and rises through the stadium. The LED wristbands … they’ve all turned pink.
"Cruel Summer"
Remember in summer 2020, when all anyone wanted was a “Cruel Summer” music video, and then Folklore happened, rerouting the course of Swift’s career? Well, the long-awaited bop of all bops is finally performed live — Swift is in pink and magenta, hair pulled into a ponytail — and the pure pop stans revel in the monster bridge: “He looks up grinning like a devil!”
"You Need To Calm Down"
The heavy thump continues, as Swift pulls out a version of the choreography she did at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2019, her dancers scantily clad. The visuals on screen are rainbow camp; pride flags are seen waving around the stands. Swift is handed one from a fan in the pit and drapes it around her. Massive cheers.
“Death by a Thousand Cuts” (acoustic)
Guitar, microphone, solo on the center ramp. Maybe the finest piece of songwriting on all of Lover gets its moment, as the tongue-twisting (but effing amazing) bridge separates the diehard fans from the posers.
“Lover” (acoustic)
Still solo, still on the center ramp, it’s a sweeping, tender moment. She dedicates the song to all the lovers in the building, or anyone who’s ever loved anyone, or something. Couples hug, forgetting the argument in traffic on the way in.
ACT VIII: ‘Red’
It’s late. Fans are so overwhelmed with emotion they can barely tweet. But everyone does the math and realizes which is the last era standing. Oh god, it’s — everything goes red. Pieces of the title track, of “22,” of “I Knew You Were Trouble” play through the interlude. They are ready to be hurt again.
“State of Grace”
The live band is back, the drums kick in and it’s on — bounding pop-rock ecstasy. Swift’s final costume? You guessed it, all red, as she wails through the surging album opener.
(Video) THE ERAS TOUR SETLIST...you’re not ready“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
Swift slings on an electric guitar, as she has in past tour versions of this smash — her first-ever No. 1 Hot 100 single — and tears apart the rock-heavy version. As fans cheer and sing in unison on the final chorus, their wristbands blinking red, torrents of broken-heart-shaped confetti are sprayed from cannons, covering the floor and lower bowl. Some people think the show’s over — the dads motion to the stairs, gotta beat the traffic! — but Swift never leaves the stage. Everyone knows what still has to happen.
“Nothing New” (with Phoebe Bridgers)
But first, a bridge to melancholia — featuring opener and empress of emo Phoebe Bridgers! To commemorate the huge re-release of Red in fall 2021, Swift and Bridgers stand beside each other to perform this slow-burning vault track, which is a brilliant duet and a glorious, bleeding bummer.
“All Too Well” (10 Minute Version)
Swift hugs Bridgers before she exits and then walks back to the center ramp, where she’s handed a guitar for the last time. Single spotlight, she speaks into the microphone, thanking everyone for coming, for waiting, for sticking with her all this time. And she urges them to sing along once more as she begins to strum. A few cell phone lights appear, then more and soon the stadium is a night sky. Fans try to sing quietly so they can still hear Taylor, but as the song builds to “maybe we got lost in translation,” no one can hold it any longer. Unbridled, feral bedlam. Open weeping. Puddles of tears forming on the stadium floor. Everyone is emotionally ruined, but overjoyed at all they’ve witnessed this night. It’s truly been a journey through the eras, a banner cross-section of Swift’s luminous career so far, and all they have left to wonder is, “What’s next?”
FAQs
The Dream Setlist for Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ Tour? ›
Taylor Swift - It's Been a Long Time (remake of "The Eras Tour" opening) - YouTube.
What songs will Taylor Swift sing on Era tour? ›- Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.
- Cruel Summer.
- The Man.
- You Need to Calm Down.
- Lover.
- The Archer.
- Fearless.
- You Belong With Me.
- 'Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince'
- 'The Man'
- 'The Archer'
- 'Cruel Summer'
- 'You Need to Calm Down'
- 'Lover'
How much does Taylor Swift make per show? Swift reportedly makes an estimated $9 million per concert, but that sum is likely spread amongst Swift, her team, promoters, venues and touring production expenses.