PHILADELPHIA – Anyone who lives anywhere near the Eastern Seaboard has likely already been inundated with news of the fanfare surrounding Taylor Swift’s concerts this weekend in South Philadelphia.
For the general public, the sentiment might be, “Enough already.” But for the some 70,000 Swifties who packed Lincoln Financial Field Saturday night, the 45-song set only left them wanting more, even though Swift had given them her all.
Considering the Ticketmaster debacle that frustrated fans who waited hours to get tickets last November — and tickets still selling for no less than $1,500 just a day ago — it seemed like a tall order for Saturday night’s performance to live up to the hype and fully deliver on expectations that mounted with every stop on the 20-city tour.
However, even the casual fan of Swift would have to agree that what took place at the Linc, among all those people gathered there together, was not just a concert — it was an experience, and one of a lifetime, at that.
Taken alone, Swift’s performance demonstrated why it should come as no surprise that the Pennsylvania native has 12 Grammy Awards to her name. The expansive array of hits spanning her career, the elaborate sets, the highly anticipated wardrobe changes, the exciting choreography — Swift and her team gave fans their all.
What elevated her performance to an experience, though, was that fans reciprocated. Somehow, a stadium full of mere strangers suddenly found solidarity — if only for their love of all things Taylor — and they shared the journey of revisiting all the “eras” of Swift’s musical evolution as if they were old friends reminiscing over life milestones.
There’s probably something to that. Swift’s self-titled first album was released in 2006 when the songstress was just 16 years old. Since then, she has released 10 albums, all featuring songs she either wrote or co-wrote.
From teenager to woman of the world, Swift has navigated through arguably the most transformative years of life in tandem with a good portion of her fan base. That’s part of what makes her music so relatable. It’s like the soundtrack to all of our lives — from bad breakups, to failed friendships, to feelings of insecurities that eventually give way to the confidence that comes only after weathering a few storms.
“I’ve been writing music since I was 12 years old, and so a lot of these songs started out being about something that happened to me in life, something I felt at one point or time, or maybe something that an imaginary character I made up felt,” she told the audience, “but here’s my goal for tonight — that when you leave this stadium, walking out, these songs are about us and the memories that we make together in this gorgeous stadium on a Saturday night in Philly.”
For fans at the Linc specifically, the relatability of Swift and her music was heightened by her being “one of us,” as she hails from Berks County. She was born in West Reading and lived in Wyomissing until she and her family moved to Tennessee when she was 14. If you asked anyone at the Linc, though, she’s once a Pennsylvania girl, always a Pennsylvania girl.
One of the striking aspects of Saturday night’s audience — aside from the obvious predominance of a female crowd — was how intergenerational it was. From preschool-aged girls to grandmothers, it was clear that many attendees were there as part of a mommy-daughter date, as a moms’ night out or as a Mother’s Day treat. Some of the younger fans said they turned their older counterparts onto Swift, while several mothers said they were the ones who first developed their love for the artist.
At the end of her first set, Swift let her fans at the Linc know that she felt the love for them as much as they expressed theirs for her.
“What a childhood dream it is for me to say these words to you,” she told the audience. “Philly, welcome to the Eras tour.”
An immersive experience
To call a show on the Eras tour a “concert” is an epic understatement, even if based on the production factor alone. Any of the sets throughout Swift’s 3.5-hour performance could have rivaled and likely surpassed the “wow” factor of a Super Bowl halftime show (one of the good ones, at least).
From start to finish, every element of the stadium was integrated into an experience that left concertgoers looking at each other in awe. Fans were counting down the seconds, literally, until they got their first glimpse of Swift. The stage LED screen — which was artfully used throughout the show, similar to how a set is used in theater productions — featured a clock that counted down until that climactic moment when dreams came true, and Swift took the stage.
The stage itself, of course, was nothing less than extraordinary. Swift’s musicians were flanked at the far left and right sides of the main stage, which then extended out into a long catwalk that went out nearly past the 50-yard line. The center of the catwalk, at times, featured Swift performing on illuminated risers that would go up and down when needed.
Swift, for her part, fully utilized the entire length of the catwalk throughout the show, leaving the audience impressed by her stamina to incorporate so much movement into an already rigorous performance.
One of the most elaborate sets, perhaps, debuted when Swift said she “brought the cabin to Philly” for the “Folklore” era of the show. On the main stage was the wood frame of a cabin with a moss-covered roof that Swift said was an idea borne during the pandemic, when she often pictured herself in a cabin in the deep forest. With the realistic backdrop of trees and other elements of nature on the LED screen, the entire visual transported the audience into an enchanted woodland — and into the wildly vivid imagination of Swift herself.
Similarly, during “Willow” from the “Evermore” era, Swift’s dancers surrounded her in a circle, each of them wearing dark cloaks and holding glowing orange orbs — a scene straight out of a movie or 16th century Salem. For “Tolerate It,” from the same album, a long dining table positioned Swift opposite the song’s scorned lover, who she crawled her way across the table to confront.
Such theatrical elements masterfully complemented big pops of color and eye-catching graphic animation like a dollhouse view of an office building for “The Man” from the “Love” era, slithering snakes for “…Ready For It?” from “Reputation,” and a car on the center stage risers, which Swift’s dancers “hit” with illuminated golf clubs during “Blank Space” from “1989.”
Just as the stage was used to its max, lights and pyrotechnics were a central part of the performance. From center lights projecting far above the stadium, to lighting effects on the stage and at the sides, the audience was immersed in a full-on production that had them turning their heads in every direction.
A surprising interactive element were the white bracelets every concertgoer received upon entering the stadium. Once Swift took the stage for her show, LED lights in the bracelets became synchronized with her sets to display certain colors, creating a sea of coordinated lighting across the 70,000 people sitting in every corner of the stadium.
Bursts of smoke and flames from the main stage and sides also captured the audience’s attention, creating waves of heat that sent a warming sensation over the crowd on what became a cool spring night.
Before she sang her last few songs, Swift put on a remarkable stunt, literally diving into a recess inside the far end of the catwalk, with the center of the catwalk digitally depicting her “swimming” up to the main stage.
Fireworks and confetti capped off the night, as Swift finished her performance strong around 11:20 p.m.
The music
Swift said she had not toured in nearly five years, mostly due to the pandemic. During that time, she said, “four new members were added to the family”: her albums “Lover,” “Folklore,” “Evermore” and “Midnights.”
She expressed her gratitude for her fans’ support and for the opportunity to take the stage once again.
“We’re going to be doing this one era at a time,” Swift told the crowd at the start of the show.
During “Marjorie,” which Swift said was about her grandmother who died when she was 13, fans held up their cell phone flashlights in a moving performance. After the song, Swift told the audience that all the memories she has of her grandmother “took place really close to where we are tonight, here in Pennsylvania” and that it was “really meaningful” that they held up their lights for her during that piece.
After “Champagne Problems,” Swift allowed for a long pause during which the crowd of 70,000 screamed so loudly for minutes on end that it truly felt like the stadium, or at least an eardrum, was vibrating.
To cheers and thunderous applause, Swift told the crowd she got to record her “Red” album twice, a reference to controversy surrounding Scooter Braun, who took over Swift’s old record label and sold the master rights to the artist’s first six albums.
Swift said she pursued the re-recording of those albums because she believed in owning her work, owning her art, and owning the things she’s written. She decided to re-record the albums as her “passion project,” she said, even if she faced criticism for what some said would not be a commercially successful move.
“I didn’t expect you to be like, OK, we got you, we’re supporting your versions of your albums,” Swift said of her fans. “You completely backed me up, and I appreciate that more than you know.”
For “Nothing New,” Swift brought onto the stage opening act Phoebe Bridgers to perform a duet of “Taylor’s version,” which is how Swift refers to the re-recorded versions of her songs.
Bridgers — who along with pop rock star Gayle — opened for the show Saturday night, remarked on her disbelief over the crowd, to which Swift said, “This is three-and-a-half hours of me pretending like I’m not freaking out that you guys sold out a stadium in Philly on a Saturday night.”
Swift played the guitar and piano for a number of her songs, highlighting the breadth of her talent as an artist. While the setlist for the Eras tour has been widely circulated since her first show in March, the singer has made a habit of surprising fans with a different song thrown into the mix at each concert stop.
At Saturday’s show, there were actually two surprise songs: “Forever & Always,” with Swift on the guitar, and “This Love,” as she played the piano. Swift said the first of the two songs was requested by her friend Lena (Dunham) for her birthday.
Never out of style
It’s a sure thing that Lincoln Financial Field, in all its glory and history of hosting some of Philadelphia’s biggest events, has never seen as many sequins and sparkles as it did Saturday night. Not only were fans excited to see Swift’s outfits — they were ready to showcase their own.
At the end of her opening set, Swift acknowledged the great length to which her fans displayed their love for her fashion as much her music.
“We have people who put a beautiful amount of stock into their look tonight,” she told the audience, calling them “possibly a ‘super crowd’ or ‘mega crowd.'”
For Swift’s part, she had a number of costume changes that coordinated with the journey through her eras. She kicked off the concert and the “Lover” portion with a blue and gold sequined bodysuit with equally sparkly boots. For “The Man,” she threw on a black sequined blazer as she danced against the backdrop of an office scene.
During the “Fearless” set, white beaded strands dropped down to her legs from a gold beaded bodice. For “Evermore,” she donned a long, flowing burnt orange dress with gold details, over which she added a dark, emerald green cloak while performing “Willow.”
“Reputation” showcased a more sultry Swift, who wore a sparkly black, single-leg pant suit that featured red sequin “snakes” through the top. She kicked off the “Red” era with a t-shirt that read, “Who’s Taylor Swift anyway? Ew,” which she soon took off to reveal a black and red v-neck short romper. She also handed one lucky fan the black fedora she had been wearing.
For “Folklore,” Swift stayed on theme with an ethereal moss green layered sheer dress that had a sequined bodice and sheer cutout in the midriff. She went with a more colorful, fun look for the 1989 set, sporting a bright orange beaded crop top and skirt.
When Swift surprised the audience with songs “Forever & Always” and “This Love,” she wore a canary yellow flamenco-style dress with off-the-shoulder ruffles, as she played her guitar and piano on stage. Swift kicked off the “Midnights” era with a rose gold sequined dress with a furry silver coat and glittery black knee-high boots.
For “Bejeweled,” she was appropriately gleaming in a sparkling navy bodysuit with a fringe, a garter on her thigh and boots. To finish the show, Swift wore a shimmering magenta fringed jacket over a black bodysuit.
Was it worth it?
For some, tickets to Swift’s Eras tour are understandably financially (and physically) out of reach.
However, for those who had the good fortune of claiming a seat this weekend, the sentiment was that there’s no way to calculate the return on investment for personal enjoyment, and you can’t put a price on a memory that will last a lifetime.
If there ever were a performance that deserved such acclaim and fanfare, it’s this one. Even non-Swifties who don’t know the lyrics to every song could appreciate all the elements of the show that made it a truly unique experience, shared among 70,000 people — all thanks to a girl from Pennsylvania.
Full setlist for Saturday, May 23, 2023:
From “Lover”:
- Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince (shortened)
- Cruel Summer
- The Man
- You Need to Calm Down (shortened)
- Lover
- The Archer
From “Fearless”:
- Fearless (shortened)
- You Belong With Me
- Love Story
From “Evermore”:
- ‘Tis the Damn Season (shortened)
- Willow
- Marjorie (shortened)
- Champagne Problems
- Tolerate It
From “Reputation”:
- …Ready for It?
- Delicate
- Don’t Blame Me (shortened)
- Look What You Made Me Do
From “Speak Now”:
From “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)
From “Folklore”:
- The 1
- Betty
- The Last Great American Dynasty
- August
- Illicit Affairs
- My Tears Ricochet
- Cardigan
From “1989”:
- Style (shortened)
- Blank Space
- Shake It Off
- Wildest Dreams (shortened)
- Bad Blood (shortened)
Surprise Songs:
- Forever & Always
- This Love
From “Midnights”:
- Lavender Haze
- Anti‐Hero
- Midnight Rain
- Vigilante Shit
- Bejeweled
- Mastermind
- Karma