Author: David Reichmann

Taylor Swift took over East Rutherford, NJ this Memorial Day Weekend, continuing her record-breaking sold out Eras Tour for three nights at Metlife Stadium. Following the release of her latest full-length record, Midnights, fans fought unprecedented demand and technical hiccups to get their tickets, with all 52 nights and over 2.4 million tickets selling out in a matter of minutes. Taylor’s three night run at Metlife Stadium featured support from Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle, Gracie Abrams, and Owenn. Taylor brought out special guests Jack Antonoff and Ice Spice on the first night.

With her sold-out Eras tour in full swing, Taylor continues to stay number one on Billboard’s Artist 100 Chart for a record-breaking 66 weeks so far. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Taylor was forced to cancel her last tour in support of the 2019 album “Lover.” Despite the difficult conditions of pandemic life, Taylor used her time to write another two albums as an outlet for her creativity. She told the crowd that if she couldn’t tour, she would just keep writing and recording music. Given the continuing success and growth of Taylor’s career, and the chart topping status of her latest records (especially the Taylor’s Versions re-releases), a tour seemed inevitable for 2023. “I didn’t know if we would ever be able to have stadium tours again,” Taylor told the crowd on the first night at Metlife Stadium.

An estimated 200,000 Taylor Swift fans descended upon the stadium over three nights on the holiday weekend. After viral videos showed thousands of fans enjoying the Eras Tour from highways, parking lots, and bridges, New Jersey State Police posted multiple warnings against “Taylor-gating” on social media and with signs along highways. As a precaution, fans were required to show their tickets before being allowed into the parking lots. State police and local news kept an eye on traffic conditions throughout the weekend, attempting to keep holiday and concert related traffic slowdowns to a minimum. The governor released a video on social media welcoming Taylor to New Jersey and naming a local food dish after her.

Metlife Stadium parking lots opened at 12:30PM on Friday, May 26th for early arriving ticket-holders to set up beach chairs, coolers, and loudspeakers with their friends and families. Stadium doors opened at 4:30 to a flood of fans clad in vibrant outfits representing the fashion of Swift’s various eras. The show started at around 6:30, with Gayle delivering a quick but powerful performance. The opening act for the second and third nights were Gracie Abrams and Owenn, respectively.

Phoebe Bridgers played the second act all three nights, delighting new and old fans alike. Despite Taylor Swift’s undeniable star power, many fans had undoubtedly bought tickets for Phoebe too, and they sang along with every song. When the time came to scream in unison during the climax of the final song, “I Know the End,” the crowd obliged with enthusiasm, delighting longtime fans and shocking some new ones. One fan was overheard saying, “I had no idea that was coming. It was kind of terrifying.” Phoebe thanked Taylor and the audience before walking offstage to a wave of applause. Later in the show, Taylor Swift brought Phoebe on stage to sing the re-released version “Nothing New.” Phoebe beamed as she sang alongside Taylor, and they dazzled the crowd with the soft and sorrowful ballad.

As the sun began to set and the air began to cool, the crowd’s energy ramped up in anticipation of the headlining act. Eventually, a two minute countdown timer appeared on the stadium screens, and fans began to cheer. When the timer reached its end, the house lighting dimmed and cheers became screams. Dancers clad in massive jellyfish-like fans walked onstage in a sea of pastel colors, then created a dome in the center of the stage from which Taylor burst forth to sing “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.” From the very first moment of her performance, it became clear that this would be no ordinary concert.

True to its name, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour featured distinct stage design, lighting, and outfits for each of her eras. Even her dozen or so dancers changed wardrobes several times. The show frequently used props, lighting cues, pyrotechnics, and even a few stage design magic tricks to keep spectators on their toes. At one point, Taylor performed a quick change on stage under the cover of her backup dancers, changing outfits in nearly the blink of an eye. Later in the set, she dove into a hole on stage, as the projection-mapped runway displayed an illusion of her swimming under the stage. Guest singers and dancers frequently disappeared and reappeared through openings in the stage to great effect, and others would be lifted up on platforms just as often. The massive stadium screen behind the stage lit up with dreamy backdrops for each of the different scenes throughout the show.

During the “Surprise Songs” segment near the end of the first evening, Taylor premiered the music video for “Karma (featuring Ice Spice)“. She sat down on stage to huddle with her dancers, whom she thanked for performing in the video, and watched the music video premiere on the massive stage screen alongside the crowd. She then invited frequent collaborator and New Jersey native Jack Antonoff to help her sing “Getaway Car,” a first time debut for this tour. After she thanked Jack and he exited the stage to continuing cheers, a piano emerged at the front of the stage runway. She played an intimate live debut of “Maroon” to close the penultimate act of the first show.

Taylor Swift’s most diehard fans knew that one segment of the first show remained, her “Midnights” era. Prior to the first day at Metlife Stadium, Taylor had surprised her fans with yet another deluxe edition of her latest album, Midnights, which was released at midnight the night before the show. The new edition of the record included an extended Lana Del Ray feature, and the now viral Ice Spice version of “Karma.” For the final song of the night, Ice Spice joined Taylor to perform “Karma,” the crowd going wild as they performed together. Fireworks burst into the night as they took their final bows. Taylor and Ice Spice exited the stage holding hands amid a shower of confetti and applause. Taylor thanked the audience one last time, and said goodbye.

Each night of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour at Metlife Stadium featured a nearly three hour long setlist, consisting of 45 songs. Fans had waited years for their chance, and then fought hard for their tickets. Despite a mixture of holiday and concert related traffic, all three nights went off without a hitch. It appears the wait was worth it. Listen to Taylor Swift’s massive chart-topping music catalog here, and be sure to check out the music of supporting acts Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle, Gracie Abrams, and Owenn. Our full image gallery by David Reichmann is below.