Taylor Swift performing Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
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Hazeeq Sukri
03 Mar 2024 07:43AM(Updated: 03 Mar 2024 02:51PM)BookmarkWhatsAppTelegramFacebookTwitterEmailLinkedIn
It finally happened. It took us days of snaking queues outside post offices and many, many articles about her to get here but global megastar Taylor Swift finally kicked off the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour on Saturday (Mar 2) to great fanfare.
I’ll admit: I’m not the biggest Swiftie. I stopped religiously listening to her songs after the non-Taylor’s Version of 1989 – an album that came out in 2014. That’s an entire decade of not keeping up with Tay Tay. As such, coming into the concert, I was worried if I’d be able to appreciate the experience – especially once post-1989 songs started playing.
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However, as I quickly learnt, that’s the beauty of The Eras Tour. Unlike most other concerts which feature a selection of songs from various albums lined up randomly, the setlist of The Eras Tour is split into sections that mark a different Swift album across her 18-year-long career – an era, if you will.
If you aren’t familiar with a particular album, motifs and visuals related to its themes will play at the start of each “era”, giving you an aperitif. As Swift puts it, The Eras Tour is for old fans to “celebrate the memories” shared over the years and for new fans to “catch up with all the fun”.
Before we go any further with Swift, I need to quickly talk about Sabrina Carpenter – the opening act for this leg of The Eras Tour.
Sabrina Carpenter entertaining crowds as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/ Gaya Chandramohan)
Sabrina Carpenter entertaining crowds as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/ Gaya Chandramohan)
Sabrina Carpenter entertaining crowds as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/ Gaya Chandramohan)
Sabrina Carpenter entertaining crowds as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/ Gaya Chandramohan)
Sabrina Carpenter entertaining crowds as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/ Gaya Chandramohan)
Sabrina Carpenter entertaining crowds as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/ Gaya Chandramohan)
Sabrina Carpenter entertaining crowds as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/ Gaya Chandramohan)
She was simply magical. The 24-year-old singer made every moment of her set count, whether it was displaying her vulnerability with Because I Liked A Boy or working the crowd with her cover of Abba’s Dancing Queen.
Her masterful performance of her viral hit Nonsense was another strong display of her musicality. In 35 minutes, Carpenter proved she was ready to command and conquer a bigger venue for her next solo concert in Singapore.
ADVERTISEMENTDancers wearing large displays prior to Taylor Swift’s appearance. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Dancers wearing large displays prior to Taylor Swift’s appearance. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Dancers wearing large displays prior to Taylor Swift’s appearance. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Thirty minutes after Carpenter’s set, it was time for the show to start properly. The countdown before Swift’s appearance will forever be etched in my mind; the cheers and screams from the audience at this concert were louder than any other shows I have ever attended. And again, this was before Swift got onstage.
Swift kicked things off with songs from her Lover era, starting with Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince. Admittedly, Lover isn’t my favourite album but it didn’t matter as Swift was operating at 110 per cent from the get-go. Her energy was infectious and it was honestly hard to look away from her iconic bedazzled Versace bodysuit that has since become a calling card of The Eras Tour.
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
As one would expect from Swift, her vocals were on point. In fact, they were unwavering. Not once during the three-and-a-half-hour show did Swift’s voice show any weakness. Couple that with the choreography and instrument playing she did and it was clear that Swift has further evolved as a bona fide entertainer since her last Singapore concert in 2015.
My favourite performance that night was undoubtedly Swift’s mash-up of I Don’t Wanna Live Forever and Dress. Swift punctuated every line with raw emotion while deftly playing the piano. That, for me, was peak Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Taylor Swift performing the first of six shows for the Singapore leg of The Eras Tour at the National Stadium on Mar 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
The set designs also deserved praise for elevating each era’s themes. For instance, Swift’s 2020 release Evermore was an album I had never listened to before this concert. However, its section in The Eras Tour was one of my favourites, thanks to the immersive background videos which highlighted the album’s brooding themes. Another worthy mention goes to the Midnights section of the concert because I genuinely thought Swift climbed that ladder up to the clouds.
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Swift herself also seemed to genuinely be having fun during the show. She regaled attendees with a story of how her mother grew up in Singapore and later showed her childhood haunts here. “My mum actually spent a lot of her childhood with her mum and dad and sister growing up in Singapore,” said Swift of her mother Andrea Swift.
She even acknowledged the overseas fans who flew in for the concert, asking them to “make some noise”.
The full setlist of Swift’s first The Eras Tour show in Singapore is as follows:
Lover Era1. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince2. Cruel Summer3. The Man4. You Need To Calm Down5. Lover6. The ArcherFearless Era7. Fearless8. You Belong With Me9. Love Story
Evermore Era10. ‘Tis The Damn Season11. Willow12. Marjorie13. Champagne Problems14. Tolerate It
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Reputation Era15 …Ready For It?16. Delicate17. Don’t Blame Me18. Look What You Made Me Do
Speak Now Era19. Enchanted20. Long Live
Red Era21. 2222. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together23. I Knew You Were Trouble24. All Too Well
Folklore Era25. The 126. Betty27. The Last Great American Dynasty28. August29. Illicit Affairs30. My Tears Ricochet31. Cardigan
1989 Era32. Style33. Blank Space34. Shake It Off35. Wildest Dreams36. Bad Blood
Acoustic Songs37. Mine + Starlight38. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever + Dress
Midnights Era39. Lavender Haze40. Anti‐Hero41. Midnight Rain42. Vigilante S**t43. Bejeweled44. Mastermind45. Karma