Thirteens on hands, friendship bracelets around wrists, and sequins galore were all found in the audience of the Eras Tour when I went on July 28th in Munich, Germany. After the struggle of getting tickets and months of waiting, 74,000 swifties and I filed into the stadium, ready for a night we wouldn’t forget. Joining us were approximately 50,000 more audience members who viewed the concert from a hill overlooking the stadium.
Taylor Swift started the concert by belting the lyrics to “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” from her album Lover, as she rose onto the stage in a sparkly leotard. She waved to her fans and greeted them with “servus,” a German greeting. She then launched into her Billboard number one song “Cruel Summer” and thousands of fans sang along with her. She also performed “The Man,” and “You Need To Calm Down” before singing the ballad “Lover.”
Next, she came onto stage in a silver dress with a long fringe skirt and asked the crowd if they were ready to go back to high school with her before launching into “Fearless,” the title track from her sophomore album. She also sang “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” before disappearing below the stage once more.
With a shirt that said “This isn’t Taylor’s Version,” and a black hat, she started the set for her album Red with “22.” During this song, she gave a young fan in the audience her hat and a hug, and was given a friendship bracelet in return. She then sang her first number one song, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” as well as “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).”
After changing into a sparkly, champagne-colored ball gown, she re-entered the stage and sang her song “Enchanted” as dancers spun around her in billowy dresses. The background visuals were a field of purple flowers which helped to create the beautiful and romantic atmosphere of the set.
Clad in the classic one-legged bodysuit, Swift reemerged as she started the set for her 6th album reputation. She began by singing “…Ready For It?” She then sang “Delicate” before performing the fan-favorite, “Don’t Blame Me.” She mashed up the ending of that track with her hit “Look What You Made Me Do.”
For the European leg of the Eras Tour, Swift combined two of her eras: folklore and evermore into what fans have affectionately dubbed “Folkmore.” A cabin was rolled out onto the stage and fake trees rose from the floor to create a woodsy atmosphere. Taylor Swift was on top of the grass-covered roof of the cabin wearing a red dress with a flowing skirt and cape. She started with singing her only single from folklore, “cardigan.” She then went down from the roof into the actual cabin where she picked up a guitar and strummed it whilst serenading the audience with “betty.” Afterwards, she left the cabin and sat down at a moss-covered piano that had been put on stage. She talked about how during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she thought of touring again, she always pictured singing this song with her fans. With that introduction, she played the heartbreaking ballad, “champagne problems.” Next, she sang “august” and then a section of “illicit affairs.” Following this, she performed the heart-rendering “my tears ricochet” and then the melancholy “marjorie.” She completed the double era with the only single from evermore, “willow,” dressed in a green witch’s cloak.
The next era was for the 2016 album of the year, 1989. In Europe, Swift had a two-piece outfit, a crop top and skirt, and wore many different color combinations. On the night of the second Munich show, she wore a purple top and a gold and yellow skirt. She started the set with “Style” and then sang some of her most popular songs, “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off.” She also sang “Wildest Dreams,” with her backup singers providing beautiful vocals. She then performed “Bad Blood,” during which the house in her background visuals burned down.
In a Vivienne Westwood dress which had written on it the lyric “I love you, it’s ruining my life,” from her song “Fortnight,” the first single of her newest album, Taylor Swift started The Tortured Poets Department set. This was the biggest difference between the European leg compared to all the others as it is the only one so far to feature this album. (It most likely will also be part of the next and final leg, when Swift returns to North America). She began the era with “But Daddy I Love Him,” and then sang the bridge of the only song from The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology (an extra 15 songs released two hours later) featured on the tour, “So High School.” She then performed “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” with a haunting voice as she stood on a platform that traversed the stage and chased her dancers. On the same platform, she sang “Down Bad” with a U.F.O. on the background screen and a spotlight on her that evoked the beam of an alien ship. This was due to the song using an alien abduction as a metaphor for love and the following heartbreak of being brought back down to Earth. She then played “Fortnight,” before launching into “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” in which Swift marches during the bridge before being “shot” as red lights flash and she ends by lying down on the floor as if dead. She is picked up by two of her dancers who “get her ready” to perform the song “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” which revolves around having to put on a show whilst being depressed.
The next set was one of the most anticipated of the night. In it, Swift plays two “surprise songs,” aka songs from her discography that she does not perform in the regular tour set. Swift originally played one song on guitar and one on piano. However, Swift changed this, beginning in the South American leg, when she first played a mashup of two of her songs. While she didn’t immediately switch to only mashups, by the time the European leg came around, the majority of the songs played were mashups. Before starting the songs, Swift humbly prefaced to the audience, “I hope you like the ones I picked for you tonight.” On the guitar, she played “I Don’t Want To Live Forever,” a song she sang with ZAYN for the movie “Fifty Shades Darker,” mashed up with “imgonnagetyouback” which is from The Tortured Poet Department: The Anthology. On the piano, she played “loml,” from the same album, and “Don’t You,” a vault song from the album Fearless which she had never performed live before.
The final album Swift performed was the winner of the Album of the Year in 2024, Midnights. She sang the singles “Lavender Haze” and “Anti-Hero.” She then sang “Midnight Rain,” during which she changed from her sparkly mini dress to a (still sparkly) blue bodysuit with cutouts and a matching garter. She performed “Vigilante Sh*t” and followed this with “Mastermind.” As the last song of the night, she sang “Karma,” during which gold fireworks went off. Everyone took their bows until Swift was left alone on the stage to give her final bow before the concert ended.
Overall, the concert was amazing and I sang my heart out to every single song. However, some moments stayed with me more than others. One of these was the song “champagne problems” which is my favorite of Swift’s songs that is on the setlist. Her speech before the song was very moving and getting to sing it with her and a stadium, especially the bridge, was incredibly special. Afterwards, she was given a standing ovation which lasted for minutes as the crowds went wild. This was also beautiful because it felt like our chance to show Swift how much she means to us. Another of my favorite moments was The Tortured Poets Department set. I had avoided watching videos of this section to be able to see it for the first time live and it was definitely worth it. The set nicknamed “Feminine Rage” by fans and Swift herself was one of the best of the night. I loved screaming along to the songs, especially “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,” “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” and the bridge of “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.” My final favorite part of the show was the surprise song section. I loved all my mashups so, so much and felt very lucky to get songs I truly adored.
As people filed out of the stadium, friendship bracelets were traded, confetti was picked up off the ground, merch was bought, and crowds returned to their homes or hotels through buses and U-bahns, the German subways. Although the concert was only for a few hours, it will remain in the audience’s, and my, memories for a lifetime.
