The Taylor Swift Eras Tour is almost upon us—and before my Instagram and Tik Tok are filled with photos and videos from opening night, I thought I’d give my predictions for what the tour will look like this time around. Having been to the 1989 and reputation world tours, along with about a decade of being a super fan, I’d like to think I know Taylor pretty well. That being said, she always has a few tricks up her sleeve. Regardless, here are my predictions for what’s to come at The Eras Tour!
Setlist
While I wish more than everything that Taylor would play her entire discography for her setlist, unfortunately I don’t think that this will be the case. My prediction is that she will stick to mostly her radio hits (think “Love Story,” “Shake It Off,” and “Anti-Hero”) while throwing in a few fan favorites here and there (I hope to see songs like “The Way I Loved You,” “Enchanted,” “Cruel Summer,” and “Don’t Blame Me”). I think she’ll likely have some mashups of these essential tracks in order to fit more in. As much as I love folklore and evermore, I think she’ll stick to her more upbeat pop/country albums (although I think there’s a chance we could hear “August” and “Willow”). I’m 50/50 on “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version)” — efficiency-wise, it doesn’t make sense that she would spend 10 minutes on a single song, but the song has enjoyed widespread success on streaming services and with the short film. It is just so adored by fans that I could see her playing it. I think we’ll hear the most from Lover (since Loverfest music festivals were canceled due to Covid-19 back in 2020) and Midnights.
Outfits
If there’s one thing you can count on at a Taylor Swift concert, it’s glitter. Compiling her history with tour outfits with the sparkling themes and production of the Midnights album, I think we can 100% count on Miss Taylor to make the whole room shimmer. I think we’ll see some bodysuits and two-piece sets that are callbacks to some of her most iconic tour looks (think the Speak Now purple dress, the Red top hat outfit, and the 1989 black tank, metallic skirt, and sparkly jacket.) For Midnights, I’m envisioning dark blue fabric and silver gemstones, maybe some star patches or cutouts.
Extras
Taylor always throws something special into the mix. At Fearless, we got the iconic tear-away band outfit. At 1989, we saw tons of special guests invited onstage. At the reputation tour, we got Karen the snake. While I have no chance of actually guessing what surprises Taylor has planned for us, I think it’s likely that in addition to bringing her openers back out for a song or two, she will bring out special guests — perhaps people she has collaborated with on past albums like Ed Sheeran, Gary Lightbody, or Haim. I could also see her bringing Jack Antonoff and/or Aaron Dessner out for a 2021-Grammys-esque performance. I would love to see a Taylor & Selena reunion too (#teamSelena!). I also think that Taylor will be coming up with some interesting ways to move around the stage and beyond. She’s been known for flying contraptions, moving platforms, and even running through an aisle and holding hands with fans. I’m predicting more opportunities to get close to fans in every corner of the stadium, and definitely some sort of vaguely acrobatic flying machine. I think we’ll have some sort of large set piece (or probably multiple different ones), perhaps something akin to the iconic “Lover” music video house with a separate room/area inspired by each era, and maybe something inspired by the “Bejeweled” music video (an elevator? A supersized martini glass? Who can say?). As for other visuals, I’m expecting the works — lights, smoke, fireworks. I also think Taylor will continue the 1989 and reputation trend and put her iconic light up bracelets at every seat, turning the crowd into an essential part of the show.
Final thoughts
My favorite thing about Taylor Swift has always been her versatility and her refusal to be put in a box by anyone. Her constant adaptation and experimentation are part of why her career has lasted so long and continued to increase her success. Every time the world thinks they have her pinned down, she does the opposite of what you’d expect. Thus, my final prediction is that all of my predictions will turn out to be completely false. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but regardless, I’m certain that whatever Taylor shocks us with will be absolutely delightful.