Taylor Swift introduced “The Tortured Poets Department” to the Eras Tour in Paris on Thursday, dramatically re-vamping a set list that’d been relatively static for more than a year.
The Paris La Défense Arena show marked Swift’s return to live performing, after her last gig on March 9 in Singapore, and her first time on stage since the April 19 release of “Poets.”
Fans had been wondering if and how “Poets” would be integrated into her setlist, which had been about 45-songs long and largely unchanged since kicking off “Eras” a year ago March in Glendale, Arizona.
In a video Swift recently posted to YouTube shorts, the singer showcased clips of what appeared to be rehearsals for the upcoming leg of the tour.
Fans were quick to point out costumes and props they hadn’t seen before on the Eras Tour — including a short view of her dancers performing with hats and canes, and a quick glimpse of a barrier that appeared to show the “TTPD” logo.
This all but sealed the deal that Swift would be ushering in a new era, which came to life Thursday in Paris.
“Poets” made its “Eras” debut in the show’s second half and included: “But Daddy I Love Him,” “So High School, “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?” “Down Bad,” “Fortnight,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”
The wildcard of Swift’s “Eras” shows has been a two-tune acoustic set when she performs two songs not normally included in the shows and speaks to her fans.
Those “surprise” songs that followed the “Poets” set Thursday included aptly chosen “Paris” on guitar and “loml” on piano. Swift also took the time to tell fans that her nickname for the “TTPD” section is “female rage, the musical,” to the crowd’s cheers.
The timing of Swift’s shows have been consistent all tour long, with performances usually lasting less than 3½ hours. So the “Poets” addition meant the subtraction of several fan favorites.
The first hint that changes were on the way came early in Paris as “The Archer,” which had occupied the show’s sixth song, went missing when Swift quickly transitioned from her “Lover” era to “Fearless.”
Other songs that had been “Eras” stalwarts that vanished Thursday were “Long Live” — added to the setlist after July’s release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” — “‘Tis the Damn Season,” “The Last Great American Dynasty,” “The 1” and “Tolerate It.”
Swift also changed up the order of eras as her “Red” set — with beloved, crowd pleasing “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble” and the 10-minute-long “All Too Well — moved up from sixth in the batting order to the No. 3 spot. All “Red” songs that been consistently played on this tour survived Thursday night’s cuts.
Swift also changed up the order of the eras.
After “Red,” came “Speak Now,” and then “Reputation,” before launching into her first-ever double-era set — combining sister albums “Folklore” and “Evermore.”
Swift used this European kickoff to usher in a host of wardrobe changes. She donned an orange-and-red bodysuit for “Lover” and a pink-and-blue skater skirt set for “1989” that echoed its original 2014 style.
There were dynamic, new introductions for some of the eras, including new choreography before Swift took the stage for “Enchanted.”
And when Swift called out the names of all of her albums before launching into show opener, “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince,” she added “TTPD” to the discography.