I had the pleasure of reviewing The Eras Tour in Houston in April 2023. Since then, Taylor Swift has released two re-recordings, dropped a brand new album, took home Album of the Year at the Grammys for the 4th time, and released a concert film! And that’s just scratching the surface of all the 34-year-old has accomplished in the last 18 months. Now she’s headlining three sold-out shows at the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans. If you weren’t fortunate enough to get your hands on a ticket, here’s what you missed.
The Swift Takeover
“I have been so moved and so blown away by the way that this city has embraced us and welcomed us,” the 34-year-old singer shared with the crowd on Friday night. “So can y’all just please say a big ‘Thank you New Orleans.’” I could say the same about her impact. The giant friendship bracelets outside of the stadium made for the perfect pre-show photo opp for fans but the Swift-tifaction of the Crescent City spanned far beyond just the Dome. From bracelets at Fleurty Girl to themed beers at Urban South Brewery to lavender coffees at French Truck to Taylor Swift dance parties at local venues, New Orleans transitioned to Swift City! If you couldn’t attend one of Swift’s sold-out shows at the Caesar’s Superdome there was still tons to do around town — especially because, unlike other cities, fans couldn’t listen to the concert from outside the stadium because it is enclosed.
If you told me two years ago that I’d be 28 years old and trading friendship bracelets with 8-year-olds, I wouldn’t have believed you. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is more than just a concert. From swapping friendship bracelets with fellow swifties of all ages to spotting fans repping the same era as you to making friends in the merchandise line as you try to secure blue crewnecks and gray quarter zips to comparing your crazy theories of what the surprise songs will be, Taylor Swift has a way of just bringing people of all backgrounds together! It’s truly a beautiful thing.
One of my favorite events happening in the city was right next door at Benson Tower. Local radio station, B97, and Bullseye Event Group hosted a tailgate party titled ‘Taylor-Gate’ each night before the concert. From 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm for $125, attendees had access to a pre-party with an emerging artist stage by Greater Than Distribution, photo booths, an open bar (and mocktails), food, hair braiding, face painting, and more! And it took less than 2 minutes to make your way to the stadium for the show.
Gracie Abrams
After seeing her live, it’s no surprise that Gracie Abrams was up for Best New Artist at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year. The 25-year-old took the stage to open for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in New Orleans this past weekend. She was joined by a four-piece band and performed for just over 30 minutes. Her set included hits like “Close to You” and “I miss you, I’m sorry” along with “That’s So True” from the deluxe version of her album, The Secret of Us, which was released a few weeks ago. Two of the most beautiful moments were the crowd lighting up the stadium during “Let It Happen” and when everyone belted along to “Us,” a song written by Abrams, Taylor Swift, and Aaron Dessner.
Throughout her performance, Abrams took time to talk to the audience – welcoming them to the Eras Tour, expressing her gratitude to Taylor for having her as an opener and sharing her newfound love for the city of New Orleans. “I’ve had some of the best food of my life in the last 24 hours, so I’m jealous of everyone who lives here,” Abrams said. We, the people of New Orleans, hope Abrams loves it enough to return when she tours again because 30 minutes is not enough!
Taylor Swift
Where do I even begin? In September 2018, Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour stopped at the Superdome. That night, Swift broke the all-time attendance record for a female artist in the building with a 53,172 crowd size. Six years later, her Eras Tour stopped in New Orleans for three sold-out shows with 65,000 people each night! Selling out three consecutive nights at a stadium (and performing for 3 hours straight to a total of 195,000 fans) is no easy task but somehow Taylor Swift makes it look easy!
I did not win The Great War (get selected for Ticketmaster Verified Fan), but I was still fortunate to attend nights one and three of The Eras Tour in New Orleans. Although the general setlist is the same each night, Swift makes each night feel different and unique (intentionally and unintentionally). Here are some examples:
- On night one, during “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” one of her dancers, Kameron Saunders (whose brother Khalen plays for the New Orleans Saints), did an impression of a New Orleans accent. And I think he nailed it! On night three, Saunders’ response was, “She said what she said!” You never know what to expect when she turns the mic to him, which has everyone on their toes!
- During her “Midnight Rain” performance, the 14-time Grammy award winner is known to hit a pose during the lyric “And he never thinks of me except when I’m on TV.” On night one, it was a football pass. On night three, she hit the first down signal and a three. Is Swift hinting towards a potential Super Bowl three-peat for the Kansas Chiefs? Especially since Super Bowl LIX will be held at the game Caesar’s Superdome on February 9th!
- On night three, Taylor Swift proved why she’s one of the greats. Her stage malfunctioned during “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and she handled it like a pro. She didn’t miss a beat and even performed “Down Bad” without the platform for the first time.
- Each night, Swift’s team selects a different fan out of the crowd to receive the “22” hat. Each night, the young Swifties smiled big as they traded a friendship bracelet for the signed hat before giving Swift a tight hug. It reminds you that although Taylor Swift has been in the industry for over 18 years, she’s still gaining new generations of fans each and every day!
- After Swift brought Florence Welch on stage for all three Miami shows the weekend prior for a performance of “Florida!!!” fans were speculating if New Orleans would have a surprise guest. Rumors were circulating about Post Malone for a performance of their chart-topping hit, ‘Fortnight” or maybe Lana Del Rey for “Snow on the Beach.” When her dancer, Jan Ravnik, rose from the ground, the stadium erupted thinking it was Post Malone. Everyone learned their lesson and knew what to expect by Night 3!
- The setlist has changed since the last time I saw her! As mentioned, she released an entire new album in April 2024. For the sake of time (although, I don’t think anyone would complain if the show was longer), some songs were cut. I do miss “tolerate it” – the production and storytelling during that performance were incredible but you can always relive it on Disney Plus when watching The Eras Tour concert film.
- The outfits! Swifties have begun making predictions about what outfits Taylor will wear each night. During Night 1 in New Orleans, she graced the stage in a new blue, white, and reddish-orange dress during the surprise songs. During the 1989 portion of the show, she wore a purple top paired with a yellow skirt and green boots (aka Mardi Gras colors!)
- Both nights, after her “Champagne Problems” performance, fans gave the VMA Artist of the Year an over 3-minute long standing ovation. The cheers erupted through the stadium as Swift giggled before taking out her in-ears to hear how loud the crowd was. “If I could possibly give 65,000 hugs to you right now New Orleans, please know I would do it. I love you so, so, so much.”
Surprise Songs
Swift’s Eras Tour is the longest tour she’s ever done – 149 three-hour long shows with over 40 songs from ten albums. “So this show is filled with all favorite memories from previous albums, previous eras, and previous tours but we’re also making so many new memories together.”
But one of the most anticipated parts of the show is her surprise songs. Swift performs a selection of songs spanning across her eleven album discography and they’re never the same songs. “I was thinking about how I’ve been touring in Louisiana since I was 15 years old…so I thought I’d like to take it to the beginning.” On night one, she performed a mashup of “Our Song” from Taylor Swift (2006) and “Call It What You Want” from Reputation (2017) on guitar and a mashup of “The Black Dog” from The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology (2024) and “Haunted” from Fearless (2010). The night two crowd was in for a treat. Swift surprised the crowd by calling up Sabrina Carpenter to join her on stage for a mashup of Carpenter’s “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please” from Short N’ Sweet (2024) with Swift’s “Is It Over Now?” from 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023). Plus they also got a mashup of “Welcome to New York” from 1989 (2014) and “Hits Different” from Midnight (The Til Dawn Edition) (2022). Night three was the 10th anniversary of her album, 1989, and the first anniversary of Taylor’s Version of the album. She performed a mashup of “How You Get The Girl” and “Clean” from the album in addition to a mashup of “Afterglow” from Lover (2019) and “Dress” from Reputation (2017.)
End of Eras Tour
“This is the very first time I’ve ever acknowledged to myself and admitted that this tour is going to end in December,” Swift announced during her 100th show in Liverpool, England. The Eras Tour has just a few more stops in Indianapolis, Toronto, and Vancouver. Forever grateful, New Orleans was selected as one of the final cities of this record-breaking and next-level tour! And although we don’t know what the future holds for Taylor Swift, I know New Orleans will always be ready to welcome her back to the Superdome with open arms – and maybe next time it’ll be for two back-to-back weekends!
Did you miss the Eras Tour in New Orleans or just want to re-live the night? Check out our TikTok videos from the show and view the photo gallery below.
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