As it happened: Taylor Swift delivers 210-minute tour de force in first of 3 NOLA shows
Taylor Swift’s fans are ready.
Dozens across the Mississippi Coast are driving to New Orleans this weekend for three marathon, sold-out shows of The Eras Tour. The first is Friday night.
Here’s the latest from the fan experience on the way to, and around, the city — and inside the Superdome for the main event. The last night of Swift’s Miami tourstop included 46 songs. What is in store for the crowd in the Big Easy?
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That dress
11:30 p.m.: Our friends at nola.com have the story about Taylor Swift’s special Mardi Gras-inspired 1989 dress. They said:
“The Crescent City was delighted to see Swift’s choice for her “1989” performances Friday night: A purple crop top, gold skirt and shimmery green boots.
“The ensemble, which is apparently the first time she’s worn the three colors together in this way on The Eras Tour, is a tribute to New Orleans Mardi Gras.”
-- Tim Thorsen
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End of the line
11:20 p.m.: Taylor Swift wrapped up Night 1 in the Superdome with work from Midnights. The 45-song set concluded with Lavender Haze, Anti-Hero, Midnight Rain, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, Mastermind and Karma. Unofficially, Swift’s performance clocked in at 3 hours and 30 minutes.
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More from piano special songs
11:12 p.m.: Our Hannah Ruhoff captured this video from Taylor Swift’s special songs on piano.
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More from special songs
11 p.m.: Our Hannah Ruhoff captured this video of the first two special songs: Our Song and Call It What You Want.
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Special songs!!!
10:38 p.m.: The special songs portion of the show is one of the highlights for fans. Taylor Swift introduced the special songs by saying:
“The acoustic section is one of my favorite parts of the show. ... I was thinking about how I’ve been touring in Louisiana since I was like 15 years old and you guys have just been so incredibly supportive.” She then said was going to do an old country song for Louisiana fans.
The first of the special songs was a combination of Our Song and Call It What You Want on guitar.
The second of the special songs was a combination of The Black Dog and Haunted.
--Martha Sanchez
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From The Tortured Poets Department
10:34 p.m.: We’re closing in on the surprise songs, but first Taylor Swift took fans on a tour through The Tortured Poets Department. After an intro, she brought out But Daddy I Love Him / So High School, a shortened Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, a shortened Down Bad, Fortnight, and a shortened The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. She wrapped things up with I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.
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From 1989
10:08 p.m.: The seventh Era of the show was 1989, and Taylor Swift delivered a shortened Style, before following with Blank Space, Shake If Off, a shortened Wildest Dreams and a shortened Bad Blood, the 30th song of the night. And we’re closing in on the special songs.
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From folklore / evermore
9:55 p.m.: Taylor Swift delivered eight songs from folklore / evermore. She kicked things off with a shortened version of cardigan, and followed with a shortened version of betty. After that, it was champagne problems, august, a shortened illicit affairs, my tears ricochet and a shortened Marjorie. She capped folklore / evermore with an extended version of willow.
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Stars in the crowd
9:49 p.m.: The team at nola.com reported that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were seen on the floor Friday night. They also reported “Hunger Games” star Josh Hutcherson was there, wearing a gold button down and lots of friendship bracelets. Videos circulating on X show him trading his Swift swag with other fans in the Dome. Camilla Luddington, who plays Jo on “Grey’s Anatomy,” was also in attendance.
-- Tim Thorsen
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From reputation
9:15 p.m.: Taylor Swift performed four songs from reputation, delivering ... Ready for It?, Delicate, a shortened version of Don’t Blame Me and Look What You Made Me Do.
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Moment with a young fan
9:14 p.m.: Taylor Swift met, and sang, to a young fan while performing 22. Swift gave the girl her hat, and also a hug. The crowd loved it.
-- Hannah Ruhoff
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From Speak Now
9 p.m.: As was the case in Miami, Taylor Swift performed one song from Speak Now, Enchanted. The shortened version came after an intro that included elements of Castles Crumbling.
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A message from the heart
8:45 p.m.: Taylor Swift took a moment to speak to her fans in the Superdome, saying:
“This tour is the longest tour I’ve ever done in my life.
“The reason for that is that I just kept adding onto the tour because I’ve been having more fun on this tour than I’ve ever had in my entire life before.
“The main reason for that is you’ve turned this your into something completely unrecognizable. You’ve created this mass movement of joy every time we play a show and it makes me so proud. Like I just showed up one day and you guys were trading friendship bracelets and I was like that’s cool.
-- Martha Sanchez
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From Red
8:39 p.m.: Swift’s collection of songs from Red begin with an intro including snippets from State of Grace, Holy Ground and Red. From there, she belted through 22, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, a shortened version of I Knew You Were Trouble and a 10-minute version of All Too Well.
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From Fearless
8:25 p.m.: The Fearless discography included Fearless and You Belong With Me, before wrapping with Love Story.
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Absolute scene
8:15 p.m.: Opening act Gracie Abrams posted this to Instagram upon leaving the stage after performing on Night 1 of The Eras Tour at the Superdome in New Orleans.
-- Tim Thorsen
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Superstar in the Superdome
7:54 p.m.: Taylor Swift has taken the stage at the Caesar’s Superdome. The crowd is beside itself. Her opener: Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, which led into Cruel Summer. Swift finished off Lover with The Man, You Need to Calm Down and Lover.
-- Martha Sanchez
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2-minute warning
7:50 p.m.: After months of waiting, Taylor Swift will take the stage in New Orleans in a matter of minutes.
-- Martha Sanchez
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So close
7:30 p.m.: Gracie Abrams has left the stage and the lights are on at a jam-packed Caesar’s Superdome. The main event is next to come: Taylor Swift.
-- Martha Sanchez
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It’s showtime!
6:47 p.m.: The Superdome has gone dark. Gracie Abrams, the opener, has taken the stage. “I love Taylor from the bottom of my heart, and thank you for indulging us as we all wait for her to get out here,” Abrams told the crowd.
-- Martha Sanchez
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Special songs
5:45 p.m.: Many Swifties have the entire set list for the Eras Tour memorized. At each Taylor Swift Era’s Tour stop, Swift is known for performing a different ‘surprise’ song not on the set list. Here’s some fans predictions of what it might be tonight.
-- Hannah Ruhoff
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Tick, tock
5:10 p.m.: The Caesars Superdome has started filling slowly, just under two hours to showtime.
-- Hannah Ruhoff
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All the fits
5 p.m.: Swifties traveled from all over the United States to be at the Eras Tour in New Orleans tonight. Many Swifties wore outfits inspired by Taylor Swift’s songs or by moments from Taylor Swift’s life.
--Hannah Ruhoff
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The doors are open
4:30 p.m.: The doors of the Superdome opened at 4:30 p.m. for any fans who wanted to get to their seats as early as possible.
--Tim Thorsen
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Those falling prices
4:25 p.m.: If you’ve been waiting on ticket prices to fall into the $300s, you’re in luck. Sure, you’ll be behind the stage, but you don’t need to see Taylor to hear Taylor. And maybe you’ll be able to see a screen ... or something. Heck, you could just walk around the dome and find a spot to hang out. And if you leave now, you can still make it in plenty of time.
--Tim Thorsen
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So you want some merch?
4:15 p.m.: Sophie Crowe was leaving the merchandise lines and reported wait times of 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the line. Crowe is originally from Meridian, but now lives in Colorado. She was never a Swiftie until she saw Taylor Swift perform in Denver. Then she was hooked. “She puts on such a great show,” Crowe said. “It’s awesome.” Having said that, those lines are starting to grow again. And the blue crewneck EVERYONE wants? Hope you want a large, because that’s all that is left.
--Martha Sanchez
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English the Swift way
4:10 p.m.: Tin Nguyen, from San Francisco, is in New Orleans for his fourth Taylor Swift show. The Vietnam native has seen her twice in Houston and once in New Jersey, and taught himself English at a young age by listening to her songs. “She’s the reason I learned English in the first place,” Nguyen said. And he loved her music from the beginning. “This is me.” He said “I want to be dramatic. I want to let my feelings out.”
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Face-value tickets dropped
4 p.m.: Our friends at nola.com report Ticketmaster again dropped last-minute tickets for the Friday night Eras Tour show at the Superdome.
The drop, which offers tickets at face value, came about an hour before doors are set to open at the Dome. The concert will likely start with opener Gracie Abrams around 6:45 p.m., followed by Swift.
The second surprise ticket drop comes a day after hundreds of Swfities snagged tickets to the attend the three concert dates in the Crescent City.
-- Martha Sanchez
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Ticket prices into the $400s
2:15 p.m.: Ticket prices continue to fall for tonight’s concert. Having fallen from more than $1,000 per seat in the past week to the $500s earlier today, you can now get in for $461 (plus taxes and fees). So now you have to decide: Buy now, or see if prices will keep falling.
--Tim Thorsen
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If you get in line now ...
1:40 p.m.: If you get in line now, you might be able to get one of those $45 shirts or $75 hoodies sometime Sunday afternoon. To say the lines are long for Eras Tour merchandise would be a monumental understatement.
-- Tim Thorsen
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Be ready for it (a little earlier)
1:30 p.m.: While the original start time for tonight’s Eras Tour opener in New Orleans was 7 p.m., the show will now begin at 6:45 p.m. Doors at the Superdome will open for fans at 4:30 p.m.
-- Martha Sanchez
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She booked how many rooms?
1:20 p.m.: Rebecca Fox, a Swiftie since 2006, has gone almost viral this week because she booked a block of 191 hotel rooms.
In a room of fans eating lunch and dressed in sequins Friday morning, Fox wanted to set the record straight. No, she said, she did not pay for all 191 rooms with her own money.
She was betting they’d all book up.
“I knew they would,” Fox said. “We basically booked the entire hotel.”
Fox, from Metairie, Louisiana, grew emotional talking about Swift’s inspiration.
“We’ve been doing exactly what Taylor told us to do,” she said Friday morning, as she prepped for a Swift themed talent show at the Holiday Inn hotel. “You can’t go too big.”
-- Martha Sanchez
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From Mississippi, with mom
1 p.m.: Sarah Perry, of Crystal Springs, Mississippi will attended Friday nights concert alone, because it was so tough to get tickets. But she brought her mom to New Orleans.
“I wanted her to see all of the craziness,” Perry said from the lobby of a Holiday Inn, where dozens of Swifties had gathered and the crowd was so large the wait for an elevator stretched over 10 minutes.
Perry planned to sleep in Friday morning to save energy for the concert. But she woke up at 7 a.m. from excitement.
“I’ll just caffeinate all day,” she said.
-- Martha Sanchez
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Scene at Stoney Clover
12:55 p.m.: This weekend, everyone in New Orleans is getting in the spirit for Taylor Swift.
Dozens of customers wearing Taylor Swift T-shirts and other apparel lined up on the sidewalk outside Stoney Clover Lane on Magazine Street for a special Taylor Swift themed event.
The lifestyle brand, which was founded by Tulane graduates and has 7 locations across the U.S., will have exclusive Taylor Swift limited edition pieces for sale this weekend only. Stoney Clover Lane is known for their customizable accessories, bags, pouches and duffels.
“We love celebrating when Taylor is in town, especially when she is popping up in any cities we have stores in. We celebrated her in Miami last week at our Palm Beach store and we so excited she came to New Orleans. “ said Francesca Pasini, head of events for Stoney Clover Lane.
Swifties can take photos with the decor Stoney Clover Lane has decorated the exterior of the store with as well as make friendship bracelets, enjoy snowballs from Hansens and dress up with hair gems. The event runs Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
-- Hannah Ruhoff
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So beignets are probably a no
12:40 p.m.: You can’t come to New Orleans without making a stop at Cafe du Monde for some of their legendary beignets. Unfortunately, unless you got in line like three hours ago, or are willing to risk missing the concert, you’re not going to be able to get a table this afternoon.
-- Tim Thorsen
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Prices are falling
12:20 p.m.: It will still cost you and arm and a leg, but maybe not more than that to get in to tonight’s show. Prices that peaked above $1,000 per ticket on the resale market have come slightly back to earth. There are seats available on Stubhub for $565 per ticket -- sure, you’ll be sitting behind the stage, but you’ll be in the building, at least. It’s not too late to get on the road. If you’re looking for two tickets, you can find them for as low as $520 apiece on SeatGeek. The normal caveat applies, though — watch out for all those extra fees.
-- Tim Thorsen
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No problem on I-10
11 a.m.: The trip west to New Orleans from the Mississippi Coast has been a difficult one in recent weeks, owing to the construction going on around the new Buc-ee’s in Harrison County. This morning, though, it has been smooth sailing for travelers making their way toward NOLA from South Mississippi. So, if you’re planning on heading that direction, now might be the time — there’s no telling what it might look like later.
-- Hannah Ruhoff
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Happy Halloween
10:45 a.m.: A crowd gathered Friday morning in New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhood at an elaborate Taylor Swift-themed Halloween display.
The crowd, mostly women and their daughters, took photos of skeletons, dressed like Swift and named for each “era” of the singers music career.
“Welcome to New Orleans,” a sign in front of the St. Charles Avenue mansion said. “Terror Swift: The Eras Tour.”
— Martha Sanchez
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 11:06 AM.