Here’s how Taylor Swift kicked off the UK leg of the Eras tour in Edinburgh

8 June, 2024

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift finally kicked off the UK leg of the ‘Eras’ tour in Edinburgh last night (June 7) – check out all the notable moments from the night below.

The show was the first of three consecutive shows at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium and some fans had been queuing for days ahead of gates opening. The day before the show, fans queuing for merch had been warned by security that they could expect to wait over an hour to get served.

Swift mentioned during the show – her first in Scotland since 2015 – that she had been told this was the most highly-attended stadium show in Scottish history.

She also suggested that Scotland had unconsciously inspired her two lockdown albums ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’. “This foresty, mossy, beautiful, natural world which I now realise is probably just based on videos I’ve seen online of Scotland,” she said.

Swift played a huge 45-song setlist which largely followed a similar pattern to previous ‘Eras’ shows, with a selection of newly added songs from her new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.

The picks for the ‘surprise song’ segment of the show were ‘Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve’ from ‘Midnights’, which Swift played on guitar and incorporated elements of ‘I Know Places’ from ‘1989’. She then took to the piano for a mash-up of ’tis the damn season’ and ‘Daylight’ from ‘Evermore’ and ‘Lover’ respectively.

’tis the damn season’ is the only song other than ‘Long Live’ to have been performed as a surprise song after being removed from the setlist.

During the first mash-up, Swift paused and refused to carry on singing until security had helped a fan who needed assistance.

“I’m just going to keep playing till somebody helps them,” she said in time with the rhythm of her strumming. “We’re not going to keep singing, we’re just going to keep talking about the people they’re helping in front of me.

“Just let me know when, I can do this all night.”

She also had to pause after getting cramp in her hand. “My hand is frozen in a weird cramp,” she explained, “This has never happened before, I’m really sorry. I’m going to do some warming up of it, this is really embarrassing. It’s like forming a claw.”

Later on, after playing ‘cardigan’, Swift congratulated a couple that got engaged right in front of her.

“I love performing this entire show in the sunlight because I’m pretty sure I just saw somebody get engaged over here,” she said before pointing out the couple involved. “Did it happen? Yes! You have no idea, I never get to see that because it’s dark usually. But it’s not right now, so congratulations! I just saw that whole thing. Man, that’s amazing.

“Thanks for doing that at my concert! That’s a big moment.”

Check out more footage from the show below:

NME gave the show a glowing five-star review, writing: “Despite being an arena show, in a huge, cavernous venue, Swift and her fans have managed to cultivate a community. Strangers swap friendship bracelets, laugh and cry together, and embrace the tour’s in-jokes and lore (for example shouting “one, two, three, let’s go bitch” during ‘Delicate’).

“It’s the power of Swift, an artist who’s inspired not only the renaming of a Scottish Loch, but also countless fans to come out and embrace being a part of the Eras family. With The Eras Tour, then, Swift’s managed to craft a marvel of a show that comes with a beating heart.”

Following the remaining two Edinburgh shows, she will play three shows in Liverpool from June 13-15, one night in Cardiff on June 18 and three in London’s Wembley Stadium on June 18-22. She then heads to Dublin on June 28, before taking the tour around Europe.

In other news, The 1975‘s Matty Healy was reportedly “blindsided” by how much of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ was supposedly inspired by their relationship, but found it “hilarious” because they were “never serious”.

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