Taylor Swift fever struck Paris on Thursday as the highest-grossing tour in history finally arrived in Europe, with fans treated to the first-ever performance of songs from her latest album.
The Eras Tour began its European leg with four dates at the La Defense Arena in Paris.
"I wish I could have toured Europe more. This is a dream crowd," the 34-year-old megastar told the ecstatic audience.
There were deafening shrieks as images of typewriter sheets indicated that songs off the new album "The Tortured Poets Department" were starting late in the show.
Emerging in a lyrics-covered dress, she ran through several of the darker new tracks starting with "But Daddy I Love Him" and "Fortnight", a particularly furious rendition of "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" and an elaborate "I Can Do it with a Broken Heart," with a golden-era Hollywood dance routine.
Other "The Tortured Poets Department" songs performed included "So High School," "Down Bad" and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," according to ETonline.
"You were the first crowd to see songs from 'The Tortured Poets Department'," she said, before adding: "Or, as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: the Musical.'
That was a magical moment for many in the crowd.
"I've been looking forward to this for so long, I can't believe it's finally happening," said 11-year-old Emma, who traveled with her mother all the way from New York.
In addition to adding songs from "The Tortured Poets Department," the show and its 45-song setlist underwent other changes.
According to ETonline, one of the major alterations was the combination of the "Folklore" and "Evermore" setlists, resulting in the removal of four songs across the two albums: "'Tis the Damn Season," "Tolerate It," "The 1," and "The Last Great American Dynasty."
"On the Eras Tour, we have now reunited the sisters, combined them into one chapter," Swift announced in a video posted on social media. "You can call it 'Folklore, Evermore,' or you can call it the Sister Albums! You can call it whatever you want as long as you promise to sing 'Champagne Problems' with me."
Furthermore, "The Archer" was taken out from the "Lovers" segment of the show, and "Long Live" was eliminated from the "Speak Now" era setlist, as per ETonline.
As a fitting choice, one of the surprise songs performed was the bonus track "Paris" from the "Midnights" album.
Parts of the show were also rearranged to make room for the newest era. The "Red" era was moved from the fifth to the third slot, according to ETonline, and the newest album was introduced following the "1989" set.
The venue said a fifth of the crowd were from the United States — many attracted by Europe's rules against charging huge mark-ups on resale tickets that can save Americans thousands of dollars compared with shows at home.
Georg'Ann Daly decided to celebrate her 23rd birthday with the Paris show. It meant flying from Nashville to Chicago to London and catching the Eurostar to Paris.
"I've always been obsessed with Taylor Swift," she told AFP.
A handful of superfans camped out from Tuesday in Paris to ensure they got a prime spot.
"I didn't plan to, but I came to check it out and I saw the first tents and I panicked a little," said Chris, 30.
Noah, 20, is seeing all four Paris concerts — he used 22 email addresses to get through the lottery system and secure the tickets.
After wrapping up her run in Paris, Swift will head for dates in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria.
The Eras Tour has worked its way across North and South America and Asia since starting in March 2023.
Swift has made history by becoming the first artist to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales by the end of the year. With her tour set to conclude in Vancouver this December, she is projected to double that amount.
Her latest album broke records by selling 1.4 million copies on its release day and achieving a billion streams on Spotify within five days. Swift's candid lyrics about her romantic relationships have captivated fans, who are eagerly decoding clues about her past and current partners in songs like "The Tortured Poets Department."
From references to ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn to hints about her fling with Matty Healy of The 1975, Swift's music resonates with listeners on topics like toxic relationships, love, politics, and mental health. Fans like Chris are drawn to Swift's relatable storytelling, finding solace in her songs that mirror their own experiences.
