THE SURPRISE SONGS OF THE ‘ERAS TOUR’ BRING FANS TOGETHER
BY TATE RAUB
With the exception of those living under a rock, the success of Taylor Swift’s groundbreaking “Eras Tour” is taking over news feeds. Judging by the millions of fans she’s amassed and the ticketing craze that followed her tour announcement, it’d be nearly impossible to find someone who didn’t have the time of their life at a show.
Her decades of success and the frenzy that surrounds her shows are proof she consistently puts on an exceptional performance at every single one. The “Eras Tour” is no different, with almost three and a half hours of songs across 10 albums and, notably, the surprise song portion of the show.
The surprise song portion was a completely unknown factor until Swift opened the tour in Glendale, Arizona. It has since grown into a phenomenon for Swifties each time she is playing a concert—even for Swifties who aren’t at the show. Fans watch entire livestreams on TikTok just to get another glimpse of a show or tailgate outside of the stadium to hear it. Even more tune in to watch at what has been dubbed “Surprise Song O’Clock” to see which songs Swift has chosen for the night. Each set of songs is done solo and acoustically, one on piano and one on guitar, and the backup singers and band take a break while tens of thousands of fans eagerly listen to Swift introduce each song.
For some lucky fans, Swift will bring out a surprise guest to play with her, whether it’s a fellow artist who has been featured on one of her songs in the past or one of the artists opening for her on tour. If you’re Phoebe Bridgers, you’re both, but so far the only repeated guest has been Aaron Dessner, member of the band The National and collaborator of Swift who co-wrote many songs on her most recent albums “folklore,” “evermore,” and “Midnights.”
After Dessner walked onstage to the enthusiastic screams of 68,000 people in Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 17, he played piano as Swift sang her song “seven” from “folklore.” The echo of not only Swift’s lyrics but the entire crowd singing along was surreal. Swift followed up “seven” with “The Story of Us” from “Speak Now.”
The length of her set is 44 songs, but with a discography of hundreds more, having something truly unique for each audience to experience is special. Of course, there are enough people in each stadium she performs in to fill a small town, but each person at a specific show becomes connected by being the only people to hear those specific songs live in that moment. Swifties are already a strong fandom to contend with, but this brings fans together even more.
