Ellise Shafer Eras Tour attendees, welcome to “The Tortured Poets Department.” At Taylor Swift‘s Paris concert on Thursday night — the European kickoff of the record-breaking tour and her first show since the album’s release — the pop icon debuted several of the new songs live at La Défense Arena, starting with “But Daddy I Love Him.” Swift kicked off the show with her usual opener, “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” playing songs from both her “Lover” and “Fearless” eras.
Then she switched up the set order, performing tracks from “Red,” “Speak Now” and “Reputation,” instead of transitioning to “Evermore,” as she had during the previous leg of the tour. “Folklore” followed “Reputation,” accompanied by new visuals featuring a snake slithering through the grass.
The singer announced that she has always seen “Folklore” and “Evermore” as sister albums and would be combining them into “one chapter” at the show, stating, “We have now reunited the sisters.” She then performed songs from both albums before segueing into “1989.” After “1989,” new visuals then signaled a transition into “The Tortured Poets Department.” Ever since Swift announced that she’d be dropping a brand-new album in the middle of the Eras Tour, fans have been speculating as to how she would include it in the setlist.
Some predicted the record would mark an entirely new era, while others thought she might just represent it within the surprise songs portion of the show. “The Tortured Poets Department” released on April 19, and Swift surprised fans with a double album consisting of 31 songs.
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