Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Lili Bayer in Paris

Taylor Swift Eras tour adds Tortured Poets Department and combines Folklore and Evermore eras – as it happened in Paris

Taylor Swift ERAs Paris Europe TTPD
Taylor Swift on stage at the Paris La Défense Arena, France, as the Eras tour reaches Europe.
Taylor Swift on stage at the Paris La Défense Arena, France, as the Eras tour reaches Europe. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

End Game

Thanks so much to everyone who followed the blog, to the fans in Paris who shared their thoughts throughout the day and to the readers who sent tips. It’s been a memorable evening.

Special thanks to the Guardian’s head of digital (live) Claire Phipps, a fellow Swiftie.

You can read more about tonight’s show here:

Taylor has three more nights at Paris La Défense Arena before heading to Stockholm, Lisbon and Madrid in the coming weeks.

The missing songs

To make way for seven new performances of songs from The Tortured Poets Department, some songs that previously were staples of the Eras tour weren’t there tonight and presumably have now disappeared from the setlist … for now.

They were:

  • The Archer (from Lover era)

  • Long Live (from Speak Now era)

  • the 1 (from folklore era)

  • the last great american dynasty (from folklore era)

  • ’tis the damn season (from evermore era)

  • tolerate it (from evermore era)

Thanks to Phoebe Woodward for compiling this list.

Updated

Eras Tour Europe: the new setlist

Will this be the new lineup for this leg of the show? Time will tell, but here’s what we witnessed in Paris tonight.

Lover

  • Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince

  • Cruel Summer

  • The Man

  • You Need to Calm Down

  • Lover

Fearless

  • Fearless

  • You Belong With Me

  • Love Story

Red

  • 22

  • We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

  • I Knew You Were Trouble

  • All Too Well (10-minute version)

Speak Now

  • Enchanted

Reputation

  • … Ready For It?

  • Delicate

  • Don’t Blame Me

  • Look What You Made Me Do

Folklore/Evermore

Now combined as one Era

  • cardigan

  • betty

  • champagne problems

  • august

  • illicit affairs

  • my tears ricochet

  • marjorie

  • willow

1989

  • Style

  • Blank Space

  • Shake It Off

  • Wildest Dreams

  • Bad Blood

The Tortured Poets Department

New!

  • But Daddy I Love Him

  • So High School

  • Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

  • Down Bad

  • Fortnight

  • The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

  • I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

Surprise songs

  • Paris (from Midnights)

  • loml (from TTPD)

Midnights

  • Lavender Haze

  • Anti-Hero

  • Midnight Rain

  • Vigilante Shit

  • Bejeweled

  • Mastermind

  • Karma

Updated

Catch up here on Taylor’s performance of the song Paris… in Paris!

Fans will certainly be analysing this evening’s performance for some time.

New setlist, new performances, new outfits – while some songs were cut.

First Europe show ends

“I love you so much,” Taylor tells the crowd in the Paris arena, closing the first night of the Europe leg of her Eras tour, where she revamped her setlist and performed new music for the first time.

Taylor is singing Karma.

‘Cause karma is my boyfriend
Karma is a god
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend
Karma’s a relaxing thought
Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?
Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap ‘cause it loves me
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that

We’re on the last song :(

“This has been an unforgettable night in Paris, we love you so much!” Taylor tells the audience.

We’re close to the end of the show…

Updated

Taylor is now singing Mastermind. Love these lyrics:

What if I told you none of it was accidental
And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me?
I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork
The dominoes cascaded in a line

Bejeweled!

“So on the weekends
She don’t dress for friends
Lately she’s been dressing for revenge”

She’s moved to Vigilante Shit.

And here’s footage from the earlier TTDP set:

Midnight Rain is up now.

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
At tea time, everybody agrees
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero”

And we’re at Anti-Hero!

I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser
Midnights become my afternoons
When my depression works the graveyard shift
All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room

Will Taylor keep all her usual Midnight songs?

In earlier shows, this was the order:

Lavender Haze
Anti‐Hero
Midnight Rain
Vigilante Shit
Bejeweled
Mastermind
Karma

Taylor is now on Lavender Haze. Earlier today I saw some fan outfits inspired by the song.

On to Midnights...

Taylor has moved on to Midnights, her 2022 album.

Lavender Haze, Anti-Hero, Karma… this album includes a lot of fan favourites!

Anti-Hero, in particular, has resonated.

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
At tea time, everybody agrees
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

You’re On Your Own, Kid is close to my heart – the kind of song you listen to when things don’t go as planned. She sings in the album:

‘Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned
Everything you lose is a step you take
So make the friendship bracelets
Take the moment and taste it
You’ve got no reason to be afraid

Feels like we’re entering the last part of the night (noo time flies).

She’s jumped!

Some sharp lyrics:

Talking rings and talking cradles
I wish I could un-recall
How we almost had it all

She’s moved on to loml, another song from TTPD.

Who’s gonna tell me the truth
When you blew in with the winds of fate
And told me I reformed you
When your impressionist paintings of Heaven
Turned out to be fakes
Well, you took me to hell, too
And all at once, the ink bleeds
A con man sells a fool a get-love-quick scheme
But I felt a hole like this
Never before, and ever since

Updated

What else does Taylor have in store for us?!

It's the acoustic set

She’s singing Paris from Midnights.

I’m so in love that I might stop breathing
Drew a map on your bedroom ceiling
No, I didn’t see the news
‘Cause we were somewhere else
Stumbled down pretend alleyways
Cheap wine, make believe it’s champagne
I was taken by the view

Like we were in Paris
Like we were somewhere else

Updated

Taylor jokes about her new set: “female rage, the musical”.

Taylor has changed outfits, again! And it looks like we’re entering the acoustic set.

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart is perhaps one of the most telling and personal tracks on the new album.

‘Cause I’m a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, ‘Babe, you gotta fake it ‘til you make it’ and I did
Lights, camera, bitch smile, even when you wanna die
He said he’d love me all his life
But that life was too short
Breaking down, I hit the floor
All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, “More”
I was grinning like I’m winning, I was hitting my marks
‘Cause I can do it with a broken heart

She continues:

I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday every day
I’m so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague
I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an art
You know you’re good when you can even do it
With a broken heart

Updated

Taylor moves to I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

Taylor is singing I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, also from TTPD.

Updated

These lyrics are just so piercing.

Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?
Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?
Were you writing a book? Were you a sleeper cell spy?
In fifty years, will all this be declassified?
And you’ll confess why you did it
And I’ll say, ‘Good riddance’
‘Cause it wasn’t sexy once it wasn’t forbidden
I would’ve died for your sins
Instead, I just died inside
And you deserve prison, but you won’t get time
You’ll slide into inboxes and slip through the bars
You crashed my party and your rental car
You said normal girls were boring
But you were gone by the morning
You kicked out the stage lights
But you’re still performing

And in plain sight you hid
But you are what you did
And I’ll forget you, but I’ll never forgive
The smallest man who ever lived

Updated

Taylor sings The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Taylor is now performing The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived – one of my personal favourites on TTPD.

Updated

“All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February
I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary
And I love you, it’s ruining my life”

Updated

….mashed up with Fortnight.

Updated

She’s moved on Down Bad.

Taylor sings Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

Taylor is now giving a powerful performance of Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? – another new song from TTPD.

You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me
So all you kids can sneak into my house with all the cobwebs
I’m always drunk on my own tears, isn’t that what they all said?

Updated

She’s also performed So High School from TTPD.

And here’s Taylor new costume for TTPD.

Taylor performs But Daddy I Love Him

Taylor is singing But Daddy I Love Him.

This new song, from TTPD, has some very sharp lyrics – and includes a social critique.

Now I’m runnin’ with my dress unbuttoned
Scrеamin’, ‘But, Daddy, I love him
I’m havin’ his baby’
No, I’m not, but you should see your faces
I’m tellin’ him to floor it through the fences
No, I’m not coming to my senses
I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want

She continues:

God save the most judgmental creeps
Who say they want what’s best for me
Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see
Thinkin’ it can change the beat
Of my heart when he touches me
And counteract the chemistry
And undo the destiny
You ain’t gotta pray for me
Me and my wild boy and all of this wild joy
If all you want is gray for me
Then it’s just white noise, and it’s just my choice

Updated

Taylor moves to The Tortured Poets Department

For the first time ever, we’re on The Tortured Poets Department!!

Updated

Lots of anticipation now…

And she’s keeping Bad Blood.

Love these lines:

“You’ll see me in hindsight
Tangled up with you all night
Burning it down
Someday when you leave me
I bet these memories
Follow you around”

Taylor is moving on to Wildest Dreams… so glad she didn’t drop it! A really beautiful one.

Lots of uncertainty about what comes next…. let’s see!

And here’s a really fun one many of us can relate to on occasion: Shake it Off.

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Updated

Thanks to everyone getting in touch via eras.europe@theguardian.com. Keep ‘em coming!

Erin following from Kansas City wonders if, during Delicate:

Did the Paris crowd say “un, deux, trois let’s go bitch.

They did!

Sky wants to know what the new Speak Now dress looks like (in all its glory). We haven’t yet had official photos through but catch a great view of it here:

Blank Space is a fun track, but also very pointed.

Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
‘Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game

A reader notes that Taylor skipped the following Folkmore tracks:
The 1
The Last Great American Dynasty
Tolerate It
‘tis the Damn Season

And she’s now on Blank Space.

Here’s the new combined order for Folklore and Evermore.

Taylor, now on the 1989 era, is singing Style. And in a new outfit!

Updated

On to 1989!

We’ve all danced to Shake It Off at one point.

Originally released in 2014, with a re-recording in 2023, 1989 includes hits such as Blank Space, Style, and Wildest Dreams.

I’m fond of this 2015 performance of Wildest Dreams at the GRAMMY Museum.

We’re now on Willow, from the Evermore album.

Updated

Taylor is moving on to Marjorie, a song she wrote about her grandmother, who was an opera singer.

This song will resonate with many who miss their grandparents and wish they had more time to learn about them.

And I complained the whole way there
The car ride back and up the stairs
I should’ve asked you questions
I should’ve asked you how to be
Asked you to write it down for me
Should’ve kept every grocery store receipt
‘Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me

Updated

I’m so relieved she’s not skipping this one! My Tears Ricochet.

I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace
And you’re the hero flying around, saving face
And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet

Updated

Some fans don’t appear happy with combination of Folklore and Evermore albums.

And now we’re on illicit affairs.

These lyrics really hit home for me:

Back when we were still changin’ for the better
Wanting was enough
For me, it was enough
To live for the hope of it all
Cancel plans just in case you’d call

She’s now on to August.

But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
‘Cause it was never mine
And I can see us twisted in bedsheets
August sipped away like a bottle of wine
‘Cause you were never mine

Updated

The crowd is very enthusiastic, cheering after this song.

“One for the money, two for the show
I never was ready, so I watch you go
Sometimes you just don’t know the answer
‘Til someone’s on their knees and asks you”

One fan I met earlier in the day is going to be very happy singing along now:

Updated

Taylor is now singing Champagne Problems, one of her most poignant songs.

Evermore and Folklore eras combined.

We’ve arrived in the Evermore era, one of Taylor’s pandemic-era albums, released in 2020.

Taylor tells the audience Folklore and Evermore are sister albums. The eras are now combined.

It’s really hard to pick the most beautiful songs on this album – but it’s worth mentioning Champagne Problems, Willow, and Marjorie, which is about Taylor’s grandmother, who was an opera singer.

In this album, Taylor sings:

You had a speech, you’re speechless
Love slipped beyond your reaches
And I couldn’t give a reason
Champagne problems

In earlier shows, she played ‘tis the Damn Season, Willow, Marjorie, Champagne Problems and Tolerate It.

Updated

Gotta love this part:

Yeah, I showed up at your party
Will you have me? Will you love me?
Will you kiss me on the porch
In front of all your stupid friends?
If you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed it?
Will it patch your broken wings?
I’m only 17, I don’t know anythin’
But I know I miss you

And Taylor is now going back to Betty, a fan favourite from the Folklore album.

In the garden, would you trust me
If I told you it was just a summer thing?
I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anythin’
But I know I miss you

Updated

Taylor now says she will go into something different.

Taylor reminds the audience that she wrote Folklore in the beginning of the pandemic.

On to Folklore

Taylor is now on Folklore, a pandemic era album released in 2020 that marked yet another shift for the artist.

My personal favourites on this album are Cardigan and Betty, followed closely by The Last Great American Dynasty.

There’s a lot to explore in Folklore, including the beautiful Lakes bonus track and August:

But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
‘Cause it was never mine
And I can see us twisted in bedsheets
August sipped away like a bottle of wine
‘Cause you were never mine

In earlier shows, Taylor played Invisible String, Betty, The Last Great American Dynasty, August, Illicit Affairs, My Tears Ricochet and Cardigan.

Another shift, with several Folklore songs skipped

Taylor has skipped ahead to Cardigan, usually the last song in the Folklore set.

Updated

We’re seeing a snake.

Updated

Phoebe Woodward, one of our readers, writes in: “There have been no changes to the Reputation setlist or outfits … but there’s a Tortured Poets Taylor in the boxes on the screen for Look What You Made Me Do!”

Updated

And we’re now on what we expect to be the last song from the Reputation era: Look What You Made Me Do.

Jennifer, a reader, writes in: “My daughter who is 7 months pregnant is at the show. She bought tickets before she knew she was pregnant!”

She adds that her daughter is “having a fabulous time; says baby is already a Swiftie fan!”

Taylor is now continuing with Don’t Blame Me, another song from the Reputation album.

Pauric, following the live blog from Ireland, contacted us via eras.europe@theguardian.com with the important issue:

Need to know what colour her nails are.

Taylor seems to have left behind her Era-colour-per-nail look and tonight’s look to be a pearly white. Perhaps a silvery grey there, too?

Updated

And we’re now on Delicate!

My reputation’s never been worse, so
You must like me for me

Updated

Taylor is now singing …Ready For It?

I see how this is gon’ go
Touch me and you’ll never be alone
Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know

Updated

Reputation

And we’re in the Reputation era!

Released in 2017, Reputation marked a shift for Taylor.

Bold, defiant, the Reputation album includes …Ready For It?, Delicate and Look What You Made Me Do.

In Delicate, she sings:

This ain’t for the best
My reputation’s never been worse, so
You must like me for me

Getaway Car is also a fun one. In the album, Taylor sings:

You were drivin’ the getaway car
We were flyin’, but we’d never get far
Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery
Think about the place where you first met me
Ridin’ in a getaway car

Another change: Long Live skipped

Long Live has been cut.

Updated

Taylor is wearing a new, floor-length sparkly purple dress.

Updated

We’re on to Enchanted, part of the Speak Now album, which was originally released in 2010.

Updated

Another change to the setlist.

Dancers are on stage.

Updated

Surprises in the pipeline?

“And I was never good at tellin’ jokes, but the punch line goes
“I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age
From when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones
I’m a soldier who’s returning half her weight
And did the twin flame bruise paint you blue?
Just between us, did the love affair maim you too?
‘Cause in this city’s barren cold
I still remember the first fall of snow
And how it glistened as it fell
I remember it all too well”

Updated

“Wind in my hair, you were there, you remember it all
Down the stairs, you were there, you remember it all
It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well”

Updated

Taylor sings epic 10-minute All Too Well

Those who are relatively new to Swift universe may wonder why we get so excited about this. I promise, it’s worth a listen. The lyrics are deep – and heartbreaking.

And maybe we got lost in translation
Maybe I asked for too much
But maybe this thing was a masterpiece ‘til you tore it all up
Running scared, I was there
I remember it all too well

And you call me up again just to break me like a promise
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
‘Cause I remember it all, all, all
Too well

Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it
I’d like to be my old self again
But I’m still trying to find it

Updated

… but she is going on with the usual set, to the epic 10-minute All Too Well.

And it sounds like a surprise is coming…

“We’re in this moment together,” Taylor tells the crowd, telling the audience she is moved.

Updated

Taylor is now singing I Knew You Were Trouble.

International crowd in Paris

Earlier today, I spoke with fans who arrived in Paris for tonight’s show.

Britney travelled to Paris from Canada with her niece, sister-in-law and mother.

Asked why they chose the Paris show rather than the North American tour dates, she said: “the cost, honestly – it’s cheaper to come here, believe it or not.”

Her sister-in-law said her daughter was dressing up as the “Red” era. “I’m the chaperon, but I do enjoy Taylor Swift,” she said.

Other Canadians fans were also standing nearby. One said she is dressing up tonight as a mirror ball, inspired by Swift’s 2020 song of that name.

Asked which album, she is most looking forward to, Dominique, a Canadian exchange student, said “literally all of them, but I think the one that hits the most, the really nostalgic, is Fearless,” she said,” adding: “I have a Midnights outfit… I’m prepared to dance and sing.”

The 21-year-old said: “I hope Travis Kelce is coming,” in reference to Taylor Swift’s partner and American football player.

“Every song, I think I’m gonna cry!”

Lots of questions.

She is now moving on to We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, also from the Red album.

Given that it’s Paris, a line was added: “non jamais”.

Updated

Taylor is singing 22.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22
Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you
You don’t know about me, but I bet you want to
Everything will be alright if we just keep dancing like we’re 22

Updated

Moving on to the Red era

Taylor is now on the Red era.

First released in 2012, with a re-recording in 2021, Red is definitely a fan favourite, with a range of songs from the defiant We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together to the emotional The Last Time and imaginative The Lucky One.

On Red (Taylor’s Version), I Bet You Think About Me is certainly memorable.

Fans will definitely be waiting for the epic, 10-minute version of All Too Well (which some of us may or may not have cried to).

And you call me up again just to break me like a promise
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
‘Cause I remember it all, all, all
Too well

For those feeling nostalgic, here are some acoustic performances from the Red album, back in 2012.

Second setlist change: Red instead of Evermore!

Taylor appears to be moving to the Red era, instead of Evermore.

Updated

The setlist appears to have changed again.

Taylor is now on the fan favourite Love Story.

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess
It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”

Updated

Taylor is going back to high school, with the classic You Belong With Me.

And there’s a new outfit!

Taylor moves to Fearless era

We’ve arrived in the Fearless era!

I’ll admit Fearless is, still, my favourite album, and for those of us in our 30s, inextricably linked with the high school experience.

The album, which was first released in 2008, includes Taylor Swift teen romance classics such as Love Story and You Belong With Me, but also the deeply personal The Best Day, which is dedicated to Swift’s mother:

I don’t know who I’m gonna talk to now at school
But I know I’m laughing
On the car ride home with you

A re-recording, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), was released in 2021. It includes a really nice piano version of Forever & Always. Personally I’m a fan of Come In With The Rain, which was included in the new album.

Earlier in the Eras tour, Taylor sang Fearless, You Belong With Me and Love Story.

Fans are excited about the inclusion of The Tortured Poets Department tonight.

First setlist change…

Swift is skipping The Archer, which earlier had been included in this part of the set. This would be the first major change to the tour … and will add to the anticipation that she will incorporate a new era for her recent album, the Tortured Poets Department. Stay tuned!

Updated

Taylor, on stage at Paris La Défense Arena, called the city romantic.

She’s singing Lover:

We could leave the Christmas lights up ‘til January
And this is our place, we make the rules
And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear
Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?

Taylor is now transitioning to a big fan favourite, Lover (the song).

“I feel so incredibly lucky,” she tells the crowd, also asking them to cheer for Paramore.

Updated

Taylor is now moving on to You Need To Calm Down, another song from the Lover era.

Taylor Swift, who is wearing a glittering bodysuit, is now moving on to The Man.

I would be complex
I would be cool
They’d say I played the field before I found someone to commit to
And that would be ok
For me to do
Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you

Updated

“I’m feeling extraordinary,” Taylor tells the crowd.

Lover Era

We’re now in the Lover era. Originally released in 2019, Lover is a confident pop album with fan favourites like Cruel Summer and, of course, Lover. I love this performance on Saturday Night Live:

The album includes feminist anthem The Man, where Swift pointedly sings:

I’m so sick of running as fast as I can
Wondering if I’d get there quicker
If I was a man

But it also has some heart-wrenching tunes like Cornelia Street:

I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends
I’d never walk Cornelia Street again
That’s the kind of heartbreak time could never mend
I’d never walk Cornelia Street again

Here’s a performance of Cornelia Street from a few years ago:

In earlier parts of the tour, Taylor played these Lover songs:

Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince

Cruel Summer

The Man

You Need To Calm Down

Lover

The Archer

She’s on to Cruel Summer.

As in previous shows, Taylor has opened with Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.

Taylor Swift appears on stage

Taylor Swift is now on stage at the Paris La Défense Arena, for the first performance of the Europe segment of her Eras tour.

The crowd is cheering as music starts.

The countdown is on…

Everyone’s waiting for Taylor. Stay tuned and send us your reactions!

Email: eras.europe@theguardian.com

Dina, who travelled to Paris from Cleveland for the show, said Lover is her favourite album.

Some images from the arena:

Which surprise songs are you hoping for? Any TTPD songs you are expecting?

Send us your thoughts: eras.europe@theguardian.com

Farren and Cassidy, who are here from Canada, are wearing outfits inspired by Taylor Swift Songs.

Farren (left) says she loves Ready for It? from the Reputation album.

Cassidy (right), whose outfit is inspired by Lavender Haze and Speak now, said she loves the Midnights album and looking forward most to the Midnights set.

Updated

Paramore is performing This Is Why.

Amanda, Bethany and Mary showed me the (many) friendship bracelets they prepared for today’s show.

Mary (left) said her outfit is inspired by the song Maroon, from the Midnight album.

These fans made their own shirts featuring Taylor Swift songs.

Jade, from Tennessee, and Adrien, from Utah, dressed as Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.

Paramore is on Ain’t It Fun.

Paramore has two more songs.

The mood ahead of Taylor Swift’s Paris show may be lighthearted, but the campaign for the European elections – scheduled for June – could be felt near the arena.

A group of supporters of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, came to campaign near the venue, with flyers featuring the president and the Besoin d’Europe list’s lead candidate, Valérie Hayer.

Lauriane, 29, and Maelys, 23, from Paris, based their outfits on the beginning of the ME! music video.

Many fans arrived hours before doors opened, leaving lots of time for games.

Paramore is singing That’s What You Get.

Inès and Mathilde, 24 and 17, sisters from Paris, said they are “very excited” about today’s show.

Paramore set thus far:

Hard Times

Burning Down the House

Still Into You

Caught In The Middle

Brick by Boring Brick

The Only Exception

Paramore just played Brick by Boring Brick.

For some fans, glitter is a big part of the Taylor Swift show experience.

Ahead of today’s Paris concert, some spent time getting ready.

Paramore has performed “Hard Times”.

How will tonight’s performance differ from earlier performances?

There may be some changes coming in the Europe leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

In the previous shows, the singer used this general setlist:

  • The Lover era with several songs including ‘The Man’ and ‘Lover’

  • The Fearless era with ‘Fearless’, ‘You Belong With Me’ and ‘Love Story’

  • The Evermore era with five songs, including ‘Marjorie’ and ‘Champagne Problems’

  • The Reputation era with four songs, such as ‘…Ready for It?’ and ‘Look What You Made Me Do’

  • The Speak Now era with ‘Enchanted’ and ‘Long Live’

  • The Red era with four songs, including the epic ‘All Too Well’ 10 minute version.

  • The Folklore era with seven songs, including ‘Betty’ and ‘‘The Last Great American Dynasty’

  • The 1989 era with five songs, including ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’

  • An acoustic section with surprise songs

  • The Midnights Era with seven songs, ending with ‘Mastermind’ and ‘Karma’

Nikki and Ava, fans from California, already attended an Eras tour show in Los Angeles.

But they love Taylor Swift so much that they are here in Paris to see it again.

“We’re obsessed with her,” they said.

Paramore on stage

Paramore, the support act for the European leg of the Eras tour, are on stage now:

Hannah, 29, from Paris, said Champagne Problems is her favourite song.

'The tour will be different,' Paris arena official says

Raphaëlle Plasse, head of booking and venue management at Paris La Défense Arena, spoke with the Guardian ahead of today’s concert about what to expect.

“The tour will be different,” she said. “The show will be a brand new one,” Plasse said, adding Taylor Swift is adding new music to the lineup.

“I’m expecting the Swifties to be very surprised,” she said.

Who’s coming?

45,000 people will attend each of the four Paris shows, Plasse said.

A total of 30% of the audience is expected to arrive from outside of France. And 20% of attendees will be from the United States, according to Plasse. Americans are the biggest contingent from outside France, followed by concert-goers from the UK and Belgium.

The crowd is set to be young and overwhelmingly female: 56% of ticket buyers were younger than 25, and 70% were female.

“There will be a lot of parents,” Plasse noted.

Hours before the show, some fans waiting to enter the arena were already singing.

Lisa, 18, from France, chose an outfit inspired by Speak Now.

French fans in the merch line

This morning, ahead of Taylor Swift’s first Eras show in Europe, people lined up patiently near the Paris La Défense Arena to buy Swift-themed mechanise

Margaux, a 16-year-old from Paris, said she has been a Swift fan since 2021-2022, listening first to the pandemic-era album Folklore. But she now loves Taylor’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), as well.

“I’m expecting TTPD,” she said, pointing on online clues from the American singer.

“I hope she’s not going to stop doing the surprise song, because that’s the best part of the concert,” she said.

Manon, a 29-year-old from Brittany, said she has been a fan since around the age of 12. “I want TTPD, but I’m here for the Lover album, and 1989,” she said.

Standing nearby in the line, her 21-year-old cousin, Pauline, joked: “when she was babysitting me at my grandma’s house, she would force me to watch Taylor Swift… so we grew up together watching that.”

Ahead of the show, waiting outside in the sunshine, many fans spent time making friendship bracelets and exchanging them. Some already came prepared.

Welcome to the blog

Welcome to a special edition of the Guardian Europe blog, coming to you from outside the Paris La Défense Arena in France.

Tonight, Taylor Swift will be performing here in front of an enthusiastic international crowd, on the first evening of the Europe leg of her Eras tour.

I’ve spent much of the day talking to fans who arrived for the concert, and are highly excited to see how the show might be changing tonight.

Many of the fans here today are in their late teens or early 20s. Most appear to be longtime Swifties – and very well-versed in Taylor’s music.

They have also put a lot of time and effort into preparations for the show, from Taylor-themed outfits to friendship bracelets.

Stay tuned for updates.

Are you here at the Paris era show? Are you a Swiftie following from afar? Send us your thoughts on favourite songs, outfits, expectations for tonight and reviews of TTPD to: eras.europe@theguardian.com

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
FDA restricts psychoactive mushroom used in some edibles
The regulator warned food manufacturers that Amanita muscaria –  more commonly known as the fly agaric – and the compounds it contains are not authorized to use
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
“I go to church every Sunday when I’m home. Especially now I’ve replaced the booze with glue”: From GN’R and Pantera to Ozzy Osbourne and God, Zakk Wylde is the most connected man in rock
It’s Zakk Wylde’s world - we just live in it
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
My husband and I tried the Scandi Sleep Method and love it — 3 reasons you will too
We avoided a sleep divorce thanks to the Scandinavian Sleep Method, but will it work for you too? Three telltale signs that it will...
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
45 Years Ago, A Disney Misstep Was A Secret Sci-Fi Masterpiece
The haters were wrong. On its 45th birthday, 'The Black Hole' is just as wonderfully manic as ever. Here's why this flop is actually worth your time.
Inverse
Inverse
Black long COVID patients ignored
New research found that those living with long COVID in the U.S. had significantly more anxiety and depression
Salon
Salon
Jared Leto’s latest ‘iconic’ role leaves fans divided
‘Skeletor was going to make or break this movie,’ said one fan
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play