The long anticipated Eras Tour has finally swept through Houston! The last time Taylor Swift was in our city was during her Reputation Tour in 2018. Here are some of the number differences between then and now:

Reputation

NRG — September 29, 2018

50,000+ attendees

Opening acts: Charli XCX and Camila Cabello

Nearly 2 hours long

Eras

NRG — April 21, 22 and 23, 2023

60,000+ attendees each night

Opening acts: Gracie Abrams and Beabadoobee

Over 3 hours long

Swift opened her biggest tour to date with her album Lover, starting with the chorus of “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.” With fans already losing their voice, she moved onto the hugely popular “Cruel Summer,” and continued to sing four more Lover songs for a total of six tracks from this era. This was the first time people had heard these songs live after the pandemic prevented her from touring this album or any after it. 

Moving on from Lover, she transitioned into Fearless (Taylor’s Version), incorporating many little things from the Fearless Tour into her newer rendition, like dance moves and outfits. She played three songs from this beloved album, ending with “Love Story (Taylor’s Version).” 

The next era performed was evermore, her second-most recent album. Going from jumping up and down to Fearless (Taylor’s Version) songs to singing some of her more soulful ballads was certainly a difficult transition, but Swift seamlessly brought us into her world of french braids and flannels. Some of the five songs she sang for this era include “Marjorie” and “Champagne Problems.” Her song “Marjorie” is named after her grandma, Marjorie Finlay, who passed away when Swift was 13. Like her granddaughter, she was also a singer, although she was in the opera business. One of the most unique things about this song’s performance is that Swift incorporated her grandmother’s vocals into the background vocals of the song. She gave a speech about how it almost felt like she was singing with her grandma on stage, which brought many to tears. Another huge hit of this era was the song “Champagne Problems,” which was a song Swift said she really wanted to perform live. The energy and emotion was incredible as she sat down and sang while playing her moss-covered piano. 

The next era transition broke sound barriers and had fans on their feet screaming that they were “…Ready For It?” Her edgy and powerful album Reputation was a highlight of the show. The visuals included the iconic snake from this album’s 2018 tour and incredible choreography, bringing us into the transition of our wildest dreams from “Don’t Blame Me” into “Look What You Made Me Do.” This flawlessly-executed combination of songs had fans screaming for the finale of her fiercest album. 

The next song she sang marked the beginning and end of the next era, Speak Now. Swift played a risky game by only performing one song from this album and hoping fans would be satisfied. Some even called her mean. Fortunately, the performance of “Enchanted” was quite a hit and had her coming out in a majestic, full-length princess-style ball gown in the album’s color, purple. Even though this was the only song performed from this album, it went above and beyond in terms of nostalgia and the whimsical feel of this era. 

Moving on to Red (Taylor’s Version), Swift played her favorite song from the album, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” but she had fans screaming when she played the 10 minute version! The entire stadium sang along with Swift for the whole thing and, showing from the volume, it’s one of the fans’ favorite songs too. 

The rest of the Red (Taylor’s Version) era was filled with classics from years ago, and then we transitioned into folklore. This album was written during the COVID-19 pandemic; Swift spoke during the concert about how she wanted to write poetry and stories during the lockdown, so that’s what she did. One of the most impressive stories is a love triangle she wrote spanning across three different songs: “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty.” This era was full of incredible visuals, stunning outfits and choreography that made you feel like you were in the fantasy forest that she pictured while writing the album. 

Then we were in for a throwback, the album that truly sealed her spot at the top: 1989. This era was full of songs that we grew up singing and dancing to on the radio. With fun songs like “Style,” “Shake It Off,” and “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version),” the crowd quickly shifted from the mystical land of folklore to a full-on dance party. 

Up next is arguably the most exciting part of the concert, where Swift surprised her fans with two acoustic songs that weren’t on her setlist. In Houston, she played “Wonderland” and “You’re Not Sorry (Taylor’s Version)” on Friday, “A Place In This World” and “Today Was A Fairytale (Taylor’s Version)” on Saturday, and “Begin Again (Taylor’s Version)” and “Cold As You” on Sunday. 

The last era of this three-hour long concert was her newest album, “Midnights.” The album was released just over a week before the Eras Tour announcement, so fans were super excited to hear these songs live. The show closed with her song “Karma,” and, at around midnight on Sunday, she wrapped up her final show at NRG Stadium (Taylor’s Version).