Taylor Swift once sang “haters gonna hate, hate, hate” but from 2 to 9 March 2024, it seemed like they would also have to… hibernate. ICYMI, we are in the thick of The Swift Storm in Singapore. And there’s simply no escaping it.
In recent weeks, it’s even turned political, with the Singapore government reportedly having offered Taylor up to S$4 million per show for exclusivity rights in Southeast Asia to boost the economy, much to the chagrin of neighbouring countries. It’s as if they took a page out of Taylor’s mastermind of plotting and scheming.
Some might argue that this mammoth whirlwind started some 9 months ago – when The Eras Tour in Singapore was first announced. And yes, yours truly was part of the skiving employees nationwide on 5 July 2023 internally screaming at our computer screens, frantic at the thought of not seeing *mother* IRL. I was one of the lucky ones – my non-Swiftie friend’s husband’s Ticketmaster account pulled through for me.
So here I finally was, on a Saturday, experiencing The Eras Tour for the first time, at the first SG show. And for fellow Swifties awaiting their turn, here’s a timeline of everything to expect. It’s been a long time coming.
2.04PM: Unlike most other concerts, The Eras Tour is a full-day affair. I arrive at Stadium MRT just past 2PM and there is already an excitable crowd of Swifties to jostle through. No surprise there. With doors opening at 4PM and the show starting at 6PM, long queues for merch are a given and early dinner is a must.
2.21PM: After linking up with my concert buddy (fun fact: we went to the Speak Now Tour together 13 years ago too!), we make a beeline for the merch booth to take home some memorabilia. There are multiple merch booths to optimise crowds, since some are even accessible to non-ticket holders:
Image courtesy of Bryan
Take your merch queuing as an excuse to also check out the costumes in the crowd– every Taylor concert is practically Halloween. Within 30 minutes, I spot a “1989” cheerleader, “Heartbreak Prince” and “Lover” girl – proving there are no boundaries when it comes to Swifties’ creativity.
4.07PM: Adrenaline quells my friend’s and my hunger, so we settle for light bites from the food court. Watching Taylor is a screaming, crying, throwing up event, but we don’t want any of the latter today.
4.18PM: It takes only about 10 minutes before a fellow Swiftie from the next table to say hello, pointing out that she loves my friend’s friendship bracelet and asks for a trade. We enthusiastically oblige, getting a “Karma Is My BF” for an “Illicit Affairs”. ICYMI, Swifties are renowned to be a friendly bunch.
Anyone with a social media account would know by now that exchanging bead bracelets has become a fan-initiated tradition at Taylor’s gigs – birthed from the lyrics “so make the friendship bracelets” on “You’re Own Your Own, Kid”, an album track, mind you. Even celeb guests at overseas concerts like Blake Lively and Katy Perry participated in the trend with Swifties. Honestly, her power?
6PM: We fill our designated seats early because before Miss Americana takes the stage, we’re treated to a 10-song set from ex-Disney Channel wunderkind Sabrina Carpenter first. Following her solo concert in Singapore last July, the fellow blondie has come into her own, sassily delivering hits like “Feather” and “Vicious”.
6.33PM: But it’s the outro of “Nonsense” that gets the biggest cheers, since she cheekily switches it up for every country and performance. Her innuendo-loaded one for Show #1 goes “Gardens by the Bay I wanna go there / Then I’ll take you somewhere that has no hair / Singapore you’re so perfect it’s no fair”, before it inevitably makes its viral rounds on Twitter the next day, and the crowd reverts to its buzzing chatter in anticipation of the main event.
6.54PM: At 3.5 hours and spanning 44 songs, Taylor’s setlist is the longest I’ve – and likely you would’ve – experienced, which means optimal bladder level is top priority. Cue final pee break.
7PM: A brief audio montage of Taylor’s catalogue of hits and a dazzling introduction of “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince’ jolts us into shock, and it’s only when she arrives at “Cruel Summer” where we catch the fever dream high. “You’re making me feel like I get to play to 60,000 people tonight!” she declares triumphantly just as the sun sets behind us in Kallang, as if inviting us to cross over into the night (Taylor’s Version).
7.24PM: The Fearless era starts about as quickly as the Lover era ends, despite the former having double the amount of songs. The nostalgic holy trinity of pop-tinged country classics “Fearless”, “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” transports fans to memories of first crushes and initiates hand-hearts firmly in the air. I’m guilty as charged.
For me, and many longtime Swifties alike, the 2008 album was the turning point that we converted to Swifticisim – the era where us and the world first properly took notice of her genius and artistry.
Images courtesy of Bryan
7.50PM: I won’t forgive anyone who uses the Evermore era as a toilet break. The underrated pandemic album is filled with poetic despair, such as “Marjorie” aka Taylor’s grandmother, which Taylor gives a shout out to her and her mother’s time living in Singapore.
But perhaps it’s best on display with “Champagne Problems”, which Taylor tackles on the piano. By the time the final note hits, the deafening silence invites a standing ovation, where I find myself at my tallest tiptoes and highest heels.
8.13PM: There’s something amusingly camp about Taylor taunting her past selves locked in boxes, which is what we witness during the Reputation era segment. Expect hip thrusts, hair flips and plenty of snarls. This one is for the baddies.
Images courtesy of Bryan
8.32PM: After a brief – but magical – throwback to Speak Now’s album cuts “Enchanted” and “Long Live”, Taylor re-emerges feeling 22, sporting a tee slogan-ed “Who’s Taylor Swift Anyway? Ew.” Every previous tour of Taylor’s is filled with adorable fan interactions, and this cycle’s ritual of gifting her 22 hat is no exception. Singapore’s chosen one tonight is a little girl, who enthusiastically hugs Taylor twice during the sweet exchange.
8.54PM: Folklore’s more alternative approach might not strike a chord with casual, mainstream listeners, but Taylor said “art, not the charts”, with the string of seven songs being one of the longest eras performed. “August” and “The Last Great American Dynasty” truly lean into her sublime songwriting skills, translating stories on stage as if we were watching a Broadway play instead, complete with an elaborate moss-covered cabin set.
9.24PM: But the slower pace is only the calm before the perfect storms. Taylor makes all the tables turn with a full-fledged pop princess comeback on stage for the 1989 era, complete with a sparkly orange dress and stadium-shaking synths on titan radio hits “Style” and “Blank Space”.
“Bad Blood” ends on a fiery note, as the on-screen Lover House burns to the ground. That can only mean one thing….
Images courtesy of Bryan
9.40PM: Here comes the part that neither this article or anyone else can prepare you for: surprise songs – which Taylor confesses is her favourite part of the show. For the unacquainted, Taylor rotates two random songs from her discography for an acoustic set every night – one on guitar, one on piano. Sometimes they’re mashups of deep cuts, sometimes they’re soundtrack songs. The point is, you never know what you’re gonna get.
Tonight we’re treated to a mashup of “Mean”/”Starlight” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”/”Dress” – the latter of which gets the crowd absolutely feral, considering soundtrack songs are a rare gem.
9.49PM: After the frenzy-inducing double whammy we just witnessed, Taylor channels her inner Tom Daley and dives into the front of her runway stage – in what is now a TikTok-viral moment since the first concert date last year.
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9.52PM: Still fresh off her Album of the Year Grammy win, Taylor launches into the Midnights era of the show, which also marks the final chapter of the night. “Vigilante Shit” is a particular standout, with sensual chair choreography showing that Taylor is a far cry from the “can’t sing, can’t dance” country girl when she first debuted.
“Karma” is the finale closer, and a fun one at that. You’ve got to hand it to Taylor for getting even the straightest, middle-aged men singing “karma is my boyfriend, karma is a cat” without inhibitions – perhaps not knowing exactly what they got themselves into by accompanying their girlfriends or daughters. New Swifties are born tonight, for sure.
10.16PM: Confetti falls in the air as Taylor and her crew take their bows. And with that, Night #1 of The Eras Tour has ended, with another five shows to go – which means more surprise songs and maybe even a sighting of her at the Singapore Zoo? Swift Week is only just beginning, you guys.
The armies of Swifties trail out of the stadium chorusing to different songs, smiles still visible despite aching feet and sore throats. Before this week, a colleague asked why I like Taylor Swift so much. And post-concert, I realise it’s truly the effortless combination of her genre-shifting music, on-the-nose lyricism and charming personality that encapsulates what it is to simply be a human being, which cements her as a role model and legend for our generation.
2024 looks set to be full steam ahead for Taylor and Swifties alike, with a new album of songs to decipher meanings, decode easter eggs and make new friendship bracelets to just around the corner. Onwards to 19 April 2024, and another era. We’re ready for it.
Cover: Images courtesy of Bryan, TAS Rights Management
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