Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' comes to a close: From Travis Kelce's cameo to singing in the rain, a look back at her memorable performances
After more than 150 shows across five continents, Taylor Swift’s record-breaking “Eras Tour” will take its final bow with a three-night run in Vancouver, Canada. Her last three shows are at BC Place on Dec. 6-8.
For Swifties young and old, the tour redefined what live music can accomplish with a chart-topping concert film and packed stadiums that were also star-studded affairs, with A-listers like Tom Cruise, Billy Joel, Shania Twain and Emma Stone in attendance, dancing along to their favorite Swift songs like the rest of her legion of fans.
Here’s a look at the unforgettable moments that made this tour a pop culture phenomenon.
March 2023
Swift kicks off in Glendale, Ariz.
Swift opened the tour on March 17 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that if you're here tonight, there's a pretty good chance that you went through a considerable amount of effort to be with us tonight," she told the crowd, acknowledging how difficult it was for some fans to get tickets. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for wanting to be with us on night one."
May 2023
'Bad Blood' with security in Philadelphia
On May 13, during the second night of her three-show run at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, Swift called out a security guard while performing "Bad Blood."
The singer spotted a security guard in a tense exchange with a fan near the end of the stage. As seen in video clips taken by fans, the singer stopped mid-performance and instructed the staffer to back off and let the fan enjoy the show.
The incident quickly went viral. The fan was a third-grade teacher from Maryland, who toldGood Morning America that the guard "kept telling me to, like, calm down and not to dance." After the incident, she was given free tickets to attend the third show in Philadelphia the next day.
Heavy rain in Foxborough, Mass.
Swift's May 20 concert in Foxborough, Mass., caused quite a storm — literally. Under pouring rain, the star delivered her full 44-song set list without skipping a beat.
Swift took to Instagram the next day to thank her fans at Gillette Stadium for embracing the chaos amid “a full-on deluge that never let up.”
August 2023
Announcing '1989 (Taylor's Version)' in L.A.
Swift ended the first U.S. leg of the tour in Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 2023, by announcing the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which dropped on Oct. 27, 2023 — nine years to the date after the original album’s debut in 2014.
“Since I was a teenager, I wanted to own my own music and the way to do it was to re-record my albums," she told the crowd that night. "You were 100% behind me and if I cared about it, you cared about it. I will never stop thanking you for that.”
November 2023
A missing heel in Rio de Janeiro
🎥| @TaylorSwift13 taking out the sole of her shoe#RioTSTheErasTourpic.twitter.com/adldjnkLHq
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) November 20, 2023
Swift handled an unexpected moment in Rio de Janeiro, when her Christian Louboutin heel broke just minutes into the performance on Nov. 20, 2023. Unfazed, she pulled off the shoe and flung it into the crowd.
November 2023
Travis Kelce attends his 1st Taylor show, in Argentina
Kelce attended his first “Eras Tour” concert as Swift’s boyfriend in Buenos Aires on Nov. 11, 2023. The singer gave him a sweet shout-out during her performance of “Karma,” changing the original lyrics from “Karma is the guy on the screen, coming straight home to me” to “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me.”
Kelce shared on the Nov. 15 episode of his podcast New Heights, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, that he was “shocked” when he heard the line “come out of her mouth.”
May 2024
Introducing 'Tortured Poets' set list in Paris
Weeks after the release of her 11th studio album,The Tortured Poets Department, Swift surprised audiences at her May 9 tour stop in Paris with updated costumes and an altered opening montage.
Swift then stepped onto the stage in a gown inspired by her "Fortnight" music video, marking the official integration of The Tortured Poets Department into the “Eras Tour.” Tracks like "But Daddy I Love Him," "So High School" and "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?" quickly became crowd favorites and permanent fixtures in the set list for the remainder of the European leg of the tour.
June 2024
A visit from 'London Boy' Prince William
On the second night of Swift’s first three-night run in London (she later returned to the city for a five-night run in August), Prince William celebrated his 42nd birthday at Wembley Stadium and was accompanied by his children Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The prince was spotted dancing to “Shake It Off” while his elder two kids sang along with the crowd.
Travis Kelce joins Swift onstage
On June 23, Kelce made a surprise appearance onstage during the singer's “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” transition.
Dressed sharply in a tuxedo and top hat, Kelce waltzed across the stage and lifted Swift into his arms. Swift sent a subtle kiss his way before launching into the next song.
October 2024
Sabrina Carpenter’s appearance in New Orleans
After launching her own “Short n’ Sweet Tour” in September, Sabrina Carpenter made a surprise appearance at Swift’s New Orleans tour stop on Oct. 26.
Carpenter previously opened for Swift for 13 shows during the Latin American leg of the tour in 2023, as well as several stops in Australia and Singapore in 2024.
Reunited onstage at the Caesars Superdome, the duo sang a mashup of Carpenter’s hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” as well as Swift’s “Is It Over Now?”
