More than 18 months in, everyone can agree that Taylor Swift‘s Eras tour is more than just your average concert. It’s an event. Swift herself even used that word to describe what her record-slashing trek has become during the second of three sold-out nights at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 19).
Fans by the thousands packed in to the city’s biggest venue donning their Eras Best (think Sunday Best, but sequins, cowboy boots and beaded bracelets) not just to view the show of a lifetime, but to sing and dance their hearts out, trade friendship bracelets and make memories that will last forever.
At Hard Rock Stadium (and every venue she’s booked for this trek), Swift takes on the role of host, leading us through each of her eras/albums like chapters in a book — just not chronologically. This story begins with her 2019 album Lover, which was supposed to have a tour of its own in 2020 called Lover Fest but was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She then makes her way back through Fearless, Red, Speak Now, Reputation, Folklore and Evermore, 1989 and The Tortured Poets Department, before concluding nearly 3.5 hours later with her latest Grammy album of the year winner, Midnights.
Like most music artists’ tours, each stop follows this same general setlist. But thanks to her surprise song set in which she plays two acoustic songs or mashups from her 220-plus song catalog on guitar and piano (plus the occasional wardrobe update and even more rare new music announcement), no two shows are ever the same.
Billboard was on the ground at the pop superstar’s impressive second night in Miami, and rounds up all the moments that made this show unique below.
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Surprise Songs That Manifest “Debut-tation”?
Swift performed two new mashups at night two in Miami — and the first has some fans convinced it could mean a pair of new re-records could be on the way.
The crowd’s light-up bracelets lit green as she kicked off the acoustic section with “Should’ve Said No” off Swift’s debut self-titled album. After the first rendition of the chorus, she waited a beat before going into her first switch-up of the night: going into a deeper vocal register singing the opening to “I Did Something Bad” off Reputation. As these are the only albums left without Taylor’s Versions (excluding the ones released after 2019 when Swift took hold of her own masters), Swifties are continuing to theorize that the pop superstar is teasing that both parts of the fan-named “Debut-tation” are around the corner.
For her piano song, she sang a soul-crushing mashup of “loml” from TTPD and “White Horse” from Fearless — two lyrically devastating songs written at two completely different points in Swift’s life.
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A Standing Ovation to Remember
You know you’re in for an epic crowd at the Eras Tour if your ears are already ringing after the second song (“Cruel Summer”) — and that’s exactly how it went at Miami night two.
That crowd energy remained unmatched for the entirety of the show. Although fans sat down between the Era transitions/outfit changes, most were immediately back on their feet by the time Swift stepped back into the spotlight.
As also shown in the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film, Swift is notorious for taking a pause for applause after her performance of “Champagne Problems.” On Saturday night in Miami, she took in the crowd energy for a whopping 3.5 minutes.
“I see what you’re doing,” she said into the mic after the ear-ringing cheers. “You are on a mission to prove you’re the best crowd of all time.”
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“55” During “22”
Swift flashed the number “55” with her hands during her performance of “22” at night two in Miami, and fans are already theorizing.
Fifty five days from the show date on Saturday is Dec. 13, aka the pop superstar’s birthday, and falls on a Friday (when new music typically releases). So… could Swift be planning a surprise music release or announcement when she turns 35 this year? Only time will tell.
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Flo in Florida
Florence Welch joined Swift on stage for the second night in a row to perform their TTPD collab, “Florida!!!”
Swift started on the first verse on her own after opening the Tortured Poets era with “But Daddy I Love Him” and “So High School.” Welch emerged to a thunderous applause as the crowd seemed to assume she’d make an appearance again after performing the song with Swift the day prior.
“My friend Florence came all the way from England to see you!” Swift said into the mic.
The duo effortlessly made their way down the catwalk while singing, caressing each other’s faces and lots of head banging.
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Three New Wardrobe Additions
Swift has added more looks to her Eras Tour wardrobe, after debuting four new outfits at Miami night one.
The first new dress was worn as Swift sang “Enchanted” — a light blue, beaded, full-length ball gown with a square neckline. Not to be confused with the blue dress she wore for the Speak Now era before announcing 1989.
She also wore a new shimmery purple variation of her high-low surprise song dress.
Finally, her Midnights era shirt dress appears to be new, too. It’s silver with a tint of blue, and of course, very, very sparkly.
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Most Fun Tour Award?
Before going into “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” Swift shared that she’s “having more fun on this tour than I have on any other tour in my life,” and thanked fans for making the Eras tour what it is.
“I never would’ve been able to come up with the idea of doing the Eras tour, that celebrates all my albums, if you guys hadn’t celebrated and cherished and honored all of those albums,” she explained. “And also, you’ve turned this tour into an event. You’ve made all these traditions, you’re trading friendship bracelets, you know every single word to every single song. That’s what makes it so much fun for me.”
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A Subtle Nod to Travis Kelce During “Midnight Rain”
Travis Kelce didn’t seem to be in attendance at night one nor two of Swift’s return to Miami, due to there being a Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday (Oct. 20). However on night two, Swift still seemingly paid tribute to her NFL player boyfriend during her performance of “Midnight Rain.”
When Swift sings “And he never thinks of me/ Except when I’m on TV,” Swift strikes the archer pose, assuming a “bow & arrow” position — something Kelce sometimes does when he scores a touchdown. The couple has never publicly confirmed this pose has to do with their relationship, but paired alongside that lyric does make a little more sense following Kelce’s acting debut in Ryan Murphy’s new show, Grotesquerie.
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Honorable Mention: Gracie Abrams Commands the Stadium Stage
It’s not often that an opener can get the attention of the entire stadium. But Saturday night in Miami, Gracie Abrams did just that during her nine-song set at Hard Rock Stadium.
This isn’t Abrams’ first rodeo joining Swift’s giant trek — but it is the first time since the release of her album, The Secret of Us, and its deluxe edition. Performing sold-out shows across the country, Abrams is only getting better at commanding the stage, as evidenced by the the thousands in the stadium who turned their phone flashlights on for “Let It Happen.” Abrams was visibly awestruck and overwhelmed with emotion at the magical moment, mouthing “holy s–t” while holding back tears of joy.
