Yahoo News Taylor Swift makes big changes to UK Eras tour as it arrives in the UK
American music sensation Taylor Swift has finally brought her Eras tour to the UK.
But with an altered setlist, new supporting acts and costume changes, there has been some exciting amendments. She's cut several songs to showcase music from her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, including But Daddy I Love Him, Down Bad, Fortnight, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, and I Can Do It With A Broken Heart. Those tracks are widely interpreted to be about her rumoured romance with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
Fans have compared some of the staging of numbers in that section of the show to performances by the British singer, including Swift’s theatrics in the transition to I Can Do It With A Broken Heart. The use of marching drummers and a salute during The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived also bears a striking similarity to videos of a Healy performance. Swift dubbed the new section of her show Female Rage: The Musical.
READ MORE: James Arthur talks parmos and 'straight-shooting' Teessiders ahead of 'momentous' Riverside gig
As reported by Wales Online, Taylor has also started repeating songs in the "surprise song" portion of her acoustic set, and introducing mash-ups. The US star arrived in the UK on June 7 for three nights at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh before playing three nights at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium, followed by a performance at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and then three back-to-back shows at London's Wembley.
She will also play three nights at Dublin's Aviva Stadium. US pop-punk band Paramore, consisting of Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Zac Farro, will support Swift across all the UK dates.
Brit Awards Rising Star winner Griff will join Paramore in supporting Swift in London on June 22; US singer Mette will perform in London on June 21; and US singer-songwriter Benson Boone will be on the bill on June 23. The support acts have changed since Swift began touring in March 2023.
Stars including Filipino-English singer Beabadoobee and US star Sabrina Carpenter have performed, while Gracie Abrams, who opened for Swift at the beginning of the tour, is set to return after the UK performances during the Canada dates.
Meanwhile, UK fans will experience several new costumes from Swift which were debuted at the beginning of the European leg – including a red sparkling bodysuit for the opening section of the show. She is also expected to perform The Tortured Poets Department portion of the gig in a cream ball gown, with the on-stage visuals adopting a black-and-white theme.
The tour is themed around the different "eras" Swift has created during her career, with dedicated sets for each of her 11 studio albums.
British and Irish fans have waited more than a year for the show to arrive, since she kicked off her marathon string of dates in Glendale, Arizona in March 2023. Since then she has crossed the US, Asia and south America and made stops across Europe, often accompanied by her boyfriend, the NFL star Travis Kelce.
But the wait finally ended when she stepped out onto the stage at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Friday, ahead of shows in Liverpool, Cardiff, London and Dublin. She will then return to London in August.
The tour, which takes fans on a journey through the different musical stages of her career, has been a juggernaut and is predicted to provide a £997m boost to the UK economy, according to a report. Almost 1.2 million fans will spend an average of £848 on tickets, travel, accommodation, outfits and other costs to see the pop superstar at one of the 15 UK tour dates – more than 12 times the average cost of a night out, according to the Barclays Swiftonomics report.
Eras tour tickets sparked a 15.8% year-on-year increase in UK spending on entertainment when they were released last July. The average amount spent on an Eras tour ticket is £206, although 14% of fans, including those who bought VIP ticket packages with premium seating and exclusive merchandise, spent more than £400.
It has already grossed more than a billion dollars, the biggest haul for any act ever and has bagged a Guinness World Record.
Cities will roll out the red carpet for her arrival, with special artworks being installed in Liverpool in celebration of her shows. Dubbed the Taylor Town Trail, it will feature 11 art installations which are inspired by the studio albums from her back catalogue, including a huge butterfly installation, a regal throne and themed murals.
Capital Radio has also launched a pop-up station dedicated to all things Taylor Swift ahead of the start of the tour. Capital (Taylor's Version) will play hits from across her 11 studio albums, as well as offering trivia on the artist.
The station will also provide updates on Swift as she tours across the UK and will speak to fans before and after the shows to hear all the details of the experience. Capital has said it is the first time in the UK that a national DAB radio station has been dedicated to a single artist.
The appetite for the tour has not been dimmed by the fact it is currently available to view on streaming service Disney+. It was during the six-night run at the So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles that the show was captured on camera by director Sam Wrench to make a concert film.
Swift flexed her considerable negotiating muscles by bypassing the traditional Hollywood studios and releasing the film directly to cinemas. It is now available to stream for free for anyone with a Disney+ subscription.
