Review: Taylor Swift opens trio of Vancouver Eras Tour concerts ...
After months of anticipation and weeks of building buzz, Taylor Swift kicked off the final three dates of her record-breaking Eras Tour in Vancouver. And we were there.
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Published Dec 07, 2024 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read
How to sum up the first night of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Vancouver in a word? Spectacular.
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After months of anticipation and weeks of building buzz, Swift kicked off the final three dates of her record-breaking tour at B.C. Place.
Doors for the concert opened at 4:30 p.m., though ticket-holding fans had crowded into the area surrounding the venue several hours before that official time.
Swift took to the stage just before 8 p.m., following an energetic performance by tour opener Gracie Abrams. And, throughout the entirety of her three-plus hours performance, Swift didn’t disappoint. Not once.
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Taylor Swift fans gather in downtown Vancouver for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver, B.C. on December 6, 2024. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by . Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver.Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver, B.C. on December 5, 2024. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver December 5, 2024. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
Vancouver Police Department horses with their friendship bracelets on the first night of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert at B.C Place. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by .Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver December 5, 2024. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /10106633A
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver December 5, 2024. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
VPD horses spotted with their friendship bracelets on Robson Street. Aleesha Harris photo
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver December 5, 2024. Photo by ALEESHA HARRIS / PNG
Taylor Swift fans outside B.C. Place Dec. 6, 2024. Rich Lam/PNGPhoto by . Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver on December 6, 2024. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver on December 6, 2024. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Vancouver police officers trade friendship bracelets with Taylor Swift fans on the first night of the Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by RICHARD LAM /PNG
Fans pose in front of the RED Taylor Swift sign at B.C. Place on the first night of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert at B.C Place. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Vancouver police officers trade friendship bracelets with Taylor Swift fans on the first night of the Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by RICHARD LAM /PNG
Fans line up to take photos at the Swiftcouver sign in downtown Vancouver. Aleesha Harris
Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver.Photo by Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Vancouver police officers on duty the first night of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Laura Priddle of Newfoundland poses for a photo outside BC Place Stadium prior to the start of the Taylor Swift Concert in Vancouver.Photo by RICHARD LAM /PNG
Taylor Swift fans trade friendship bracelets outside B.C. Place prior to the start of the Taylor Swift concert.Photo by RICHARD LAM /PNG
Fans line up outside B.C. Place Stadium prior to the start of the Taylor Swift Concert in Vancouver.Photo by RICHARD LAM /PNG
Fans line up to take photos at the Swiftcouver sign in downtown Vancouver. Photo: Aleesha Harris
Fans pose in front of the RED Taylor Swift sign at B.C. Place on the first night of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert at B.C Place. Rich Lam / PNGPhoto by Rich Lam / PNG /PNG
Fans line up to take photos at the Swiftcouver sign in downtown Vancouver. Photo: Aleesha Harris
From left, Sara Tung, Fiona Yuen, Emily Kwan, Edna Hui and Ernie Kwan pose in front of the giant inflatable Taylor Swift bracelet on BC Place in Vancouver, Dec. 5, 2024. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG
Photo by Jason Payne /PNG
Taylor Swift fans gather in Vancouver's Gastown in their best Eras Tour merch, awaiting the steam clock's chime to the tune of "Shake It Off." in Vancouver, B.C. on Dec. 6, 2024.Photo by ALEESHA HARRIS / PNG
The Capilano suspension bridge in North Vancouveris adorned with a Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelet Dec. 5, just in time to mark the superstar's concerts in Vancouver this weekend. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG
VPD horses spotted with their friendship bracelets on Robson Street. Aleesha Harris photo
December 6 2024. Fans inside B.C. Place waiting for Taylor Swift concert to start. Photo: Aleesha Harris / PNG
Vancouver, B.C.: Dec. 6, 2024: Inside B.C. Place as crowds started to stream inside B.C. Place stadium for Taylor Swift's first Vancouver concert on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo: Aleesha HarrisPhoto by Aleesha Harris
December 6 2024. Fans inside B.C. Place waiting for Taylor Swift concert to start. Photo: Aleesha Harris / PNG
Vancouver, B.C.: Dec. 6, 2024: Inside B.C. Place as crowds started to stream inside B.C. Place stadium for Taylor Swift's first Vancouver concert on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo: Aleesha HarrisPhoto by Aleesha Harris
A fan poses in front of an inflatable friendship bracelet before the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert stop in Vancouver, on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS /THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER, B.C., December 6, 2024 - Taylor Swift fans gather outside B.C. Place Stadium for the first of three concerts at the end of the Eras tour, in Vancouver, B.C. on December 5, 2024. (NICK PROCAYLO/PNG) 10106633A [PNG Merlin Archive]Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
Fans sing while watching Gracie Abrams perform as the opening act before Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver, on Friday, December 6, 2024.Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Taylor Swift performs her first of three Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo by TAS Rights Management
Taylor Swift performs her first of three Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo by TAS Rights Management
Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver, on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver, on Friday, December 6, 2024.Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver, on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.Photo by Darryl Dyck /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver, on Friday, December 6, 2024.Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver, on Friday, December 6, 2024.Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Gracie Abrams performs as the opening act before Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver, on Friday, December 6, 2024.Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
READ MORE STORIES about Taylor Swift in Vancouver.
What was the set list?Spanning the concepts of her 11 studio albums, the Eras Tour set list is an extensive one, meant to span and sum up Swift’s impressive 18-year album archive.
Since the start of the Eras Tour in 2023 (the first tour stop was Glendale, Ariz., on March 17 of that year) Swift’s lineup of songs has changed to reflect the release of her latest studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which came out in April 2024.
According to Setlist.fm, the average Eras Tour song lineup features 44-46 songs. Here’s the set list from the first night in Vancouver:
Lover
1. Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince 2. Cruel Summer 3. The Man 4. You Need to Calm Down 5. Lover
Fearless
1. Fearless 2. You Belong With Me 3. Love Story
Red
1. 22 2. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Togther 3. I Knew You Were Trouble 4. All Too Well
Taylor Swift performs her first of three Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo by TAS Rights ManagementSpeak Now
2. Enchanted
Reputation
1. … Ready For It? 2. Delicate 3. Don’t Blame Me 4. Look What You Made Me Do
Folklore/Evermore
1. Cardigan 2. Betty 3. Champagne Problems 4. August 5. Illicit affairs 6. My Tears Ricochet 7. Margorie 8. Willow
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1989
1. Style 2. Blank Space 3. Shake It Off 4. Wildest Dreams 5. Bad Blood
The Tortured Poets Department
1. But Daddy I Love Him/ So High School 2. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? 3. Down Bad 4. Fortnight 5. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived 6. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
Surprise Songs
1. Haunted / Wonderland. 2. You’re Losing Me / How Did It End?
Midnights
1. Lavender Haze 2. Anti-Hero 3. Midnight Rain 4. Vigilante Shit 5. Bejeweled 6. Mastermind 7. Karma
Taylor Swift performs her first of three Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo by TAS Rights ManagementWhat were the highlights?The music, of course, was a primary highlight. As was the infectious excitement of her thousands of fans.
Say what you will about Swift’s music — many love it, some don’t — but the community she’s created among Swifties is undeniably impressive. From the exchanging of friendship bracelets, the joyful outfit compliments, to the open camaraderie between tens of thousands of otherwise strangers, Swift is at the centre of a diverse group of fans connected by their love of the singer-songwriter and her work.
“I’ve been going on tour since I was 15 years old, and this has felt different, in every single way,” Swift told the crowd. “It’s felt like this escape to a planet where nothing but joy and passion and togetherness and camaraderie exists.”
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As a fashion writer, I also found her 16 (an impressive number, to be sure) outfit changes to be a delight. Swift’s on and offstage style has been chronicled extensively by fans — including in the bestselling book by Vancouver author Sarah Chapelle.
But to see the performance looks in person — oh, the sparkles and those Christian Louboutin boots! — takes the appreciation to a whole new level.
And I can appreciate the precision of the evening. Abrams skipped off the stage a few minutes early at 7:22 p.m. (projections noted a 7:25 p.m. completion) and Swift arrived five minutes ahead of schedule at 7:55 p.m. No wasted time here.
“It gives me great honour to say these words,” Swift said early in her set. “Vancouver, welcome to the Eras Tour.”
Were there any surprises?Two years into the tour, it’s a well-oiled machine. And, with the Eras film long since released, the concert isn’t exactly a surprise to most fans. And yet, that predictability doesn’t make it any less fantastic.
Stage designs and the ultra-crisp graphics onscreen are also a nice touch. The massive screen provided fans with a closer look at the superstar, while also featuring some entertaining visuals, including the zombie Taylor moment during Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
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The amount of filming going on was certainly noteworthy.
Cameras whizzed overhead, operators joined the superstar on stage, and there was even a track running around the floor section for a camera rig to travel the perimeter. Safe to say, the Vancouver dates will make the final cut. Whatever that “cut” may be.
One thousand times, yes.
Swift is an entertainer. Always with a smile, she carried that stadium (with the help of her amazing dancers and backing musicians) through her music catalogue. And she did it with energy.
Ending song No. 35 in her set list, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, lying on the floor, I’m not sure how she mustered the energy to get up. Swift’s superhuman stamina nearly two hours into her set is incredible.
After attending, I truly understand the advice to wear flat shoes. Swift doesn’t stop. And, if she doesn’t sit, you don’t sit. It seems more than fair.
“Vancouver, I love you so very much,” Swift said immediately before launching into the final song, Karma.
Vancouver clearly loves her back.
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