When Taylor Swift first announced The Eras Tour on Nov. 1, 2022, she might not have guessed that, exactly two years later, she would still be on the career-spanning trek. Also, with just 27 dates announced on that first day, it might surprise her to learn that when the tour wraps in December, she’ll be up to 149 concerts altogether, marking her longest-running tour ever (she’s already topped her 118-stop best on the Fearless Tour).
And for her latest concert at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, Swift was clearly feeling the impending end of the tour that has commanded her life for the past two years. Following what sure felt like the longest post-“Champagne Problems” applause yet (New Orleans was claiming that record last weekend with a 3-and-half-minute ovation, but it looks like Indy night 1 clocked in around 3:40), Swift was visibly overcome by the love.
“Indy, can I just say to you, on behalf of myself and my band and all of my fellow performers and my crew: We’re not going to get to do this show very many more times, and we are never going to forget that you just did that for us,” she said as she appeared to tear up a bit.
Swifties probably don’t want to imagine a world without The Eras Tour either, but these three nights in Indianapolis (Friday through Sunday) mark the final U.S. dates before she concludes in Canada, with Toronto and Vancouver stops wrapping in December, so the end is very near.
Swift is definitely going out swinging for her final U.S. weekend, between breaking new records, rewinding to 2006, and masterfully recovering from some technical difficulties. Below, find our eight best moments from night 1 in Indianapolis.
Why Indy?
In a between-song speech, Swift offered some insight into why Indianapolis was chosen as the final U.S. stop of her blockbuster trek, saying, “We’ve gotten to take The Eras Tour all over the world this year. In 2024, we’ve gone to Australia, Asia, we spent all of our summer in Europe, and we decided: We have got to bring this tour in front of the most dedicated, passionate, enthusiastic, excitable, loud fans. So we decided that the very last U.S. city on The Eras Tour would, in fact, be right here in Indianapolis, Indiana. And I can already tell we made the best decision possible.”
While it wasn’t on the initial tour route, Indy has been a regular stop for Swift over the years, with Friday’s show marking her ninth time playing the Midwestern capital. And it looks like Indianapolis showed up for her yet again: Swift informed the crowd that the concert broke the all-time attendance record for a concert at Lucas Oil Stadium – “which is such a nice way to welcome people, you know? Such a nice gift for you to give us.” Friday’s show reclaims the record previously held by Swift’s own Reputation Tour, which was unseated in April by Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time Tour.
Swift’s Self-Titled Debut Gets a Rare Spotlight
As the lone album without its own moment on The Eras Tour, Swift’s 2006 eponymous debut only gets a showcase when one of its songs is played during the acoustic set. Well, one of those moments came Friday night when the Taylor Swift deep cut “Cold as You” was mashed up on piano with the Folklore single “exile” (sans original duet partner Bon Iver). Though 14 years separate their releases, the duo of songs share a poignant pain that instantly links them. Both of the songs made 2023 appearances on the tour – “Cold as You” in Houston and “exile” in Los Angeles – but this is the first time they’ve been combined.
Treading on ‘Holy Ground’
With only four songs in the Red era – including the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” – a lot of fan favorites from the 2012 album have to be left on the cutting-room floor. One of those fan-loved deep cuts is the driving standout “Holy Ground,” and it got another moment in the sun on The Eras Tour in Indy, with Swift mashing it up on guitar with “The Albatross” from her most recent project, The Tortured Poets Department. Each of these songs was previously played solo on The Eras Tour: “The Albatross” in Dublin over the summer and “Holy Ground” both in New Jersey last year and Tokyo this year.
The Show Must (And Does) Go On
During her final Midnights era on Friday night, Swift experienced one of the most dire technical mishaps we’ve seen her face on The Eras Tour so far, as she very noticeably pulled up her sparkly T-shirt dress and tried to adjust the mic pack attached to her leotard underneath but was clearly unsuccessful, as disappointment spread across her face. After saying into the microphone that her wireless mic pack was low on battery while still continuing to perform “Lavender Haze,” a tech came out to help swap in a new one mid-song. Then, as the production rolled immediately into “Anti-Hero,” she still struggled – this time, she was unable to get her in-ear monitors to work properly and had to signal to her team that she needed help with that too.
But during the whole debacle, Swift never stopped singing and hitting her marks. One fan posted a clip that shows the superstar keeping the beat by tapping the toe of her sparkly boot as the tech works on her pack, making sure she stayed in rhythm with her band.
She even let fans in on what was going on after taking a brief pause ahead of “Mastermind” to make sure all of her tech was functional. “Thank you for being patient. We on The Eras Tour play a lot of rain shows, and we never quite know when our equipment is going to break,” she said, referencing her soaking-wet Miami tour stop the weekend before last. “Could be that night, could be a few shows later. You guys are the best.”
One thing was clear: Swift single-handedly carries this show, and when her tech breaks down, she takes it upon herself to keep things moving forward by any means necessary, and handles it like the pro she is.
Caitlin Clark Gets Eras Tour Crowd ‘Fired Up’
WNBA star Caitlin Clark – who just wrapped her rookie season with the Indiana Fever at the nearby Gainbridge Fieldhouse – has been a vocal Swift fan, making headlines in September for liking the pop star’s Kamala Harris endorsement Instagram post and sharing in the spring that her top Taylor song is “Enchanted.” Well, she got to see her favorite song performed live on Friday night, attending the packed show with her basketball coach boyfriend Connor McCaffery. She was spotted trading friendship bracelets with Swifties from her suite, and on her Instagram Stories, Clark shared a photo of opening act Gracie Abrams with the caption “I’m fired up!!!!!!” She also celebrated seeing “Enchanted” – the one Speak Now track on the setlist – live, sharing a photo of Swift in her purple ballgown with the song title and a crying emoji.
There was some anticipation in the building that Clark might hit the stage, with the crowd starting a chant of “Caitlin, Caitlin!” during downtime between “Bejeweled” and “Mastermind” in the final Midnights era, but the basketball star made her presence known, even from the crowd.
All-Pink ‘1989’ Set Is Giving ‘TayBarbie’
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
While the Indy crowd didn’t get any fully brand-new outfits, they did get the rare all-pink combo of her 1989-era bralette and skirt set. She debuted the monochrome look in Milan over the summer, with American crowds previously seeing both the pink skirt and top in other combos but never together. Fans dubbed the bubblegum look as a “TayBarbie” moment.
‘Evermore’ Keeps the Halloween Vibes Alive
While there was no Halloween night show on the tour, Billboard still spotted some costumes in the Indy crowd the day after (like a prison jumpsuit with the ID number 1989 and a hot dog, for some reason). There was another holiday on Friday night too: Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, the holiday originating in Mexico when people gather to pay tribute to loved ones who have died. The Evermore era, with its dark, woodsy vibes and its themes of death and grief, felt like a natural fit for this time of year, especially the “willow” choreography, with Swift and her dancers presenting glowing orange orbs that resemble jack-o-lanterns. Even if Mariah Carey says “it’s time” for the Christmas celebrations to commence, there’s still room for spooky season at The Eras Tour.
It’s Nice to Have a Friend
It wasn’t just Swifties trading friendship bracelets: Taylor’s last two venues traded too. The same gigantic friendship bracelet that hung from the Caesars Superdome last weekend was gifted to Eras Tour’s latest home of Lucas Oil Stadium in a move that would surely make the generous woman of the hour proud.
“NOLA [loves] INDY!” reads a message on the Superdome X account. “We traded our friendship bracelets with @LucasOilStadium today & hope Indianapolis loves them as much as we did in New Orleans!” Lucas Oil chimed in on X: “EPIC friendship bracelet exchange from one stadium to another! We are now OFFICIALLY ready thanks to our BFF @CaesarsDome!”
While high winds in Indy forced Lucas Oil to take the bracelet down ahead of opening night, the BFF vibes were fully intact Friday night.
Indianapolis Night 1 Setlist
Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince Cruel Summer The Man You Need to Calm Down Lover Fearless You Belong With Me Love Story 22 We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together I Knew You Were Trouble All Too Well (10-Minute Version) Enchanted …Ready for It? Delicate Don’t Blame Me Look What You Made Me Do cardigan betty champagne problems august illicit affairs my tears ricochet marjorie willow Style Blank Space Shake It Off Wildest Dreams Bad Blood But Daddy I Love Him / So High School Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? Down Bad Fortnight The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived I Can Do It With a Broken Heart The Albatross / Holy Ground Cold as You / exile Lavender Haze Anti-Hero Vigilante Shit Bejeweled Mastermind Karma