From Travis Kelce's onstage debut in Wembley to a Stevie Nicks tribute in Dublin, here's the best of the Eras Tour around the world
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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been one of the biggest pop music events of the last couple of years — and it’s only gotten bigger as Swift has taken the show across the world. More Swifties have been able to come out and see the pop icon as she’s bounced to and from every corner of the globe, playing massive sold-out stadiums in Europe, Latin America, and more. Even celebrities have turned out to catch the Eras tour in new countries and cities: Prince William stopped by with George and Charlotte in London, Blackpink’s Lisa hung out in Singapore, and Katy Perry sang along in Australia.
Along with some all-star attendees, the international leg of the tour has also been full of giant surprises, brand new song mash-ups, and onstage guests — including Travis Kelce himself, who made an appearance in Wembley. Here are the very best international moments of the tour.
It was already a big deal to see Travis Kelce’s family travel to Europe for the Wembley shows, but no one could have imagined that the Super Bowl champion himself would make his stage debut. Each night before singing “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” Swift and her dancers do a vaudevillian pantomime of the star being forced to get ready and perform. Suddenly, there was Kelce alongside the dancers in a top hat and tuxedo, gleefully helping his pop star partner get ready by carrying her to a couch and putting makeup on her face. Kelce even added a jazzy little hop-and-kick to the mix. Swift couldn’t help but break character, giggling a bit as her athletic beau channeled his theater kid side. —B.S.
In 2023, Swift set a personal goal to explore her entire discography for the surprise song set and switch up the two selections each night. But for the final show in São Paulo, the singer threw out these rules and announced that all her songs were “fair game” in 2024. Finally, fans didn’t have to worry about “losing” their favorite track at a show they didn’t have tickets to. —M.G.
As soon as Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl, the world wanted to know if Swift would be there. The major thing stopping her? A sold-out Eras tour stop in Tokyo, Japan, a seven-hour time change between Tokyo and Las Vegas, and the 12-hour flight. Everyone weighed in on the logistical nightmare and Swift’s ability to defy all odds and support her boyfriend in person. The Japanese Embassy even put out a statement assuring fans it was completely possible, saying, “anyone concerned can be Fearless in knowing that this talented performer can wow Japanese audiences and still make it to Las Vegas.” —M.G.
The Wembley Stadium shows were packed with special guests who traded bracelets with fans and screamed along from the VIP tent. But it was none other than Paul McCartney who dared to join the crowd. With his daughters by his side, the Beatle joyfully danced with a group of extremely lucky Swifties during “But Daddy, I Love Him.” McCartney is all too familiar with the screams of hundreds of thousands of girls filling a stadium, and he looked just as comfortable joining them on the floor as he does when he’s up on that stage himself. — B.S.
Once Swift shook up the rules to her Surprise Song set, the singer started piecing together tracks and creating unhinged mash-ups. From blending seemingly unrelated songs like “Getaway Car,” “August,” and the “The Other Side of the Door” together to pairing tracks from the same era like “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” and “Dress,” the mash-ups seem to have no rhyme or reason, just the goal to create chaos and inspire new lore amongst Swifties. —M.G.
Swift put her special bond with the one and only Stevie Nicks on full display by dedicating the referential “Clara Bow” to Nicks while she was in the audience at the show in Dublin. When Swift sang the line “You look like Stevie Nicks,” the crowd went wild — and the rock goddess caught the whole thing on her iPhone from the VIP tent. Swift followed the TTPD track with “You’re On Your Own Kid,” a song that Nicks holds dear to her heart for how it helped her deal with losing Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie. —M.G.
Blackpink’s Lisa was ready for it when she showed up at the Eras tour in Singapore rocking a Reputation-inspired outfit and trading friendship bracelets with the audience of Swifties. The K-pop singer even met Swift backstage after the show and recapped the memorable night with an Instagram photo dump. —M.G.
Not only did fans of Fleabag get a reunion — but they got one at the Eras Tour. During night three of Swift’s Wembley Stadium dates in London, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott were spotted dancing in the VIP tent and exchanging friendship bracelets. But the moment that caught the internet’s attention was seeing the pair fleeing the tent and instantly sprinting back when they heard the opening chords of “Style.” Celebs, they’re just like us. —I.K.
Chaos ensued on the opening night of the Eras European leg in Paris as Swift started cutting songs from the setlist and rearranging different sections without explanation. But it all made sense when she emerged onstage in a white gown from the “Fortnight” music video to officially bring The Tortured Poets Department to the tour. Swift debuted “But Daddy I Love Him,” “So High School,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” “Down Bad,” “Fortnight,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” live and made them setlist staples for the remaining Eras shows. —M.G.
“You’re my longest music friend,” Hayley Williams told Swift as they shared a piano bench to sing their duet from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). The pair made Swemo dreams come true as they gushed over each other and their decades-long friendship. Williams even brought the stadium back to 2010 by wearing a purple dress and scribbling lyrics down her arm with a Sharpie marker — a classic look from Swift’s 2010 Speak Now World Tour. —M.G.
It was exciting enough when Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, traveled to Argentina to watch the singer bring the Eras Tour to South America. But people lost it when Swift swapped the lyrics in closing number “Karma” and sang “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs” in a nod to her NFL player boyfriend (a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.) The excitement from the crowd almost created another Swiftquake — and the Midnights track did see a notable jump in streams following the live moment. —M.G.
Thanks to the Eras Tour, the world discovered Prince William is also a Swiftie. After attending the first night of Swift’s string of Wembley Stadium dates to ring in his 42nd birthday, the Prince of Wales — along with children George and Charlotte — posed for selfies with the pop megastar. While he shared one image on social media, Swift shared another, which featured her NFL beau Travis Kelce. Some luckier fans even saw Prince William rocking out to “Shake It Off” during the show. —I.K.
“You get extra credit points if you know this next song at all… It’s really old,” Swift quipped in Edinburg before breaking into a piano rendition of the love song “Crazier.” The track was included in the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. Since her cameo in the movie, Swift hasn’t played the song live — until the Eras Tour. To make the live debut even better, Swift mashed up “Crazier” with another flawless B-side, “All of the Girls” from the Lover era. It was a moment that left several Swifties in attendance, and offline, screaming and spinning around. —M.G.
It’s impossible not to tie the beginning of Sabrina Carpenter’s pop dominance to her co-sign from Taylor Swift, so it made sense that for the Latin America and Asia run of the Eras Tour, Swift welcomed Carpenter onstage. “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” may have still been in the vault, but these performances let the Emails I Can’t Send pop star connect with Swift’s vast audience. And where better to connect to a devoted fanbase than in Latin America and Asia? —T.M.
Hugh Grant had a night on the town with his family at the Eras Tour. While attending the second night of Swift’s Wembley Stadium concerts, he apparently enjoyed some tequila shots with the pop star’s boyfriend Travis Kelce and had fun with some friendship bracelets. After the show, Grant penned a sweet note to Swift on X that said, “Dear @taylorswift13 , You have an incredible show, an amazing and v hospitable team and excellent if gigantic boyfriend (#tequilashots.). Thanks so much from one ageing London boy, wife and thrilled 8 year old #halfgirlhalfbracelet.” —I.K.
For more than three years, rising pop star Griff has been on Taylor Swift’s radar. Swift gave Griff’s stripped-down track “Shades of Yellow” a shoutout, the pair met and took a sweet photo together at the 2021 BRITs, and last fall, Swift promoted Griff’s single synth-pop anthem “Vertigo.” Fans suspected something could be brewing between the pair — and they were right. Griff opened the second night of her Wembley Stadium Eras Tour dates in London. For the special performance, Griff — who has made many of her costumes over the years — even crafted a dress in honor of Swift’s TTPD track “But Daddy I Love Him.” —I.K.
Tom Cruise left his action-hero career behind for one night to join the Swifties. The actor was spotted at night two of the Wembley Stadium Eras Tour dates where he could be seen enjoying the concert from the VIP tent. But like any good Swift fan, Cruise joined in on the fun and was seen exchanging friendship bracelets with fans. —I.K.
Gracie Abrams spent most of 2023 as an Eras Tour opener, and fans kept wondering when the two would perform their new duet “Us.” On the third night of Swift’s Wembley run, Abrams was spotted in the VIP tent. She ended up joining Swift during the “surprise song” part of the show for a special piano-and-guitar performance of “Us.,” which appears on Abrams’ latest album The Story of Us. This marked the second time they’ve duetted together during the surprise song portion: Swift previously invited Abrams to sing “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” during a show in Ohio after weather forced Abrams’ opening slot to be cut that night. —B.S.
During the Sydney stop of the Eras Tour in late February, Taylor Swift had an “old friend” in the audience: Katy Perry. The Teenage Dream singer shared a selfie video singing along to “Bad Blood,” the track Swift allegedly wrote about her while they were feuding and had been (as Swift told Rolling Stone in 2014) “straight-up enemies.” The pair even shared a photo together after the show: “Got to see an old friend shine tonight,” Perry wrote about Swift. —T.M.
Even the best things must come to the end, and Swift acknowledged as much when she announced the official end of the Eras Tour. During the surprise song set in Liverpool, Swift announced that the tour would finish in December, after the second U.S. leg finishes. —M.G.
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