She's the international artist who's taking the world by storm! It's already 18 years since Taylor Swift released her first opus. Since then, the singer-songwriter from Pennsylvania in the USA has grown up. Today, the 34-year-old artist has 11 studio albums to her credit, the latest of which, entitled"The Tortured Poets Department", has broken records on Spotify. Her musical style has also evolved over the years. Taylor Swift has gone from country singer to pop icon. And the figures bear witness to this.
In France alone, 250,000 tickets have been sold for the artist's six dates scheduled for this spring (four in Paris and two in Lyon). For this major tour, " The Eras Tour ", which kicks off on March 17, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, a total of 151 concerts are scheduled in 20 countries around the world. In Europe, the singer plans to play 51 dates in 18 cities in 12 different countries. All in all, the " Eras Tour " is expected to generate $2 billion in revenue! Taylor Swift's fortune is estimated at $1.1 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
Numbers that make the head spin and impress. So the four exceptional Taylor Swift concerts at Paris La Défense Arena (May 9, 10, 11 and 12) were eagerly awaited by the Swifties. What's more, Europe's largest indoor venue has set a new record by increasing its capacity to accommodate up to 42,000 spectators per evening! And it's true that there were lots and lots of people around the Paris arena on Friday, May 10, 2024, for the singer's second Paris concert. A show we were lucky enough to attend!
French fans from all over France were in the majority on Friday evening. Taylor Swift 's last concert in Paris was in 2011. Back then, the American artist took over the Zénith de La Villette for her first concert in the capital. Now, 13 years later, Taylor Swift is back in force with four sold-out shows at the Paris La Défense Arena.
But the language of Molière was far from being the only language heard this Friday, May 10, 2024 in front of and inside the Paris La Défense Arena. The Americans, or rather the American women, turned out in force for this exceptional musical event. Many of them, having failed to get their ticket in the USA, didn't hesitate for a second to cross the Atlantic to the City of Light and attend the show of their favorite star. On the outskirts of the venue and inside the Paris La Défense Arena, the styles of dress were the talk of the town. There are the cowgirls with cowboy boots and Stetson hats on their heads, but also, and of course, the Swifties sporting the famous sequined dresses. The Swifties will be forever linked by a common object this Friday evening: a luminous bracelet given to each spectator at the entrance, as was already the case at the Coldplay concerts at the Stade de France.
At 6.45pm, the first part of the show kicks off with Paramore's lively Hayley Williams, surrounded by her bandmates, including Taylor York and Zac Farro. Clearly delighted to open for the American star, Hayley Williams keeps the show going for over 30 minutes, in front of a visibly conquered audience, impatient to meet Taylor Swift on the Paris La Défense Arena stage. In the meantime, a few fans in the stands are exchanging their famous"friendship bracelets".
At 8 p.m. sharp, and after a two-minute countdown, the American mega-star took to the stage to thunderous applause. It's off to a 3h15 show, revisiting the artist's entire career in musical chapters, some of them featuring sublime scenic tableaux.
To make her mark, the artist - surrounded on this tour by 6 musicians and 4 backing singers - made a point of making a meticulous entrance on stage. One after the other, the singer's dancers emerge from the giant screen. Wearing large colorful veils on their backs, they reveal Taylor Swift after a few seconds. That's all it takes for the crowd to erupt in shrill screams from the pit and the stands. Their idol is there, in the flesh, and the Swifties are letting her know it . As the telephones are all directed at the star, wearing a sequined combi-short for the occasion, the screams get louder and louder as the artist performs the first song of the set, " Miss Americana and the heartbreak prince ".
With the audience already in raptures, Taylor Swift doesn't hesitate to speak up for the first time, and in French please: " Paris. Vous allez bien? ". New cries of joy and happiness from her fans.
The show is meticulous. The artist then went on to perform four songs from his"Lover" album, including the famous " Cruel Summer ", where pyrotechnic effects enhanced this beautiful musical moment. This is followed by"Fearless", his 2nd album, featuring the hit " You Belong With Me ", then"Red" with " We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and " All too well ". This is followed by"Speak Now", much less highlighted with only one track sung that night, and then"Reputation". A darker, more provocative album, we particularly appreciated the scenography and atmosphere. A particular highlight was the hit " ...Ready for It? ", during which Taylor Swift and her dancers put on a show on luminous cubes.
But it's on the albums"folklore" and"evermore", released in 2020, that Taylor Swift decides to linger longer, performing " cardigan ", " betty " and " willow " among others. And let's not forget " champagne problems ", where Taylor Swift, seated behind a piano covered in green foam, received a standing ovation lasting almost a minute. Clearly overwhelmed by the emotion of her performance, the artist addressed the crowd with a heartfelt"Je vous aime tous" (I love you all).
The atmosphere rises even higher when the star honors his legendary"1989" album. The Swifties were in a frenzy when the first notes of " Blank Space " and " Shake It Off " rang out. While the star was enjoying the atmosphere, the famous bracelets handed out at the door continued to shine in the Paris La Défense Arena, providing a beautiful visual spectacle.
If some of the tracks seemed a little too smooth and lacked depth at times, the scenography was there to make up for it. To make her Parisian audience dream, Taylor Swift relied on visual effects and grandiose, meticulous tableaux. We're thinking, for example, of the reconstructed chalet in which the artist is installed and the smoke emanating from the chimney, the fluorescent-colored bicycles rolling across the stage, the artist's breathtaking dive under the proscenium followed by a climb into a cloud, the luminous cabins enclosing the dancers, the white bed that tilts or the moving cube on which the singer stands and moves as if by magic. And let's not forget the artist's many outfit changes during her 3h15 set: white ball gown, long red dress, blue sequined bodysuit... Incredible prowess on the part of the star when it comes to costume changes. Whether under the stage, behind the stage or even on the stage, Taylor Swift is disconcertingly efficient!
In spite of a show that's set like clockwork, the singer does allow herself a few deviations, such as stepping to the front of the stage to hug a little girl in the audience and offer her a hat. At times simpering, at times mischievous, Taylor Swift was also quick to play with her fans, giving them plenty of knowing glances and winks, making the audience even more euphoric.
Another highlight of the evening? The section devoted to his new album and the performance of 6 tracks, including the single " Fortnight ", but also " Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? ", " Down Bad " and " The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived ". Despite the recent release of this latest album, the Swifties already know the lyrics by heart, and are delighted to sing along with their idol, their eyes always full of admiration and passion.
The mood changes for the next chapter, with two 'surprise' tracks performed acoustically, on guitar and piano. On Friday evening, the first of these is " Is It Over Now? from the acclaimed"1989" album, followed by " My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys " from the latest album, ending with the artist's famous dive under the stage.
But it's with the album"Midnights" that Taylor Swift decides to close this incredible 3h15 marathon evening. From " Lavender Haze " to the dynamic " Mastermind ", via " Midnight Rain "... the star ended her set with the track"Karma", sublimated by a shower of cotillions and pyrotechnic effects. Despite her fatigue, the star was keen to salute all her Swifties, alongside her dancers and backing singers. She even addressed a heart to them with her hands before disappearing under the stage, leaving her fans stunned and happy following this grandiose show by an incredible performer whose tour de force is to be applauded!
Setlist
Lover
Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince
Cruel Summer
The Man
You Need to Calm Down
Lover
Fearless
Fearless
You Belong With Me
Love Story
Red
22
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
I Knew You Were Trouble
All Too Well
Speak Now
Enchanted
reputation
...Ready for It?
Delicate
Don't Blame Me
Look What You Made Me Do
folklore / evermore
cardigan
betty
champagne problems
august
illicit affairs
my tears ricochet
marjorie
willow
1989
Style
Blank Space
Shake It Off
Wildest Dreams
Bad Blood
The Tortured Poets Department
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
Surprise Songs
Is It Over Now?
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
Midnights
Lavender Haze
Anti-Hero
Midnight Rain
Vigilante Shit
Bejeweled
Mastermind
Karma
Location
Paris La Défense Arena
99 Jardin de l'Arche
92000 Nanterre
Official website
www.parisladefense-arena.com
