Taylor Swift debuts 'The Tortured Poets Department' tracks in Paris
What's the story
Taylor Swift launched the European leg of her successful Eras Tour on Thursday night with Paris. The performance marked the first live rendition of songs from her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. At La Défense Arena, she introduced new tracks including But Daddy I Love Him, So High School, and Who's Afraid of Little Old Me. She also performed Down Bad, Fortnight, and The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, concluding with I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.
Varied setlist
Swift mixed old and new in Paris concert setlist
Swift opened the show with her signature song, Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince, followed by tracks from her albums Lover and Fearless. She then diversified the setlist by performing songs from Red, Speak Now, and Reputation. Moving forward, the 14-time Grammy winner performed tracks from her albums Folklore and Evermore, referring to them as sister albums and stating, "We have now reunited the sisters." Following this, Swift transitioned to songs from her album 1989.
Chart success
'1989' segment was followed by 'The Tortured Poets Department'
A shift in visuals after 1989 featuring clock imagery signaled Swift's transition into The Tortured Poets Department. After this segment, she surprised fans by performing Paris and loml during an acoustic set. The show concluded with her Midnights segment. Released on April 19, The Tortured Poets Department, a double album consisting of 31 songs, sold 2.61M units in its first week, marking the highest one-week sales for any album in nine years.
Critical acclaim
Meanwhile, Swift has been making and breaking records
Within just one day of its release, her latest album shattered records on the audio streaming platform Spotify, surpassing 200M streams! Swift's album secured the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making her the first artist to achieve this feat. Her previous record was having 10 tracks on the list. Her duet with Post Malone, Fortnight, claimed the No. 1 spot.