18 OctOber 24-30, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Taylor’s Miami Gardens Version Taylor Swift broke the (Swiftie) internet last Friday night in Miami Gardens. BY CELIA ALMEIDA P redicting Taylor Swift’s next move is a fool’s errand, but God knows some of us still try. Lead- ing up to her long-awaited three- night stint at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, her Swifties — well-known for spinning wild theories about her upcoming projects — flooded social media with guesses about what surprises she might have in store for them on the first night of the final leg of her historic Eras Tour. Would Swift change the setlist again, as she did when she took the tour to Europe after a two-month hiatus? Which surprise songs would she play during the famed acoustic set? And most impor- tantly, would she finally announce a release date for the wildly anticipated Reputation (Taylor’s Version)? We now know the answer to that last question was a resounding “not yet,” but Swift dropped her biggest hint so far that Rep TV is indeed coming. The singer broke all the Swiftie social platforms when she walked out in a new, black-and-gold bodysuit during her Reputation set about halfway through the show. For the uninitiated, entering the Swiftie sphere means more than merely familiarizing yourself with more than 11 studio albums’ worth of music; it means decoding an entire universe of hidden messages and meanings, learning an entire lexicon of terminology, and stepping into a secret garden of lore known to dedicated millions around the world. Her Swifties were primed to discern any hidden clue during the Reputation set, so when the arena screens flashed a full-length image of Swift clad in something other than the red-and-black bodysuit she’s worn to sing those songs for more than 130 straight shows on this tour, the screams could be heard across Broward County. It’s classic Swift to continue to surprise fans more than a year and a half into her re- cord-setting, globetrotting trek, and she isn’t slowing down as she heads into the home- stretch. Not only did her first Miami crowd get the biggest Reputation (Taylor’s Version) Easter egg to date, but they also got a surprise guest appearance from Florence Welch dur- ing The Tortured Poets Department set. The singer “came all the way from England,” Swift told the audience, to perform their collabora- tion, “Florida!!!” for a Florida audience. The duo had debuted the song during the final Eras Tour show in London back in August. No one can convince me that song is good or makes any sense, but it was electric to be in that stadium when Welch rose out of the stage floor draped in lace to duet with Swift on the pounding chorus. The pair glided across the massive stage as they screamed, “What a crash/What a rush/Fuck me up, Florida,” and they beamed as they shared a few sweet hugs after the performance. Early on in the show, during the Lover set, Swift told the crowd she aimed to play in the “wildest” and “craziest” cities during the last leg of the tour. Naturally, she landed in Mi- ami. New Orleans is next, and Vancouver closes out the final five cities on the Eras Tour, following Indianapolis and Toronto. Making the show even wilder: a steady driz- zle that persisted throughout most of the show. If you’re not up on the lore, Swift has convinced her fans that rain shows are partic- ularly auspicious, and she appears to genu- inely revel in the bedlam they can bring. “We can now officially declare this a rain show,” she said to a cheering crowd before she sang the ten-minute version of fan favor- ite “All Too Well.” During the Fearless set, she smiled wide as she sang, “With you, I’d dance in a storm/In my best dress/Fearless.” And during “Look What You Made Me Do,” her defiant Reputation persona appeared to in- voke a downpour as she slithered about the stage and declared the Old Taylor was dead. But it’s not just the rain, a new bodysuit re- veal, or a guest appearance that will make these shows indelible among Swifties. It’s the great care the singer takes to make the biggest stage on the planet — an arena show on the highest-grossing tour ever, performed by one of the most popular figures in music history — feel like an intimate house concert with cu- rated moments meant for that particular au- dience. Sometimes, those bespoke touches are funny, like when backup dancer Kam Saun- ders shouted out a “pero, like!” during “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” But at other times, the customizations are genu- inely touching. During the acoustic set, which features two surprise songs or medleys at each show in every city, Swift surprised fans with her first-ever single, “Tim McGraw” — particu- larly poignant after nearly three hours spent reminiscing on her nearly two-decade-long career in music. She blended that song with “Timeless,” a “Vault” track from 2023’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) meant for the die- hards. On piano, she mashed up “This Is Me Trying” from 2020’s Folklore, with “Day- light,” from 2019’s Lover — two songs from two wildly different albums released just 11 months apart; her awe-inspiring range on full display. It didn’t all go off without a hitch. A pan- icked Swift appeared to suffer a wardrobe malfunction and sought help from her backup dancers during “But Daddy I Love Him.” She fidgeted with the back of her corset during the song’s intro; her dancers fixed the problem just as she launched into the prophetic cho- rus: “Now I’m running with my dress unbut- toned/Screaming ‘But Daddy I love him!’” Once again taking her cue from the rain, she embraced the chaos and summed up her sentiments with a lyric tweak during the final moments of her acoustic piano performance: “I just wanted you to know/This is me trying/ To let it go.” And she did. [email protected] Taylor Swift performs on the first of a three- night stint in Miami Gardens. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg PREDICTING TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEXT MOVE IS A FOOL’S ERRAND, BUT GOD KNOWS SOME OF US STILL TRY. Taylor Swift Eras Tour Setlist, Night One, Hard Rock Stadium, 10/18/24 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 (10 Minute Version)” 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” “Florida!!!” with Florence Welch “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” “Down Bad” “Fortnight” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” Acoustic set “Tim McGraw/Timeless” medley on guitar “This Is Me Trying/Daylight” medley on piano Midnights “Lavender Haze” “Anti-Hero” “Midnight Rain” “Vigilante Shit” “Bejeweled” “Mastermind” “Karma” | SET LIST | | REVIEW | ▼ Music
