Taylor Swift Eras Tour at Dublin's Aviva Stadium — Night one as it happened
Taylor Swift performing on stage at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, during the Eras Tour. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Taylor Swift kicked off the first of three sold-out nights at the Aviva Stadium on Friday as The Eras Tour finally hit Dublin.
We followed the action live from 2:30pm, with reporters and photographers outside the Aviva Stadium chatting to fans (and trading friendship bracelets), while Denise O'Donoghue brought us along the three and a half hour spectacle from the inside.
Read about night one, exactly as it unfolded, below.
And it's all over!
We hope you enjoyed following along with us tonight, and make sure to check out Denise O'Donoghue's full review from night one here.
It's the final song of the night, as Swift closes her epic first night in the Aviva with Karma.
There's no lyric change to 'the guy on the Chiefs' tonight, which we can take as confirmation Travis Kelce was not at tonight's show.
As Swift sings Mastermind, a song where she writes of "nothing being accidental," her eagle-eyed Swifties have noticed the official post from tonight's Aviva Show is the same picture that was posted the night before she announced 1989 (Taylor's Version), and she's never repeated a picture for a pre-show post before.
Could this mean Dublin fans attending night two at the Aviva might be in for a special Taylor's Version announcement?
NOT TO ALARM EVERYONE BUT THE PIC TN USED TO TEASE TODAY'S SHOW WAS THE SAME EXACT PIC THEY USED FOR LA N5 (THE SHOW BEFORE 1989 TV ANNOUNCEMENT) BUT INSTEAD WITH THE FILTER THIS TIME- They have NEVER repeated a pic for a preshow post before this... 🤡 #DublinTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/V2khzOttOq
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) June 28, 2024
It's getting hot in here... Swift has removed her jacket and is in her Midnights bodysuit for Vigiliante Shit, followed by Bejeweled.
"I miss you, but I miss sparkling," she sings to a crowd, entirely on their feet. It's a sea of twinkling lights, as people hold their phones in the air with flashlights on.
And it's the last era of the night. Swift appears in her iconic bedazzled Louboutin cowboy boots for the midnights era.
During Anti-Hero, she once again spots something in the crowd, but it seems to get sorted while she is speaking.
"Someone needs help over there... never mind you got it. Everyone who works in this stadium is amazing," she says.
Swift is at the piano for the second half of the surprise set. And, it's just as we predicted.. she plays Sweet Nothing.
A big grin from Swift as she sings the lyric, "A pebble that we picked up last July / Down deep inside your pocket / We almost forgot it / Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?"
And the crowd sings the line even louder, we reckon they might have heard it in Wicklow...
She mashes it up with Hoax from Folklore, the first time she's played the track live.
🎹 #DublinTSTheErasTour: Taylor mashed up “Sweet Nothing” x “Hoax” for surprise songs! pic.twitter.com/hnQ45e0st2
— Christy |Taylor Swift & Harry Styles Updates (@haylorflorals) June 28, 2024
It's one of the most anticipated moments of the night...Swift has appeared in a blue dress for the start of her acoustic surprise set.
This is the section of the show where she digs deep in the back catalogue.
For fans on night one, first up is State of Grace on the guitar, the opening track from her seminal break-up record Red and.. she's mashed it up with You're On Your Own Kid, the song with the iconic lyric "so make the friendship bracelets".
A hAon, dó, trí, ceathair! Swift embraces her cúpla focail changing the 1, 2, 3, during I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.
While some 50,000 Swifties inside are enjoy seeing Mother (if you know, you know) in person, there are still lots of groups of fans outside the stadium enjoying their own sing-a-along, including these friends from Glenageary NS in Killiney.
And we're into another era! For The Tortured Poets Department, Swift is dressed in a white gown and black gloves, designed by Irish glove designer Paula Rowan.
She kicks it off with a mash-up of But Daddy I Love Him and So High School, about her new beau Travis Kelce.
The Kansas City Chiefs player was rumoured to be in Dublin tonight for the show, but as of yet hasn't been spotted.
Swift has changed into a green and orange sequin ensemble for Style, the opening track for her 1989 era.
The singer has been changing her outfit for this era on a regular basis and seems to have ensured a particular nod to Ireland tonight with this look.
9:15pm
During 'willow' the second song in her evermore set, Swift notices a fan who appears to be in distress in the audience.
"We need some help down there," she says, pointing and calling for security's attention.
Swift has been vigilant throughout her shows with flagging security whenever a fan catches her attention.
Many fans have been camped out since this morning ahead of the gig, and water is being passed through the crowd to ensure everyone stays hydrated
Swift has moved into her evermore era with Marjorie, a song dedicated to her grandmother Marjorie Finlay who was an opera singer.
The Aviva Stadium audience are all on their feet waving their phones in the air.
A two-minute applause broke out after Swift finished Champagne Problems, followed by chants of 'Taylor, Taylor' and 'Olé, Olé, Olé.'
Taylor says it "feels right" to play songs from her Folklore album in Ireland.
"Irish people are such great storytellers. The folklore from Ireland is unmatched.
"I think it might be 50/50. 50% they're great storytellers and 50% they just have the best accents.
"My Irish friends, they just start talking and they could just be telling the most boring story", she went on, " but I am just like.."
Taylor has left the stage with 'Look What You Made Me Do' with no Reputation (Taylor's Version) announcement...for now.
After a quick costume change, she's back atop the magical 'Folklore' cabin for the star of her cottagecore era.
We're kicking off with Cardigan.
Taylor is now in her Reputation era.
She’s appeared in her signature black snake bodysuit, and opened with ‘Ready For It?’
Fans have been speculating that the star will announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) this weekend.
Will tonight be the night?
Before playing All Too Well, Swift asks the crowd who is here for the first time, and who has seen her before.
"I'm so stoked if you've listened to my music for 15 years or listened to it for 15 minutes.
"One of the reasons I love this particular show, this particular tour so much is because if you've been to see me in concert before, this feels like a trip down memory lane for us.
"But if you've never seen a show before, it's like we get to all experience my favorite memories from tours I've done before all together here tonight.
"And that just makes me incredibly happy, to get to experience all of this with you.. Whether it's your first time or your 15th time or 50th time seeing me.
"And there is one song that I would absolutely love to play you from Red. If you happen to have about 10 minutes..."
One of Swift's dancers Kameron Saunders has been making a name for himself ad-libbing in her song 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' with a phrase native to the city they are in.
Tonight in Dublin, he tells Taylor's ex, "póg mo thoin".
PÓG MO THÓIN 😭😭😭😭😭😭 #DublinTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/WaaHYe3IIZ
— anna ♡ (@tayslondongirl) June 28, 2024
Taylor has appeared with a 'I Bet You Think About Me' t-shirt to kick off the Red era with '22'.
Strutting down the catwalk in a pair of black glitter hotpants, she made one lucky little girls dreams come true when she gave them her 22 hat.
The fan also got a big hug from the star and a high-five.
And it's the first costume change of the night!
Swift has appeared on stage with her signature bedazzled silver guitar and black and silver sparkly dress to kick off the 'Fearless' era.
Just before playing Lover, Taylor Swift addressed the crowd.
“What an absolute honour and a privilege it is to say these words… welcome to the Eras tour Dublin.
"I haven’t played a show in Dublin in over 5 years.
"And I know you know this, but nobody does it like you.
"We’re a couple of songs into this very long show, and I’m already seeing people in the audience who should be getting awards for their performance.
And that's the conclusion of the Lover era, the first era of the night.
Here she is! Taylor Swift has come on stage at the Aviva to deafening screams from Irish Swifties, declaring: “Alright Dublin, we have arrived!”
Her first song is ‘Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince’ before singing ‘Cruel Summer’.
Outside, a couple dozen fans are setting up camp across the Aviva, with younger swifties going from group to group trading friendship bracelets. Many fans here were unlucky in ‘The Great War’.
Rebecca McCullough, Rose Hogan and Hannah Murphy are three such fans, decked out in Taylor merch and cowboy hats.
Rose says she had signed up to six different concerts and was waitlisted for all, meaning she didn’t even get a chance to try for tickets. “It was very hard,” she says.
As we chat, the girls are still refreshing their phones hoping some golden resale tickets might appear, even if they are restricted view tickets. “It would be worth it,” Rebecca says.
Paramore wrapped up a few minutes before 7pm and we’re now anxiously awaiting Taylor Swift, who should appear within minutes.
Ryan Tubridy has just taken his seat near us and there is a queue of well wishers to say hello to him. The former Late Late Show host had teased on Instagram that he was home from London for the gig.
He’s exchanging friendship bracelets with some children who stopped by to meet the ‘Toy Man’.
Barbara Marquez, Mallika Singh and Ana Zimmerman are here “Taylor-gating”.
Wherever Swift plays, fans who haven’t been lucky enough to secure a ticket have gathered outside stadiums to try and soak up the atmosphere.
These three fans’ Champagne Problems is that they don’t have tickets for any of the shows this weekend - but they’ve come armed with their own bottle of champagne, spice bags, strawberries and crisps and a picnic blanket to listen from the outside.
Surprise guests have been a major factor of Swift's Eras Tour so far - the biggest one of all made a debut in Wembley.
Her boyfriend Travis Kelce popped up on stage at her London performance.
Could we see him make another cameo in Ireland?
Paramore have arrived on stage with ‘Hard Times’.
Singer Hayley Williams, wearing a bright red jacket, danced around the stage before shouting “Dublin, let’s go!” They are moving down to the mid-pitch stage for their take on ‘Burning Down The House’.
Williams is sporting a Cranberries t-shirt on stage.
U2 has welcomed Taylor Swift to Ireland with a bouquet of flowers.
Swift shared a picture of the gift on her Instagram Stories, as well as the note which read:
Swift thanked them for “always being the classiest and coolest” and described it as Irish hospitality.
Should we expect to see Bono and co in the VIP tent?
Katie Kilgannon from Sligo has tickets for all three nights.
Miss Swift famously has a scar from her crafting days with hot glue guns - and Katie took on similar risks having made her own outfit for each night.
Tonight she’s dressed as a Mirrorball with a headband crafted from Christmas bauables and tinsel.
“My mam is an art teacher,” she shrugs. Over the course of the weekend she’s also made a replica of Swift’s midnights outfit complete with garter for Saturday, and has a snake bodysuit from the reputation era in the works for Sunday.
“Im delusional, I’m hoping for reputation (Taylor’s version) announcement on Sunday.”
Swift is yet to release her re-recorded version of the reputation album and many fans think Dublin may just be the place where she finally embraces the snakes once more.
A cheer has gone up as the crew remove the coverings from the stage and the walkway out to the middle of the pitch. Instruments are waiting on the main stage for support act Paramore, best known for hits like ‘Misery Business’ and ‘Still Into You’.
The support act is expected to start in about half an hour ahead of Tay-Tay so fans (yes, I’m talking to my fellow millennials in particular) should get to their places soon a the night is about to begin.
Thiia Toure has traveled from the US to serve Taylor tonight. She won’t admit the number of times she’s seen the singer live already or it’ll “get me in trouble” she jokes.
Thiia, who is dressed in Swift’s berry Evermore dress tonight, has even met the singer before. She said she was “the sweetest, most humble” person and “she smells really good”.
Fans are filing into the Aviva at a nice steady pace.
Inside the gates once tickets are scanned and through the turnstiles each concert-goer receives a white wristband which will flash at key points during the concert.
Food (including hot options like chips, chicken goujons, etc) and drink are on sale inside the stadium and there are water refill points around the venue too, but note bottle caps must be binned at the gate.
After pausing for the obligatory selfie to post on Instagram, fans are finding either their seats in the stands or a prime viewing spot on the pitch.
Many fans on the pitch are sitting down ahead of the show — a wise move, it’ll be a long night for those still breaking in their cowboy boots.
5.15pm
A major convoy with a garda escort just passed fans queuing outside the Aviva Stadium.
Well, it went towards the stadium!
Doors have opened at the Aviva Stadium!
Fans, some of whom have been queuing for more than 11 hours, are now streaming through the turnstiles in South Dublin.
If you've any last-minute questions before heading to the gig, have a read of our handy guide to the weekend below.
Dean McGuire and Niamh Quigley from Louth have come dressed as Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince from Swift’s Lover era.
The song is about Swift’s disillusionment with American politics and the lyric “my team is losing, battered and bruising,” is believed to be a reference to the Republicans victory with Donald Trump in 2016.
Let’s hope she wasn’t watching the debate last night..
Even the gardaí have gotten involved with the festivities this weekend!
They performed Shake it Off in a viral video.
This weekend, @taylorswift13 will take to the stage in Dublin. This is just one of many events taking place nationwide over the coming days.
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) June 27, 2024
Keep an eye on our social media channels for traffic information for these events. For more info, see here https://t.co/DXXMNq4nME pic.twitter.com/ScuXkaV7p8
The world's biggest popstar is making her return to Ireland for the first time in five years.
However, she does have a bit of a history on these shores!
Some fans have travelled from much further than Swifty Dad though - and even without tickets, as Nebraska native Nicole Neemann explains.
One man is in his 'Swifty Dad' era.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Jonathan explained how he was here with his daughter Georgina.
The duo weren't able to get tickets for Taylor's gigs in Wembley, but did manage to secure them for tonight in the Aviva.
She made him a t-shirt with Swifty Dad on it for his birthday and they are over to celebrate Georgina's birthday.
Our reporter Nicole Glennon estimates that she has "about 50" friendship bracelets with her - all made using beads from necklaces she found in charity shops!
There is good news on the weather front for any fans heading to Friday evening's performance, as the rain is set to stay away from Dublin.
Showers will be affecting the south west of the island and will roll north-eastwards, but not until after the concert wraps up shortly before 11pm.
Our reporter Nicole Glennon is on site at the Aviva and has already swapped friendship bracelets with a couple of fans from Cork!
Happy Swiftmas to one and all and welcome to our live updates on the first of Taylor Swift's three Irish dates on her record-breaking Eras Tour.
The American superstar's private jet touched down at Dublin Airport shortly after midday, while just across the city, fans were queuing outside the Aviva Stadium at 5am to get the best spots for the gig!
