Taylor Swift's Eras Tour was a feat of production, artistry, and passion that spanned 51 cities over the course of 149 shows from March 17, 2023 to December 8, 2024. It quickly became the highest-grossing tour of all time, and easily the most impressive tour from Taylor Swift, an artist known for her versatile, flashy stage presence. Each night, Swift performed for 3.5 hours straight, with very few breaks.
Among the 40 songs on the setlist were some of her greatest hits, like "Shake It Off," "Cruel Summer," and "Lover," rounding out 10 sections dedicated to the aesthetic of each distinct era within her career. Despite the positive reception that such a diverse setlist received from attendees and fans around the world, it's impossible to please everyone. Some songs, and even one album, weren't included despite their popularity on previous tours, while others only saw brief inclusion as surprise songs each night.
Below are just 10 of the songs that never saw a permanent spot on the extensive Eras Tour setlist. There isn't much I would change about the setlist I witnessed when I attended in Philadelphia, but the songs on this list would have added even more excitement to the tour.
10 The Alchemy
The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
The second-to-last track from Swift's most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, is one of her most specific love songs since reputation introduced fans to "Dress." In simple terms, it describes the whirlwind that Swift experienced when she won the Grammy for Album of The Year with Midnights just eight days before her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Before The Tortured Poets Department set was first performed on the Eras Tour, fans speculated which songs she'd sing from the 31-track album.
Shirts off, and your friends lift you up over their heads
Beer sticking to the floor
Cheers chanted, cause they said
There was no chance, trying to be
The greatest in the league
Where's the trophy?
He just comes running over to me
"The Alchemy" is one of the more lighthearted tracks, and one that was likely a later addition, since the events it describes occurred after Swift announced the album at the Grammys. It's also a track that many fans expected her to perform, reveling in her new romance with a permanent slot on the expanded setlist. Unfortunately, this didn't happen, but she does sing part of "So High School," the other straightforward love song on the album, and sang "The Alchemy" twice as a surprise song on both the guitar and the piano.
9 New Romantics
1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023)
As the closer to one of Swift's most successful albums, "New Romantics" holds a special place in the hearts of Swifties. Over time, it's taken on different meanings, with its most obvious being a celebration of Swift's career amid so much negativity and bad press throughout the years.
It's one that would've definitely added an extra layer of meaning to the upbeat section.
The 1989 set on the Eras Tour is one that is filled with five of the album's most popular singles. "New Romantics" was the seventh and final single on the original album, making its closing track that much more significant. When it was revealed that this song wasn't on the setlist, fans had their fair share of criticisms. It's one that would've definitely added an extra layer of meaning to the upbeat section, but I think the way Swift used it to ring in the 1989 (Taylor's Version) announcement more than makes up for its absence.
8 Getaway Car
reputation (2017)
With speculation over reputation (Taylor's Version) floating around for what feels like forever, it's no surprise that the section of the tour dedicated to this album received plenty of curiosity. Ultimately, Swift went with four of the album's strongest tracks that can't really be argued. Starting the section with "...Ready For It?" was the moment that made me feel like I was at the Reputation Stadium Tour I missed out on.
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One of the notable cuts from an album filled with stadium-worthy performances was "Getaway Car," a fan-favorite collaboration with Swift's longtime producer and co-writer Jack Antonoff. After seeing it regularly performed on the Reputation Tour, fans were sure that "Getaway Car" would have a spot on the Eras Tour setlist. This was one of the cuts that I remember seeing people genuinely shocked about. Luckily for some of us, she performed it five times as a surprise song, twice with Antonoff.
7 Out Of The Woods
1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023)
Another fan-favorite performance is "Out of The Woods" from the 1989 World Tour. The seemingly improvised (though rarely anything Swift does is improvised) choreography during the song's bridge is one of the most enjoyable parts for fans to watch and recreate at her shows.
"Out of The Woods" was performed a whopping seven times as a surprise song, once on its own and six times in a mashup.
Yet again, popularity among fans would prove to be a deceptive aspect to consider when thinking about which tracks Swift would choose to build out her longest setlist yet. While it never got the full production it deserved as a regular performance during the 1989 set, "Out of The Woods" was performed a whopping seven times as a surprise song, once on its own and six times in a mashup. In fact, the mashup with "Is It Over Now?" in Buenos Aires was the first mashup performed during the surprise song section.
6 I Did Something Bad
reputation (2017)
She couldn't have gone wrong with the reputation selections, but that's coming from someone who has reputation in her top 5 Swift albums. One song that I was desperately hoping to hear live after all these years was "I Did Something Bad." On my predictions list that I made with some friends before the tour began, I had both this song and "Look What You Made Me Do," failing to consider that only one would make the cut. I understand why she chose "Look What You Made Me Do," but I would've loved to have seen both.
"I Did Something Bad" was one of the standout performances from the Reputation Tour, bringing a perfect amount of feminine rage to the stage that would have fit perfectly on the Eras Tour. It's also a song that was avoided during surprise songs until her London shows, where fans expected her to finally make the announcement that we've all been waiting for. That didn't happen, but her acoustic version of such a heavily-produced song was incredible.
5 Our Song
Taylor Swift (2006)
The most universal disappointment from the Eras Tour is the exclusion of Swift's 2006 debut album. This was something that didn't hit me until the post-concert adrenaline faded, but the songs on this album are some of my favorites. It felt strange for her to dedicate sections, or just one song, to every other album, even adding onto the setlist for The Tortured Poets Department, and ignore the era that started it all.
I still haven't figured out the reasoning behind this choice, or if there was even a specific motivation behind it, but I would've appreciated any kind of tribute. If I had to pick one song for her to add to the debut section, it would be "Our Song." Until the Taylor's Version comes out, I can at least find peace in the joy on Swift's face each of the four times she played "Our Song" on the guitar during the surprise songs.
4 Maroon
Midnights (2022)
An immediate fan-favorite from Swift's 2022 album, Midnights, is its second track, "Maroon." While it's unclear if she's aware of how big this song got among Swifties before selecting the setlist, they certainly don't hide their love. A large part of why this song got so popular was because of its callbacks to the Red era and the title track, where she compared her love to a "burning red." Now, she sinks into a deeper shade, something that fans couldn't help but fall into as well.
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During the first portion of the tour stops, "Maroon" was the first song that played after the finale ended, and the lights came up. Imagine my friend's shock when she pleaded for "Maroon" as a surprise song only to have it thrown in her face while we attempted to process the last 3.5 hours of our lives. Maybe Swift never knew how much her fans loved this song, or maybe it just wasn't one she ever wanted to perform that grandly - although she did perform it 10 times as a surprise song.
3 ME!
Lover (2019)
You're either someone who skips "ME!" every time it follows "Afterglow," or you're someone who unironically enjoys singing along to one of Swift's most unapologetically joyful songs. For years, I fell into the former. Of course, this isn't one of my favorite songs when I consider how much more well-written and emotional my favorites tend to be, but I've come around to it. There's no harm in an artist making a fun song, especially on an album filled with fun songs about love.
I believe it simply wasn't included because of the mixed feelings fans have for it.
"ME!" was the first single before Lover came out, and a divisive song right from the start, but because of its existence as a single alone, it seemed like an easy addition to the Lover set. I believe it simply wasn't included because of the mixed feelings fans have for it. Maybe Swift was worried that the audience wouldn't react well, and wanted to make sure the energy stayed positive for most of the night. I don't know about you, but, even if I hated "ME!," I would've danced around and sang along to it like it was my favorite song.
2 I Bet You Think About Me
Red (Taylor's Version) (2021)
Another song that seemed like an easy addition to one of the most anticipated sections of the tour is "I Bet You Think About Me," a vault track from Red (Taylor's Version) featuring Chris Stapleton. The rollout for this album's re-release included a perfectly dramatic music video for this song, directed by Blake Lively and starring Miles Teller.
Due to its promotion, fans expected it to join the Red section alongside singles like "22" and "I Knew You Were Trouble." Unfortunately, all we got was a Red T-shirt with the song title on it that she occasionally wore. What's even more surprising is the fact that Swift only performed "I Bet You Think About Me" once as a surprise song at the very beginning of the tour. Hopefully, we know how to curb our expectations for future tours.
1 Long Live
Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (2023)
This last entry is a song that did receive a pretty significant temporary spot on the Eras Tour setlist. After the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version) in July 2023, Swift added "Long Live" to the Speak Now section after "Enchanted." It remained there until May 2024, when the setlist would go back to its original version, featuring "Enchanted" as the sole Speak Now song. Maybe I'm just bitter because it wasn't added until after my show, but I strongly believe "Long Live" deserved a permanent spot on the setlist.
Will you take a moment?
Promise me this
That you'll stand by me forever
But if, God forbid, fate should step in
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children someday
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name
Every time I listen to this song, I can't help but reflect on the monumental trajectory of Swift's career. It's a song that was written when she was so young, but would become one that so perfectly captures all the highs and lows she would soon experience. Now, after its usage during the credits of the Eras Tour concert film, it's the perfect summary of the legacy Taylor Swift has already created for herself.
