Chuck Arnold
Entertainment
May 27, 2023 | 12:16 p.m
Taylor Swift performs her first of three shows at Metlife Stadium on Friday, May 26.
Getty Images
When Taylor Swift went into “Cruel Summer”—her second song from the “Lover” era at the first of three Eras Tour concerts at MetLife Stadium on Friday night—she was as if laughing inside at the irony of that.
This was the hottest ticket — the cheapest seats went for thousands on Stubhub — of the season that had just begun over Memorial Day weekend.
And Swift knew damn well.
Since the next-level Eras Tour — Swift’s first concert tour since 2018’s “Reputation” Tour — kicked off in March, Swifties haven’t been resting.
And this was the perfect summer jump-off on a Memorial Day weekend fans will never forget.
A sea of glitter, sequins, cowboy hats and feather boas flooded MetLife as Switfies were dressed in eras representing all 10 of the idol’s studio albums.
And as she walked the giant catwalk of a stage like one of her Victoria’s Secret models, even Swift felt her swag.
Even she had to admit how “powerful” she felt in that early moment. She then flexed her left bicep and kissed before launching into “The Man” surrounded by a bevy of corporate dancers.
As much as her girl-next-door appeal has propelled her into the kind of pop superstar that few have anymore, she truly is a girl in charge.
Yes, some of the most wildly emotional reactions — from a crowd that seemed to sing their every word all night — came from old-school Swift songs like “You Belong to Me” and “Love Story” that still have every bit of their country charm.
But as Swift entered her “Reputation” era with “Ready for It” — clad in a one-armed, one-legged catsuit — she embraced her sexiness as a 33-year-old woman who, to quote another former pop genius, is no more so innocent.
And while she’s not Beyonce in the dance department, she sure knows how to work on a huge stage. She can make a stadium feel intimate when she slows down and blows it out on ballads like “Lover.”
At three and a half hours, the show is too long for anyone but the real-life Swifties – and an endurance test for just about everyone. But that just goes to show how many hardcore fans Swift has.
As if Swifties needed any more reason to get their (bad) blood racing for the concert, she dropped a new song, “You’re Losing Me,” which is available exclusively to fans on a “Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) CD at the venue’s merchandise stands.
The heartbreak story in the lyrics references Swift’s highly publicized breakup with her longtime boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, whom she reportedly quickly shook off in a mid-tour romance with The 1975’s lead singer Matt Healy.
And for good measure, the “Anti-Hero” singer also released a remix of new single “Karma” featuring bubbly young rapper Ice Spice and a revamp of “Snow on the Beach” featuring singer and co-writer Lana Del Rey pumps up. .M
Now all together… Boom.
But Swift hardly needed to hype itself – or this tour – any more than it has already been to Ticketmaster-crashing, mortgage-bursting heights.