When Taylor Swift went into “Cruel Summer” — her “Lover”-era second song in the first of three Eras Tour concerts at MetLife Stadium on Friday night— it was as if she was laughing inside at the irony of that one.
This was the hottest ticket — the cheapest seats were going for thousands on Stubhub — of the season that was just getting started on Memorial Day weekend.
And Swift damn well knew it.
Since the next-level Eras Tour — Swift’s first concert trek since 2018’s “Reputation” Tour — launched in March, there has been no calming down for Swifties.
And this was the perfect summer jump-off on a Memorial Day weekend that fans will never forget.
A sea of glitter, sequins, cowboy hats and feather boas flooded MetLife as Switfies dressed in eras representing all 10 of the idol’s studio albums.
And strutting across the gigantic catwalk of a stage like one of her Victoria’s Secret model squad, even Swift was feeling her swag.
Even she had to admit just how “powerful” she was feeling in that early moment. Then she proceeded to flex her left bicep and kiss it before launching into “The Man” surrounded by a bevy of business-suited dancers.
As much as her girl-next-door appeal has taken her to the kind of pop superstardom that few have anymore, she is very much a chick in charge.
Yes, some of the most wildly emotional responses — from a crowd that seemed to sing every word all night long — came from old-school Swift songs such as “You Belong to Me” and “Love Story” that still had every bit of their country charm.
But when Swift went into her “Reputation” era with “Ready for It” — dressed in a one-armed, one-legged catsuit — she embraced her sexiness as a 33-year-old woman who, to quote another former pop ingenue, is not that innocent anymore.
And while she’s no Beyonce in the dancing department, she sure knows how to work a massive stage. She can make a stadium feel intimate when she slows and strips it down on ballads such as “Lover.”
At three and a half hours, the show is too long for all but the real Swifties — and an endurance test for just about everyone. But that just goes to show you just 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,” that is exclusively available to fans on a “Midnights (Til Dawn Edition)” CD at the venue’s merchandise stands.
The love-gone-wrong story in the lyrics hints at Swift’s much-publicized breakup with her longtime boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, who she is rumored to have quickly shaken 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 buzzy young rapper Ice Spice and a revamp of “Snow on the Beach” that pumps up featured singer and co-writer Lana Del Rey.m
All together now…Boom.
But Swift hardly needed to hype herself — or this tour — any more than it has already been to Ticketmaster-crashing, mortgage-taking heights.
