Taylor Swift returned to the stage on Thursday night for the first time since ET exclusively revealed her split from Joe Alwyn.
The Midnights singer resumed her The Eras Tour at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, where singers beabadoobee and Gayle opened the show. Swift, 33, will also perform in Tampa (whose Hillsborough County was temporarily changed to “Swiftsborough” County) on Friday and Saturday.
Video from Tampa shows Taylor performing her hit “Cruel Summer.”
I LOVE YOU AIN’T THAT THE WORST THING YOU EVER HEARD!!!! #TampaTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/CyMIZznkVp
— phoebe ⸆⸉ on limit again (@taylorslavender) April 14, 2023
Swift’s Tampa dates also started with a little flub from the singer, who accidentally announced Thursday’s opener as Gracie Abrams when it was actually Gayle.
“13 is a number that has defined all kinds of lucky things for me,” Swift began before apologizing for the mix-up. “But tonight, it is actually also the exact number of brain cells that I have, because earlier, I told you that Gracie Abrams opened the show, that is not correct.”
She continued, “That is absolutely not correct. Gayle opened the show and she was phenomenal. And I feel so awful.”
Swift capped the apology off by singing the “abcdefu” performer’s praises and promised to get her tourmates “lots of presents” to make up for the mistake.
🏟️| Earlier Taylor mixed up Gracie as being the opener instead of Gayle and ended up apologising before Champagne Problems – saying she only has 13 brain cells tonight which is fitting as it is the 13th lol#Taylorswift pic.twitter.com/dZYLGu7o1J
— Taylor Swift Updates 🏟️ (@swifferupdates) April 14, 2023
Swift also debuted a new dress for her “Enchanted” performance, sporting a sparkling gown by Eli Saab couture, which featured flower petal-like embellishments.
🏟️| @taylorswift13‘s new ‘Enchanted’ dress is Eli Saab Couture 🤍💜
Great find @/folkloremadwomen! pic.twitter.com/yhnI9Zo7zj
— Taylor Swift Updates 🏟️ (@swifferupdates) April 14, 2023
She also rocked a green two-piece number for her Folklore era, which included a long, drapey cape and a new, orange fringe dress for her 1989 set.
🎵 | Taylor Swift is playing ‘the 1’ tonight in a new dress for the folklore era #TampaTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/T2DTS6m19K
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) April 14, 2023
NEW 1989 OUTFIT OH MY GOD WHAT A NIGHT #TampaTSTheErasTour @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/xDCzhip2XX
— Paige (Eras Tour N1 Tampa+Metlife) (@antiheropaige) April 14, 2023
Sadly, Swift wasn’t able to do the epic stage dive she’s been doing night after night on time. She did complete it though, taking an extra second to make sure it was safe before diving head-first into the stage at Raymond James Stadium.
TONIGHTS DIVE pic.twitter.com/HYLBZ2imGT
— shelbs💙 | eras tour 4/28, 4/29, & 4/30 | (@Taylorswizzy_13) April 14, 2023
In addition to her many outfit changes, she also performed two surprise songs for the sold-out crowd — “Speak Now” off her 2010 album by the same name, and “Treacherous,” from 2012’s Red.
On Saturday, Dating-exclusive-202408″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>ET exclusively reported that Swift and Alwyn called it quits a few weeks ago. A source told ET that the split was amicable and “it was not dramatic.” ET also learned that “the Relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows.” They were notorious for keeping their relationship private.
While the split sent shockwaves around the world and left Swifties in disbelief, it’s possible the songstress hinted at the split in her Eras Tour setlist, after eagle-eyed fans noticed she changed her setlist for the Arlington, Texas show on March 31. Instead of performing “Invisible String” — which is believed to be a love song about her relationship with Alwyn — Swift played “The 1,” which details a breakup. Both tracks are from her 2020 album Folklore.
Following news of her split, Swift was single-taylor-swift-spotted-out-in-new-york-city-with-jack-antonoff-and-margaret-qualley” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>spotted grabbing dinner in New York City with her friend and longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff and his fiancée, Margaret Qualley.
Videos and photos shared on social media show Swift smiling as she stepped out for dinner with the Couple at Via Carota restaurant in downtown Manhattan, just blocks away from Cornelia Street, which was the inspiration for one of Swift’s songs on her Lover album — fittingly named after the street where she once had a home — and believed to be inspired by Alwyn.
A source would later tell ET that the breakup was initiated by the pop star.
“Taylor and Joe are in totally different places in their lives right now,” the source told ET. “It was more of Taylor’s decision to break up, but both of them realized that they weren’t completely right for one another. They had been together for such a long time and were spending so much time together, but their personalities were just too different. Joe is more introverted, shy and quiet.”
“She’s very focused on touring and her career right now,” the source added. “Taylor has nothing but respect for Joe and really loved and enjoyed all the time and memories she shared with him. They had a deep connection and she really appreciated that. She hopes they can be friendly in the future.”
As for what’s next for Alwyn, the 32-year-old actor is staying busy abroad. He recently traveled to Hungary to begin principal photography on his upcoming film, The Brutalist, opposite Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce.
Click to View Gallery The Best Looks From Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour (So Far)
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