Taylor Swift's incredible Eras Tour has come to an end after 21 months, and, in keeping with the wit and thoughtfulness of the world-renowned singer, the final surprise song was the perfect full-circle moment. The statistics of the Eras Tour alone reveal what a record-breaking event this tour was. Swift played 149 total shows between March 2023, when the tour began, and December 2024, when the tour concluded. Those 149 shows spanned 51 cities in 21 countries, and millions of people attended across the globe.
As those who attended the tour or were glued to their phones during livestreams know, during each of her shows, Swift played a solo set of surprise songs. These songs could be from any album of all 10 eras, and Swift ran the full gamut (although there are still songs Taylor Swift has never played live, even with the Eras Tour now over). At first, Swift played individual songs, although she ultimately transitioned to mash-ups, which added another element of surprise. Maintaining that approach, Swift's final two surprise songs of the Eras Tour were mash-ups—and they were absolutely perfect.
Taylor Swift's Final Surprise Songs Defined The Eras Tour
The Final Eras Tour Surprise Songs Were (Unsurprisingly) Very Intentional
As with all her surprise song sets, during the final show of the Eras Tour, Swift played two songs. The first was a mash-up of "A Place In This World" from her debut album and "New Romantics" from 1989, and the second was a mash-up of "Long Live" from Speak Now, "New Year's Day" from Reputation, and "The Manuscript" from The Tortured Poets Department. Each of these songs was no doubt very carefully chosen, but the significance of certain songs and certain lines stand out in particular.
Swift made it clear why she chose "Long Live," a song already strongly associated with bittersweet endings, when she changed the lyrics from "it was the end of a decade / but the start of an age" to "it was the end of an era / but the start of an age." Despite altering just one word, this was a profound moment that truly brought the Eras Tour to a beautiful close. All the songs chosen for these final surprise songs also represent an ending in some way, although the last song was especially significant in terms of the full-circle ending.
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The Final Song Of The Eras Tour Was A Perfect Touch
The Last Song In Particular Was A Full-Circle Moment
At the very first Eras Tour show on March 17, 2023, Taylor Swift played two surprise songs: "Mirrorball" and "Tim McGraw." "Tim McGraw" was a particularly meaningful choice, as this was her debut single. Swift seems to have had that same thought process when selecting her final surprise songs, given that she ended with "The Manuscript" from The Tortured Poets Department, the very last song on her most recent album.
Taylor Swift effectively began the Eras Tour with her very first song and ended the tour with her last (at least for now).
With this choice, Taylor Swift effectively began the Eras Tour with her very first song and ended the tour with her last (at least for now). It shouldn't come as any major surprise that the first and last shows were so perfectly planned out. Swift's signature has become her meticulous attention to detail and self-referential Easter eggs. What comes next for Swift remains a mystery for now, but with these brilliantly selected surprise songs, Taylor Swift brought a perfect end to her nearly two-year-long Eras Tour.
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