As night descended on Munich, Germany, Taylor Swift appeared on stage, an acoustic guitar slung over her shoulder, her tangerine dress catching the light. “Welcome to the acoustic set,” she greeted the crowd with a smile, strumming a few strings. “This is a portion of the show that I look forward to every night.”
Earlier in the evening, anticipation was high among Swift’s fans, as her team had conducted a 15-minute live stream on YouTube three hours before the concert. During the live stream, one fan noted that during her “Red” era, Swift wore a special “Taylor’s Version” shirt, although it’s common for her to wear a sequin “This is not Taylor’s Version” shirt during her performance of “22.”
What made this night unusual was the YouTube livestream. Taylor Nation, Swift’s marketing and PR team, rarely utilizes the live function during the Eras Tour. Exceptions have been made for significant announcements, such as the “The Tortured Poets Department” variants, album re-releases like “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” and music video premieres for “Karma” and “I Can See You.” The only previous instance of a live stream that didn’t result in an announcement was in Singapore, where they briefly went live before revealing the “Black Dog” variant of “Tortured Poets” the following night.
Given this history, fans were certain Swift had a special announcement planned.
During the show, Swift performed at the Johan Cruijff Arena on July 4, 2024, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She delivered a mashup of “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from the “Fifty Shades Darker” soundtrack with “imgonnagetyouback” from “Tortured Poets.” Following this, she transitioned from guitar to piano, blending “loml” from “Tortured Poets” with “Don’t You” from “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).”
Despite the anticipation, Swift completed her acoustic set and left the stage without unveiling any new information, leaving fans in suspense.