The 5 key takeaways from Taylor Swift's first Stockholm show

The Scandinavian Swifties have been patiently waiting for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour to reach Sweden since it kicked off in March last year. Although the singer has previously played in Norway, this marks her first visit to Sweden – so there is no wonder that she quickly had to add two more shows to her repertoire. Over 200,000 tickets have been sold to what has beendubbed the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Vogue Scandinavia was there to give you all the exclusives. Below are the five biggest takeaways from the first night of the Eras Tour in Stockholm.

Swift's first show in Stockholm drew people from 130 different countries and was the most attended ever in Friends Arena, no small feat since it also happens to be the biggest stadium in Scandinavia. This could mean it's also the most attended show ever in Scandinavia, a record Håkan Hellström has held since 2022. Swift then promised never to exclude Sweden from her tour schedule again, and we're happy to hear we won't miss out in the future!

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Besides giving a nod to her previous producer Max Martin and declaring that Sweden is “where all the best pop music is from”, Swift also paid unique homage to the country by dressing in the colours of the Swedish flag. Taylor wore the new outfit for the 1989 era that she debuted last week in Paris – a sequined two-piece set by Roberto Cavalli – but this time paired the yellow crop top with a blue skirt. As always, the outfit was accessorised by mismatched Christian Louboutin boots. For the Speak Now set, Swift opted for a custom blue Nicole + Felicia couture ball gown, which was later complemented by a flowy yellow dress by Italian designer Alberta Ferretti during the Folklore and Evermore set. Who knew dressing patriotic could look so good.

Taylor stated that the show's rustic set design cabin belongs in Sweden, and although it makes sense this was news to us. "When I was making the Folklore album, it was two days into the pandemic and I was just imagining a fake life for myself, like an imaginary life to try to escape the reality of what life had become and how confusing everything was. So I just imagined myself living in a cabin like this in the woods somewhere in Sweden.” Hopefully,
she will get some more musical inspiration during her first stay here.!

Besides the regular set list of 44 songs, every show on the tour includes at least two surprise songs. This time, Swift started off with a mashup of ‘I Think He Knows’ and ‘Gorgeous’ from the Lover album, songs that have only been performed once on the tour. Maybe a not-so-subtle hint to her ongoing whirlwind romance with footballer Travis Kelce? She also treated the audience to her first-ever live performance of the emotional song ‘Peter’ from the new
album The Tortured Poets Department, which is said to be about the 1975 frontman Matty Healy.

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After the release of her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department in April, Swift shortened the Folklore and Evermore sets to make room for the new tracks on the European leg of her tour. In this prop-heavy part of the show, Swift portrays her tumultuous past year in a very meta way – singing about her experience of touring while on said tour. The custom Vivienne Westwood dress, designed to look like papers torn out of a poetry book, might also be one of her best outfits yet. Swift stated that this is her favourite era to perform, and it's easy to understand why; i't's personally powerful on a whole other level.

Taylor Swift will take the stage at Friends Arena again tonight, Saturday, and tomorrow on Sunday.