It seems like a long time ago − in 2011 − that Taylor Swift struggled to fill Paris' Zénith concert hall with its 6,804 capacity. Long described as one of the few countries resistant to the American pop star's charms, France has in turn succumbed to the worldwide hype generated by the Eras Tour, heralded as the most lucrative in history. Admittedly, the 42,000-seat Paris La Défense Arena, where the 34-year-old billionaire is performing from May 9 to May 12, is one of the most "intimate" venues on the tour. But due to preparations for the Olympic Games, the Stade de France was apparently unavailable.
"We could have filled the Défense Arena 12 or 14 times over," assured Arnaud Meersseman, director general of Swift's French tour operator AEG Presents, on France Inter radio. He went on to say that the idol could also have added two or three dates at Lyon's Groupama Stadium, where she will be performing on June 2 and 3. Although an estimated 30% of the audience is coming from abroad (20% of whom are Americans), the enthusiasm of French Swifties shouldn't be overlooked. After all, a site specializing in genealogical research (MyHeritage.fr) just announced that the Pennsylvania-born superstar was a distant cousin of Louis XIV, through common ancestors from 14th-century English aristocracy.
For the first of her Paris concerts, which also kicks off the European leg of her tour, Swift prepared a surprise that set this show apart from the one that triumphed in the Americas, Asia and Australia. After her Singapore concert on March 9, Swift took a two-month break, during which she released her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19. No tracks from this new release had been performed live... until now.
"Good evening Paris, welcome to the Eras Tour!" Emerging from parachutes resembling giant flower petals, the singer first follows the sequence that she has been honing for months. Not a note, a gesture, a dance step, nor a smile seems to be missing from this demonstration of professionalism, recently captured in a film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version (available on Disney+).
It's interesting to compare this with the giant show that fellow superstar Beyoncé gave, just a year ago, at the Stade de France. The same giant screen at the back of the stage playing 3D effects, the same stage setup of a long walkway in the middle of the pit. Queen B approached the three-hour mark, while Swift surpassed it with a similar twirling of choreographed numbers and stage outfits. Her Texan colleague conjured up an impressive arsenal of creatures and machines to celebrate her carnal, communal, matriarchal and spiritual power.
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