Taylor Swift took over downtown Cincinnati this weekend, performing two shows at Paycor Stadium on her Eras Tour. Thousands of fans descended onto The Banks to Tay-Gate and watch the singer perform in the Queen City for the first time in over a decade. The shows drew large crowds with fans singing, dancing, and taking videos of the singer’s performances.
One fan caught a moment during the show where it appeared there was a malfunction with the stage where the doors were supposed to open for the singer. When they didn’t, the video showed Swift running toward the door with the rest of her dancers on stage. The video quickly went viral on social media and TikTok, with many fans wondering what happened.
One fan said that she was supposed to go down onto the stage but instead had to think quickly and run through the door with her dancers in order to change into her next outfit. Many fans commented on the singer’s quick thinking, saying “She’s a runner she’s a track star” but it was the singer’s response that got everyone’s attention.
The singer commented under the video on TikTok, sending fans into a frenzy. It wasn’t the only moment on the Cincinnati tour that sent fans into a frenzy, the singer surprised the crowd on night two with three surprise songs instead of her usual two.
Swift started Saturday night’s surprise set list with “Ivy,” which features Cincinnati native and “The National” musician Aaron Dessner. Dessner joined Swift on stage for the song, which had never been performed live before Saturday night. While her surprise songs are usually ones she wrote, Swift called up opening act Gracie Abrams to perform Abrams’ song, “I Miss You, I’m Sorry.” This marked the first song Swift has performed that is not her own. She ended the surprise song set with “Call It What You Want” on the piano.
The rest of the show went off without a hitch, aside from a small wardrobe malfunction during “Lavender Haze” when her purple jacket got caught on her matching sequin dress. Swift was able to solve the problem herself, subtly yanking her arm to free the fabric from her dress.
Though there have been dozens of stops so far on Swift’s Eras Tour, not every show has gone completely smoothly. On social media, fans have dubbed some of these incidents, including the time she accidentally swallowed a bug on stage, part of the “Errors Tour.”
Earlier in June during one of her Chicago dates, Swift faced the wrath of nature when she inhaled an insect. In video captured from the show, Swift apologized to fans for the interruption as she continued to cough and choke on the bug.
“It’s totally fine, it’s just stupid,” Swift said, joking that the bug was “delicious” before adding, “Is there any chance that none of you saw that? It’s fine, it’s all … I’ve swallowed it.”
In May, the singer made a slight lyric change during her performance of “Bad Blood” when she defended a fan in the crowd. At one of her shows in Philadelphia, the security at the venue was giving a fan on the floor trouble. Swift expertly managed to call out the security member, saying, “She’s fine! She wasn’t doing anything!” as if it was part of the song.
After wrapping up her shows in Houston, Texas in April, Swift revealed that she had gotten injured backstage but was all “gooooood” after the incident.
She addressed the injury — which was visible in photos from the show — on Instagram, writing to fans, “PS for those asking how I cut my hand, I’m totally fine and it was my fault completely — tripped on my dress hem and fell in the dark backstage while running to a quick change — braced my fall with my palm.”
Overall, Swift’s Eras Tour has been a massive success, with fans flocking to see her perform and experiencing the excitement and energy of her live shows. Despite a few minor mishaps along the way, Swift has proven time and time again that she is a consummate professional who can handle anything that comes her way.