Taylor Swift Eras Tour Ranked: All 44 song performances rated - from incredible to merely good

After a buildup of almost a year, Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour finally rolled into the UK on Friday, with Murrayfield Stadium given the honour of hosting the first three nights.

It’s now heading for dates in Liverpool, Cardiff, London and Dublin, bringing millions to the economies of each stop thanks to the magic of ‘Taylornomics’.

Now that the dust has died down we’re taking stock and looking at our favourite moments, and the songs that maybe didn’t quite hit the dizzying heights.

In order to do so we’ve ranked every song from best to still-pretty-good - not including the secret songs that change each night.

Here’s what we came up with. Feel free to disagree - we’ve already changed our minds about a few of them.

1. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? (Tortured Poets Society Era). Possibly the biggest singalong of the night, proving that Swifties disagree vehemently with the mixed reviews from the critics for her newest album. We will never ever (ever) get over watching Taylor Swift actually levitate down our street.
2. Cruel Summer (Lover Era). The very definition of a fan favourite, this is the second song of the set (and the first non-shortened song). This was probably the second biggest singalong of the weekend, and marks the point when the tears start to flow.
3. Champagne Problems (Folklore/Evermore Era). A song that seemed just very good on Evermore is now one of the live highlights, earning the longest ovation of the set as Taylor plays her heart out at the piano and rightly basks in the crowd’s adulation.
4. All Too Well (Red Era). It was rare, we were there, we remember it all too well - for all 10 minutes of heartbreak, courtesy of Jake Gyllenhall (allegedly).
5. 22 (Red Era) - More tears as Taylor gives away her 22 hat to a delighted nipper plucked from the crowd to get a cuddle and dissolve into tears of joy - all captured in eye-watering detail on the biggest of big screens.
6. August (Folklore/Evermore Era). A swoony, dreamy highlight that saw the whole of Murrayfield living for the hope of it all, cancelling plans just in case Taylor calls.
7. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (Tortured Poets Society Era). The most immediate track from Taylor’s new album is given the full theatrical treatment as a couple of showbiz moguls urge her to take to the stage despite her being an empty husk of misery (it’s more fun than it sounds). The crowd was chanting...MORE!
8. Mastermind (Midnights Era). The dominoes cascaded into line and the songs from Midnights proved to be the perfect way to close the show. This paean to getting your man, by hook or by crook, was one of a vertitable pack of highlights.
9. Down Bad (Tortured Poets Department Era). Taylor was crying in the gym, we were sobbing in the South Stand.
10. We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together (Red Era). A catchy chorus that’s impossible not to sing along to - the audience were delighted with the addition of some Scottish phrases in this one (“bolt, ya rocket” on the Sunday got a particularly big cheer).
11. Anti Hero (Midnights Era). Another enormous singalong to make the crowd forget aching legs and feet toward the three hour mark during the final Era - singing “it’s me, hi, I’m the problem its me” like 73,000 TikTokers.
12. Love Story (Fearless Era). The song that first broke her in the UK (Sir Terry Wogan was a big fan) has lost none of its power, particularly when the giddy audience roar along to the magical key change. Tears.
13. Bejeweled (Midnights Era). With the amount of sequins on show, Murrayfield needed little encouragment to shimmer, as technical wizardry made Taylor sparkle even more than usual on the big screen. Meanwhile, the fans had tremendous fun yelping ‘NICE!’.
14. Karma (Midnights Era). Proof that Taylor really IS a Mastermind, closing the show with one that few would have predicted before the tour started. As the confetti rains down it feels like the best Hogmanay you’ve ever been to.
15. Blank Space (1989 Era). Much of the masterful pop of 1989 was presented in truncated form, but thankfully Blank Space survived the pruning required to get the show down to ‘only’ three-and-a-half hours.
16. Vigilante Shit (Midnights Era). A fearsome, sexy, Fosse-inspired number that demonstrates why you should never cross Taylor Alison Swift - who really struts this song out on the Murrayfield stage and walkway.
17. Marjorie (Folklore/Evermore Era). When it comes to the most emotive sections of the show, Marjorie is right up there - a song that made everyone in the audience think of their grannies and saw many daughters cuddle up to their mums and gently weep together.
18. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (Tortured Poets Department Era). A brutal post-mortem of a relationship with a certain 1975 lead singer (allegedly), boasting a bridge that demands fists are raised in the air. The marching band accompaniment was an absolute belter.
19. Betty (Folklore/Evermore Era). A mea culpa about hurting somebody and being desperate to make it up. Excuse me - my allergies are playing up.
20. But Daddy I Love Him (Tortured Poets Department Era). Another coruscating song from the megastar’s last album. The fans don’t seem to mind that she appears to be calling them ‘vipers’ for getting snarky about her choice of partner (even if they might have been right. See: The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.)
21. …Ready For It? (Reputation Era). The oft-overlooked songs on Reputation really fly in a live setting - all snakes and darkness - and this battle song is the pick of the bunch, with a thunderous bassline making the fillings in your teeth vibrate.
22. My Tears Ricochet (Folklore/Evermore Era). A full funeral procession down the middle of Murrayfield proved a dramatic way to choreograph this story of a woman’s ghost who discovers her once-loved murderer at her own funeral.
23. Fearless (Fearless Era). It’s flawless, really something, it’s...Fearless. This stomper provides a glittery, guitar-y intro to the all-too-brief three-song Fearless set.
24. Lover (Lover Era). It’s all pastel pinks and blues as Taylor pays tribute to a lover that may have now departed but will live on forever in this adorably-cutesy song.
25. Delicate (Reputation Era). Her reputation has never been better but that wasn’t the case back in 2017, when she confesses it had “never been worse” - the fractures in her life visualised by dramatic cracks appearing on the cinema screen and stage. A flirty/sexy delight.
26. Midnight Rain (Midnights Era). On Sunday it rained just a little bit too early to add some natural effects to this ethereal number - no matter, the troupe of dancers with umbrellas did the job in the dry.
27. Look What You Made Me Do (Reputation Era). The staging was complex, the mood is dark, but Murrayfield had enormous fun gleefully screaming “Oh, because she’s dead!” when the Old Taylor can’t come to the phone.
28. Illicit Affairs (Folklore/Evermore Era). This no-holds-barred look at a love affair turned sour is on the face of it an odd choice, but it gives Taylor a chance to show off what she can do vocally (and have a wee sit down while she does it).
29. Lavender Haze (Midnights Era). Being the weakest of the Midnights Era is no embarrassment - like being the least attractive Hemsworth brother. This was a woozy, sparkling delight. .
30. Fortnight (Tortured Poet Department Era). A bed rising out of the stage surrounded by acrobatic dancers provided eye candy for a song that works better on record than it does live (but still sounds excellent).
31. Cardigan (Folklore/Evermore Era). Plenty of Taylor-brand cardigans donned by audience members in tribute to this song about feeling like a old piece of clothing, until somebody picks you up and says you’re their favourite. This is rather beautifully performed in bulcolic green surroundings lying atop the roof of a grass house.
32. Willow (Folkore/Evermore Era). This was the lead single for Evermore, confiming she was going to continue with the chamber folk music she started with Folklore. It’s a lovely, witchy way to end this particular Era, if a little disposable compared to other numbers.
33. Bad Blood (1989 Era). Three of the five songs in the 1989 section were truncated and this was one of them. Just wanting to hear more seems like the lightest of criticisms, and what it lacked in length it made up for in fiery spectacle.
34. I Knew You Were Trouble (Red Era). Coming just before the epic All Too Well, it seems fair that this hit was cut slightly short.
35. You Belong With Me (Fearless Era). Being sandwiched between Fearless and Love Story makes you feel a little sorry for a song that would be the pinnacle of many an artist’s entire career.
36. The Man (Lover Era). Taylor was dressed for business for this one, making her way around an office building where she would climb higher and faster if she had different chromosomes.
37. Enchanted (Speak Now Era). The only song from Speak Now, it’s surprising that it was chosen above the likes of Sparks Fly, Long Live and Story of Us. It’s a pretty song though, and Taylor gets to live her best princess life in a stunning Cinderella-esque ballgown.
38. Wildest Dreams (1989 Era). This soaring pop song has a chorus to die for, but a truncated version meant the crowd didn’t have time to find their full voice.
39. Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince (Lover Era). This is how the Eras Tour starts - a metaphor about US politics (it’s not all about boys you know) that sees Taylor magically appear from underneath some huge and artfully wafted fans. Barely more than a snippet is performed before moving on.
40. Style (1989 Era). Another 1989 banger that was sadly truncated, the excising of the second verse meaning this ditty about dating a devilish philanderer (whose name might ryhme with ‘Larry Miles’) loses some of its storytelling power.
41. Don’t Blame Me (Reputation Era). This church-lady banger really showed off Taylor’s powerful vocals, but was the closest a song came to being forgettable all night.
42. Shake It Off (1989 Era). Was there an earthquake warning in Edinburgh this weekend? There should’ve been - Murrayfield was shaking all of its bits to this one, even though it’s the most overfamiliar song on the setlist. Was there an argument that this should have been the 1989 cut that was truncated? We realise this is a controversial opinion.
43. You Need to Calm Down (Lover Era). Again, at this end of the list, it’s not that the songs are in any way bad, it’s just that you want...MORE! This is a case in point but it was a nice touch to start with the second verse, given we’re in Pride Month.
44. So High School (Tortured Poets Department Era). A sweet, if slight and short-lived, ode to her football star beau as Taylor and singers sing from the bleachers.