Ones2Watch Home

Pop icon Taylor Swift debuted her record-shattering Eras Tour this past weekend at State Farm Arena in Glendale, AZ. The tour includes various support acts on different dates with the first two nights featuring TikTok breakout star Gayle and Warped Tour veterans Paramore. With Paramore being a band whose sound has evolved throughout various eras, we could not think of a more fitting special guest to open the first two dates.

While it may seem like an unlikely crossover, Swift is no stranger to the alt rock scene as she has previously collaborated with Brendon Urie, performed with Fall Out Boy, invited Dashboard Confessional to play at her best friend's birthday, and even asked Hayley Williams to perform “That’s What You Get” during her Speak Now era. Miss Williams has also stated that T-Swift was a direct inspiration for their latest single “Running Out Of Time” off their latest album This Is Why.

As showtime approached, the anticipation and dedication of Swifties and Paramore stans could be felt well before entering the venue. You could see numerous fans in outfits inspired by various eras of both acts as far as the eye could see. With these shows being the first of the tour, and the only two to feature Paramore, we wanted to share 13 things we learned when emo met mainstream.

Unlike almost every emo and/or DIY show you’ve ever been to, this show was special merely for the number of people there. 

According to Pop Base, night one’s attendance was over 69,000 people breaking Madonna’s single night record for the highest-attended female concert in the US — that’s like five Warped Tour’s worth of people. 

From Parking Lots to Arenas 

Speaking of Warped Tour… Going from seeing Paramore play the main stage of Kevin Lyman’s punk rock summer camp to a sold out football arena was quite the experience. 

Sure it was a little less intimate, but as you can imagine, Miss Williams absolutely owned the jam-packed crowd with her patented pipes and beloved dance moves. 

Every Paramore Show Needs A Catwalk  

On that note of Paramore’s performance, getting to see Hayley Williams strut her stuff on the nearly 50-yard catwalk was just as amazing as you’d think. 

The five-foot-two powerhouse totally charmed her way through Paramore’s swift nine-song song — although, on night two, she did forget the lyrics to "That’s What You Get" but laughed it off like the ultimate pro she is.  

Any Paramore Set Shorter Than An Hour Feels Like A Blink Of The Eye

Absolutely no shade to Ms. Swift, but a 40-minute Paramore set was just a ~little~ too brief for our liking. That said, we will say for just nine songs, they definitely played a lot of hits including tracks like "Hard Times," "The Only Exception, "Rose-Colored Boy" and more.

Taylor Swift Fans Definitely Had An Emo Phase

For anyone questioning whether or not Taylor Swift and Paramore had any crossover, we’re here to tell you they totally do. 

Fans all along the arena — lower level, mid-level, and nosebleeds — were all rocking out to Paramore’s pop-leaning bops like “Ain’t It Fun," "That's What You Get,” and one of the band’s newer tracks “This Is Why.” But the real fun was watching Swifties lose their minds to Paramore’s Hot Topic anthems “Decode” and, of course, “Misery Business.”

As for all the Swifties in attendance, the show’s notable outfits included a fan that recreated Hayley Williams outfit from the "That’s What You Get" performance and Taylor Swift fans dressed as a mirror ball, a willow tree, and one fan even dressed up as Taylor after she had LASIK surgery.

So How Exactly Did Paramore and Taylor Swift Become Friends?

Prior to dedicating "The Only Exception" to Taylor Swift on night one, Hayley Williams told the fans in attendance how the two talented frontwomen became friends. Hayley said she had Taylor’s number from the very first time they met, but because she is “the shyest freak" when she's not on stage, she never reached out. However, after a “certain VMA scandal,” Hayley felt compelled to connect with Taylor which was the start of their long-term friendship.

On and off stage, both singers had the highest praise to offer when speaking of each other. 

Miss Williams took to her Instagram stories to share “Loved watching Taylor sparkle and shine and shimmer and glow. She’s only gotten cooler, kinder, and somehow more inspiring since we met as teenagers.”

During Swift’s set, she stated, “There is not a stage that Hayley Williams has stepped on that she has not completely devoured.”

We love to see women supporting women!

Taylor Swift Knows How To Light Up A Room In More Ways Than One

Upon arrival, fans were handed a bracelet that would play a key part later in the evening. The bracelets lit up around the stadium to set the tone of each song during Swift’s set. 

A couple memorable moments included when the bracelets in the rafters made the shape of pink hearts during the Lover era performance and when the bracelets lit up to create a moving snake around the stadium during the Reputation portion of the evening.

The More Bracelets, The Better

Speaking of bracelets, Swifties embraced all the Paramore fans in attendance with open arms by making friendship bracelets and passing them out at the show.

A Concert Where One Sign Is All You Need

The first two nights of The Eras Tour were a place where all you need is one “I <3 Taylor” sign to profess your love for both acts. We all know how talented Taylor Swift is, but seriously, Taylor York deserves some props for all his killer guitar work too. 

Top Of The Line Production

We are not exaggerating when we say The Eras Tour had the biggest video screen we’ve seen in our entire lives. But as you can imagine, the small-yet-powerful Hayley Williams didn't let her short stature stop her from bringing down the house.

Swifties Know How To Party All Night Long

The biggest takeaway from The Eras Tour is that Taylor Swift performed for a whopping three hours and 15 minutes straight each night. Her set consisted of over 40 songs spanning her 10-album-long catalog without missing a beat. All night, Swifties matched the star’s energy leading her to joke, “I’m surprised after a 3.5-hour show [last night] you guys came back.” 

This begs the question, which scene band would you like to play a three-hour show? 

After two nights of watching Paramore open for Taylor Swift one thing is for certain, don’t be surprised if you see Swifties shaking it off at your next local emo night!

John Shearer / Getty Images for TAS