In less than a month, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour will be kicking off in Glendale, Arizona to stadiums filled with people who gave their blood, sweat, and tears for a few Eras Tour tickets. I’d like to preface this article by sharing the pitiful fact that I, an embarrassingly huge Taylor fan, was unable to get tickets to any stadium in the United States. Truly a tragedy, but I’ll still be closely following videos posted on Tiktok and seeing what our fellow Raptors post from various shows. T.S. ‘s 1989 World Tour ranks as one of my top 10 life moments and was opened by none other than Shawn Mendes before he skyrocketed to fame, and Vance Joy who graced the stage with a ukulele and a rendition of “Riptide.” Even better, Swift gained notoriety during the 1989 tour for continuously bringing out surprise guests on stage. I personally was surprised with The Weeknd and the U.S. Women’s Soccer team, who were in NYC for the weekend. Four years later, she continued this pattern on her Reputation stadium tour and that being said, I’m interested to see if she will bring out surprise celebrities this time around. However, in proper preparation for your Eras show, it’s important to have the rundown on the openers that will be featured at any particular show, so let’s begin.

Swift introduced her Eras Tour in early November, which almost caused me to admittingly crash my car, later adding on seventeen shows a few days later due to the large interest put forth by fans. In anticipation of her tour, millions of people signed up for a Ticketmaster access code, and in the following days, a true internet war infamously took place. While I won’t go into my tried and true rant about all of the things that Ticketmaster could’ve done differently and the pain I feel for not getting to see Taylor (or Phoebe Bridgers and Gracie Abrams in Nashville… if you’re going to that show just know I’m jealous and please send videos), it truly was a disastrous example of Ticketmaster’s dangerous hold on the concertgoers in our society. Swift’s openers include fairly mainstream artists such as Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers, girl in red, Gracie Abrams, and HAIM; but the popstar phenomenon has also shown support to up and coming artists, including GAYLE, MUNA, beabadoobee, and OWENN. 

Paramore: Formed in 2004, Paramore is a rock band that currently has three members. Some of their hit songs include “All I Wanted”, “Still Into You” and “Ain’t it Fun”. The band dominated the early 2010’s with their music, but eventually split up in 2017. They have recently released an album This is Why upon their return to the music industry and are currently touring. Paramore will be opening for Taylor Swift during her Glendale, Arizona shows on March 17th & 18th.

Phoebe Bridgers: Phoebe Bridgers rose to fame in 2017 with the release of her first studio album Stranger in the Alps. Bridgers was described as bringing something new to the music industry with her melancholy tone and compelling songwriting. In 2020, she released her second studio album Punisher. Recently, Bridgers has collaborated with SZA & Taylor Swift and released an EP with her band Boygenius (with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker). In the past, Bridgers has collaborated with The 1975, Lord Huron, and Maggie Rogers. Some of her songs include “Moon Song”, “I Know The End”, “Funeral”, and “Motion Sickness.” Bridgers will be opening for Swift in Nashville on May 5th, 6th and 7th; in Philadelphia on May 7th, 13th and 14th; in Massachusetts on May 19th, 20th and 21st; and in New Jersey on May 26th, 27th, and 28th.

girl in red: Girl in red’s creator is Norwegian singer Marie Ringheim, who became notable in the bedroom pop category in 2017. She began posting songs on Soundcloud in 2016 and released various singles in 2018 that became indie music staples. She eventually gained greater notoriety and opened for Conan Gray on his 2019 tour. Girl in red then released her first studio album in 2021, receiving three Norwegian Grammy awards. Some of girl in red’s most known songs include “we fell in love in october”, “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend”, and “bad idea!”. She will be opening for Taylor Swift in Chicago on June 2nd and 3rd; in Detroit on June 9th and 10th; in Pittsburgh on June 16th and 17th; and in Minneapolis on June 23rd and 24th.

Gracie Abrams: Started on soundcloud, Gracie (daughter of Jj Abrams) began receiving notoriety for her covers of other songs. She released her first EP in 2020 and continued to release singles and EPS, eventually opening for Olivia Rodrigo in 2022. Two weeks ago, Abrams released her studio album, Good Riddance, to further critical acclaim. Alongside opening for Swift, Abrams will be going on her own tour for her most recent album this spring. Some of her songs include “I should hate you”, “I miss you, I’m sorry”, and “Rockland.” Gracie Abrams will open for Swift in Texas on April 1st and 2nd; in Tampa on April 14th and 15th; in Houston on April 21st, 22nd and 23rd; in Atlanta on April 28th and 29th, in Nashville on May 5th and 7th; in Massachusetts on May 21st, in Chicago on June 4th; in Detroit on June 9th; in Pittsburgh on June 16th; in Minneapolis on June 23rd; in Cincinnati on June 30th and July 1st; in Kansas City on July 7th and 8th; in Denver on July 14th and 15th; in Seattle on July 22nd and 23rd; in Santa Clara on July 28th and 29th; and in Los Angeles on August 3rd and 8th, for a total of 28 shows.

HAIM: Recently featured in Taylor Swift’s Bejeweled music video, the rock band composed of three sisters is often seen with Swift at awards shows and collabed together on Swift’s ninth album, evermore, with the song “no body, no crime.” HAIM is based out of Los Angeles and released their first EP in 2012. Some of their songs include, “gasoline” ft. Taylor Swift, “Want You Back”, and “Little of Your Love.” HAIM will open for Swift in Seattle on July 22nd and 23rd; in Santa Clara on July 28th and 29th; and in Los Angeles on August 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, and 9th.

GAYLE: At just 18 years old, Taylor Rutherfurd is the youngest Eras Tour opener. GAYLE rose to subjective fame with her 2021 single “abcdefu” and became popular with Tiktok users. She has also written a variety of plays. She will open for Swift in Glendale on March 17th and 18th; in Las Vegas on March 24th and 25th; in Texas on March 31st; in Tampa on April 13th; in Atlanta on April 30th; in Nashville on May 6th; in Philadelphia on May 12th and 13th; in Massachusetts on May 19th and 20th; in New Jersey on May 26th; and in Los Angeles on August 5th and 9th.

MUNA: MUNA is a pop band that consists of three members and is based in America. The band started at the University of Southern California in 2013 and recently signed on to the same label as Phoebe Bridgers. They will be touring with Lorde as well this year in Australia. Their most known songs are “I Know a Place”, “Silk Chiffon”, and “Kind of Girl.” They open for Swift in Texas on March 31st; in Atlanta on April 30th; in Chicago on June 4th; in Cincinnati on June 30th and 1st; in Kansas City on July 7th and 8th; and in Denver on July 14th and 15th.

Beabadoobee: Beatrice Laus, known professionally as Beabadoobee, is a singer who rose to fame in 2017 with her indie hit, “Coffee”, which reached even greater fame on Tiktok in 2020.  She toured with Clairo in 2019 and solidified herself as a bedroom pop phenomenon with her 2020 album, Fake it Flowers & her 2022 album, Beatopia. Some of her most notable songs include “Glue Song”, “the perfect pair”, and “Lovesong.” She will open for Taylor in Las Vegas on March 24th and 25th; in Texas on April 1st and 2nd; in Tampa on April 13th, 14th, and 15th; in Houston on April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd; and in Atlanta on April 28th and 29th.

OWENN: His stage name is OWENN but the singer and dancer’s real name is Christian Owens. Although he is somewhat new to the music stage, he has worked alongside artists like Rihanna and Beyonce in the past. His direct connection to Taylor Swift is that he was the male star in her “Lover” music video. His songs include “Show Me”, “Rest of My Life”, and “Shock.” He’ll open up the Eras tour in New Jersey on May 28th; in Chicago on June 2nd and 3rd; in Detroit on June 10th; in Pittsburgh on June 17th; in Minneapolis on June 24th; and in Los Angeles on August 4th.

These nine Taylor Swift tour openers have a lot to offer the audience through their music & performances! If you’re going to the Eras tour, have fun!!! Below is the full schedule: