Taylor Swift Alluded to Her Joe Alwyn Breakup and Wore 4 New Outfits at First Eras Show Since News Broke
Taylor Swift welcomed herself back to the stage of her Eras Tour in Tampa, Florida last night, marking the singer’s first concert after news broke on April 8 that she and Joe Alwyn broke up after six years of dating. Swift briefly alluded to the breakup at one point in the show when she had technical difficulties, telling the crowd, “So we have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”
Swift kept breakup song “The 1” in her set list, playing it instead of “Invisible String” (a song believed to be about her and Alwyn’s love story being fated), a change she first made in her Texas shows right before her split with Alwyn became public news. The couple is widely reported to have quietly broken up in March, with Swift initiating the breakup.
Fans noted that after Swift played “Champagne Problems,” a song she and Alwyn wrote about a woman rejecting a man’s proposal, the audience gave her an enthusiastic ovation to show extra support for her. Swift beamed and said, “Oh, so you’re the best crowd, huh? Okay, love you guys!”
Swift also debuted four new outfits during the concert: a stunning flower-adorned Elie Saab dress for “Enchanted”:
A new green dress for the show’s Folklore portion:
An orange two-piece for its 1989 portion:
And a yellow dress while she was performing “Speak Now.” Her other surprise song, in addition to “Speak Now,” was “Treacherous.”
Swift’s minimal breakup talk during her concert comes as no surprise. She and Alwyn always kept their relationship private, and a source close to Swift and Alwyn told People on April 10 that Swift is choosing to put her energy into her concerts. The breakup itself was recent but “not dramatic.”
“Taylor didn’t see them working out in the long run,” the source said, adding, “They are friendly. She doesn’t have anything bad to say about Joe. They just grew apart. Taylor is staying very focused on her tour right now.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
