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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour kicked off on March 17 with an incredible 44-song setlist and some of the most OTT staging and production ever.
At one point in the Glendale, Arizona show, the singer-songwriter dived head-first into the stage and then swam – yes, she was swimming on stage – the length of a pool to pop out magically on the other side.
I know, it’s one of those things you’ve got to see to believe.
The moment occurs just before Taylor delves into the Midnights (her latest album) section of the show, with the incredible transition going haywire on TikTok.
Enjoy, along with the hysterical “WTFs” being screamed from the audience:
PEOPLE notes that fans have been praising the “creative” moment online, calling Taylor a “special effect genius” and “Queen of swimming,” marvelling at how “she held her breath underwater for that long!”, basically “searching for that swimming Olympic medal”.
aside from being a 12-time grammy winner, a doctor, a director, one of the most acclaimed songwriter of the music industry, and having a record breaking career in the arts, taylor swift is now searching for that swimming olympic medal, look at that divepic.twitter.com/4m9OlFczg7
— just like honey (@invisibleday) March 18, 2023
Others noted lines from her previous songs to describe the stage trick, with one fan writing on TikTok, “she really said head first, fearless”, referencing her ‘Fearless’ tune.
While the effect of the trick was spectacularly pulled off, it is doubtful that Taylor actually swam across the stage to pop out on a cloud all dry and ready for more singing.
PopBuzz reports that the exact logistics of how Taylor gets from the end of the catwalk to the main stage haven’t been revealed just yet, but based on the behind-the-scenes glimpses of her previous tours, we might be able to make reasonable guesses at how it was done.
First, there appeared to be a light system to allow Taylor to know when it is safe to jump:
How Taylor dives into the stage.
1. A part of the stage opens up to reveal a section underneath the stage.
2. Taylor gets prepared to jump, as you can see, there is a red light which signals for her not to jump yet.
3. Taylor jumps when the light turns green. pic.twitter.com/B8LOZzPwkW— Jacnights (Taylor’s Version)
(@jacnights13) March 19, 2023
Then:
The light flashes green and Taylor jumps into the hole, presumably landing on to big crash mat or dropping into a foam pit. (Again, the exact details of that part of the transition have not been confirmed yet.) She then pops back up in the middle of the stage just over one minute later, in a different costume, ready to perform ‘Lavender Haze’.
It is fair to assume that she used the same under-stage Rocket Sled technique that she used for the Reputation Stadium Tour:
Watch on TikTok
Sometimes she wears a red dress and the screen effect changes to match, while other nights she wears a green dress, which is also a cool detail that has made fans fall even more head-over-heels for her.
As if that’s even possible.
