Since the March launch of her Eras tour, Taylor Swift has popped a couple of surprise songs into every setlist.
From “Tim McGraw” to “Paper Rings,” “Snow on the Beach” to “Welcome to New York,” Swift’s 74 bonus songs (to date) have sent devotees into a frenzy – or caused serious sadness for those who could only witness the special moments via fan-filmed video.
One of her Saturday selections at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis certainly fit the definition of a shocker: “Dear John,” a ballad she hasn’t performed since 2012 in Auckland, New Zealand.
The six-plus minute song from her 2010 “Speak Now” album is widely known as a response to her brief romance with John Mayer in 2009 with biting lyrics such as, “You’ll add my name to your long list of traitors who don’t understand/And I look back in regret how I ignored when they said, ‘run as fast as you can.’
She plans to release “Taylor’s Version” of “Speak Now” July 7.
“I’m putting this album out because I want to own my music and I believe any artist who has a desire to own their music should be able to,” Swift said from the stage.
Review:Taylor Swift rewards fans with three-hour bonanza at Eras tour kickoff
Swift prefaced her performance of the song on Saturday by asking fans to extend “kindness and gentleness…to our internet activities,” a subtle request to protect Mayer from her fervent followers.
“I’m 33 years old. I don’t care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except the songs I wrote … I’m not putting this album out so you should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about,” she said.
Swift also played “Daylight” from 2019’s “Lover” album as the second special offering.
Swift’s mega-tour heads to Cincinnati for a pair of shows next weekend before edging West through July, where the U.S. leg will wrap Aug. 9 with five shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Swift is also taking her Eras extravaganza around the world, starting Aug. 24 in Mexico City. Next year, the tour will visit Japan, Australia, Singapore and Europe between February and August 2024.
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