“Public Service Announcement”: Taylor Swift Does Away With ‘No Repeats’ Rule for Surprise Eras Tour Songs

And there are no rules when you show up here… at Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour.

taylor swift during surprise songs: pic.twitter.com/z1dk92JgEc

— del ౨ৎ (@delsalcott) February 18, 2024

“We’re Tricksy:” Taylor Swift Originally Vowed To Never Repeat Surprise “Eras” Tour Songs

Fans have come to hotly anticipate Swift’s “Eras” tour acoustic sets. Lest she ever succumb to predictability, the “Anti-Hero” singer decided to perform two “surprise songs” during each “Eras Tour” show.

“‘You think you can just go online, you think you can just scroll and know the setlist?’” Swift said during her stop in Arlington, Texas. “Let it be said about the Eras Tour, we’re tricksy… we enjoy a good, healthy setlist hijinks.”

me when taylor swift plays literally any song as a surprise song: pic.twitter.com/Z7NeDpd1nM

— holly⸆⸉❤️‍🔥☁️ (@itsmeholll) February 12, 2024

Swift did allow for some adjustments over time. For example, if she messed up a certain surprise song, the singer gave herself permission to redeem herself at a future “Eras” stop. Fans at her Arlington show witnessed this in real time when Swift inexplicably blanked on the chords to “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” from her 2019 album Lover.

🚨| Taylor Swift loved the crowd singing the bridge of “Death By A Thousand Cuts” so much tonight that she performed it TWICE! She messed up the second time and reveals that she will perform the song again on tour! The crowd was insane! #TSTheErasTour #ArlingtonTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/6cgT7UkQPf

— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) April 2, 2023

Taylor Swift Announces Surprise Song Switch-Up

Now, as the tour winds down, Swift has tossed out the rulebook entirely. The artist gave a “public service announcement” during her Sunday (Feb. 18) stop in Melbourne, Australia.

[RELATED: Taylor Swift Talks Being ‘Lonely’ and Drinking Her Weight in White Wine While Writing ‘Folklore’ Album]

“[F]rom now on, I don’t wanna take any paint colors out of the paint box of colors,” Swift said. “I want to be able to play songs more than once if I feel like it, and I wanna be able to make changes to songs.”

True to her word, Swift proceeded to delight the Australian crowd with a mash-up medley of “Getaway Car,” “August,” and “The Other Side of the Door.” And that was only one surprise song.

“and we live in her chess game but she changes the rules every day,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Mother makes the rules, Mother can break the rules.

— Jerin Higgins (she/her) (@higginszoo) February 18, 2024

New Taylor Swift Album Set To Drop In April

Swift clearly enjoys playing mind games with her fans. Earlier this month, the “Mastermind” singer had an entire fandom convinced that a “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” announcement was imminent.

The “Eras Tour” megastar’s profile pictures turned black and white across social media the morning of the 66th GRAMMY Awards (Feb. 4.) Fans associate the black-and-white color scheme with her 2017 album Reputation, one of two albums the artist has yet to re-record.

Instead, Swift announced a brand-new project. Her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, will drop April 19.

Swifties have speculated that the album will shed some light on Swift’s breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn. The pair confirmed their split in April 2023 after six and a half years together.

Featured image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management