Taylor Swift said the Irish crowd at Dublin's Aviva Stadium made her feel "powerful" as she kicked off the opening night of her hotly-anticipated trio of Eras Tour gigs on Friday.
The pop megastar opened the concert with Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince before addressing the 50,000-odd ecstatic Swifties who had turned out for the event.
"Dublin, we've arrived!" she said. "Dublin, that was wild. You guys are making me feel so good, it's gone straight to my head. I feel very, very powerful."
Swift, who last played in Ireland in 2018 with two rapturously-received Croke Park gigs, continued: "It's been over five years since I've played a gig in Dublin and you know this already, but nobody does it like you!"
The music star also told the audience what to expect during the epic concert, saying: "18 years of music, one era at a time. You're about to hear a lot of songs! These songs are my life and my imagination."
The record-breaking Eras Tour celebrates her entire musical career, with songs from all her studio albums representing her different 'eras’ as she rose through the ranks of the musical industry after moving to Nashville when she was 14.
In an early standout moment from the night, Swift handed the mic to her dancer Kam during We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and he cheekily said "póg mo thóin", much to the audience's delight.
Kam has been changing the way he says "like ever" in the track each night of the Eras tour, and this didn't disappoint.
Swift further delighted the crowd by saying Irish people were "unmatched" storytellers and that they have "the best accents".
The Dublin show was filled with elaborate production, multiple costume changes and a setlist that spanned over three hours and included dozens of songs.
In what appeared to be a nod to the Irish flag, Swift donned a sparkly orange and green ensemble for Style, the opening track for her 1989 era.
Go Taylor! 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪 #taylorswift #DublinIrelandTSTheErasTour #TheErasTour pic.twitter.com/Z3Usad6zkZ
— Entertainment on RTÉ (@RTE_Ents) June 28, 2024
In a sweet moment from Friday's gig, Swift gave a young fan a hug and hat during the song 22.
After giving Welsh a bash in Cardiff, Swift tried her hand at a cúpla focail by changing the 1, 2, 3, during I Can Do It With A Broken Heart to "a hAon, dó, trí, ceathair".
The surprise songs on Friday were State of Grace x YOYOK mashup and Sweet Nothing x hoax mashup.
Swift had been hotly tipped to perform Sweet Nothing as it references a trip she took to Wicklow, with the lyrics going down a storm in the Aviva.
American rock band Paramore warmed up the crowd as the support act, coming on-stage at the Aviva shortly after 6pm.
Lead singer Hayley Williams said they "love being in Ireland".
The vocalist paid tribute to the late Irish music icon Dolores O'Riordan by wearing a Cranberries t-shirt.
Ryan Tubridy and Johnny Sexton were among the famous faces spotted in the crowd at the Aviva.
Before the gig, Swift received a welcome note and a bouquet of flowers from Irish rock band U2 after landing in their hometown of Dublin.
The note read: "Dear Taylor, Welcome back to our hometown…leave some of it standing?!!!!"
She responded on her Instagram Story, writing: "Already feeling that Irish hospitality!! @u2, thanks for always being the classiest & coolest."
Swift is set to play two further gigs at the Aviva on Saturday, 29 June and Sunday, 30 June.
Reporting: Sarah McIntyre and Alan Corr
