The Eras Tour is already the highest-selling concert tour of all time, but Taylor Swift is just getting started. As she kicks off the European leg of Eras, Tay Tay has even more to celebrate (and even more music to promote), now that she’s released her record-smashing 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. Naturally, this means some changes to the show’s lengthy set list.
As Swifties well know, the latest LP from the “Fortnight” singer revolved around the end of her six-year relationship with ex Joe Alwyn. However, to the surprise of many, much of the album also focused on Swift’s short-lived (and highly publicized) dalliance with the 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
While we’ve already broken down every instance of Miss Americana referencing Healy on TTPD, it seems she’s not finished dropping Easter eggs for fans. As a couple of sleuthing TikTokers noticed, there seemed to be many references to Healy’s stage presence in the new Eras numbers Swift debuted on Thursday night in Paris.
User @healy75 perfectly broke down the comparisons in a side-by-side collage that showed Swift emulating Healy’s onstage theatrics, from being carried like a dead body to saluting the audience—something Healy often does while performing the 1975’s single “Love It If We Made It.”
In another video, user @retrogirl_20 pointed out that Swift was performing TTPD’s “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” while wearing a white military jacket and marching across the stage (at her first show in Paris, mind you). “There has to be a Napoleon joke in there somewhere, right?” the user said. We sure wouldn’t be surprised if Swift snuck in a Napoleon complex joke.
“I loved the jacket. Totally Napoleon coded,” another user joked. “Another small man.”
Of course, “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” is presumably about Healy, due to its lyric about a “Jehovah’s Witness suit,” which seems to be referencing Healy’s unique tour outfits—and also a lot of other clues. But then again, most of the tracks from Tortured Poets that were added to the set list seem to be about her relationship with Healy, from “But Daddy I Love Him” to “Down Bad.”
As we’re only on night two of the European shows, it feels fair to assume Swift has more tricks up her sleeve. Let’s see if Matty can keep up his air of being completely oblivious.
Joel is the editorial and social media assistant for HarpersBAZAAR.com, where he covers all things celebrity news. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him singing off-key at concerts, scavenging thrift stores for loud wardrobe staples, or perusing bookstores for the next great gay romance novel.
