An outdoor stadium show in the rain isn’t typically considered a good thing, especially when it causes start time delays. When Taylor Swift‘s third and final Eras Tour stop in Nashville was pushed back several hours due to rain and lightning advisories in the area, fans were bummed, and some feared that she wouldn’t be able to take the stage at all.
But take the stage she did — and not only that, but Swift played her full three-hour set, staying onstage into the small hours of the morning and turning the bad weather into a bonding point between her and the crowd.
“There is one element to a stadium tour that you absolutely cannot plan on, and that is the weather,” she told the crowd as she took the stage. “… The fact that we had chaotic weather and you decided to stay here, all of you, and count on the fact that we were gonna play the show for you no matter what, that means the world to me and everyone on this tour. Thank you.”
Later on, Swift gleefully declared the night a “officially a rain show,” adding “A rain show only chooses a crowd that can handle a rain show.”
“We also never, ever, ever, ever, ever forget a rain show … This is something we’re all doing together. It’s such a bonding experience. We’re all gonna leave here tonight looking like we’ve been put through five car washes,” she emphasized.
In fact, Swift’s enthusiasm about the rain — coupled with some truly epic moments from her time onstage — had some fans wondering if Swift had actually summoned the weather in order to make her last Eras Tour stop in Nashville even more memorable.
Heck, if there’s any touring artist who has the power to harness a lightning storm, it just might be T-Swift.
Not convinced? Just check out this video of the end of her set, when Swift takes a deep bow — and then the pouring rain lets up as soon as she begins to address the crowd.
“Taylor Swift is more powerful than God,” comments the social media user who posted the video.
Then there was her performance of “All Too Well,” in which a huge burst of lightning flashed right over Swift’s head at the exact moment when she let an expletive fly. “Pretty sure Taylor Swift is the only person who can scream ‘f–k the patriarchy’ and make Zeus the god of thundering misogyny retaliate,” the fan who captured the video says.
Another fan perfectly summed up the serendipity of the evening with an epic shot of Swift’s face on the jumbotron, a bolt of lightning in the sky behind her. “Taylor Alison Swift. God of thunder and lightning,” they write.
Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour will resume this weekend in Philadelphia. The trek is set to continue into August, concluding with five dates in Los Angeles.
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