Taylor Swift Debuts ‘Tortured Poets’ in Dublin with Stevie Nicks Watching

Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks reunited in Dublin on Sunday (June 30) during The Eras Tour, with Swift dedicating the night’s acoustic segment to the iconic Fleetwood Mac singer.

It was the perfect occasion for Swift to perform “Clara Bow” live for the first time ever. In the second verse of “Clara Bow,” she names Nicks, singing: “You look like Stevie Nicks/ In ’75, the hair and lips/ Crowd goes wild at her fingertips/ Half moonshine, a full eclipse.”

Swift noted the significance of the performance, explaining that she had never played the song live before. This was one of two surprise performances at her Aviva Stadium concert, marking her third date in Ireland.

The reason for playing “Clara Bow” that night was deeply personal. Swift revealed, “I want to play this tonight because a friend of mine is here who is watching the show,” hinting at Nicks’ presence without initially revealing her name. She praised this friend, saying she’s “one of the reasons why I get to do what I get to do” and has been a guiding hand to many female artists. Swift added, “She’s a hero of mine. I could tell her any secret; she’d never tell anybody.”

Swift then announced, “I’m talking about Stevie Nicks,” which led to a massive round of applause from the audience. Accompanied by her guitar, Swift incorporated lyrics from “The Lucky One” — a song from her 2012 “Red” album which shares thematic similarities with “Clara Bow” — into the live debut.

Following “Clara Bow,” Swift moved to the piano to perform “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” from her 2022 “Midnights” album. This song holds personal significance for Nicks. In May 2023, Nicks expressed her gratitude to Swift for writing the song, which helped her mourn the loss of her dear friend and bandmate, Christine McVie, who passed away in November 2022.

In her tribute, Nicks said, “Thank you to Taylor Swift for doing a favor for me, and that is writing a song called ‘You’re on Your Own, Kid.’ That is the sadness of how I feel,” referring to her close bond with McVie. She continued, “Never an argument in our entire 47 years. The two of us were on our own, kids. We always were. And now, I’m having to learn to be on my own, kid, by myself. You helped me to do that. Thank you.”

Fans first spotted Nicks earlier in the evening at the Dublin stadium, walking to and from the VIP tent set up for Swift’s guests. Nicks, who is also on tour, has a date in Dublin on July 3.

Nicks is directly connected to Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” which has ruled at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a 10th consecutive week. Nicks penned a poem “for T — and me…” that appears on the album art for physical copies of the set, Swift’s 11th studio album.

The poem reads: “She looked back from her future/ And shed a few tears/ He looked into his past/ And actually felt fear/ For both of them/ The answers — would never be/ Everclear/ Don’t ask questions now/ Do that later/ She brings joy/ He brings Shakespeare/ It’s almost a tragedy/ Says she/ Don’t endanger me/ Don’t endanger me.”

The next stanza continues: “He really can’t answer her/ He’s afraid of her/ He’s hiding from her/ And he knows — that he’s hurting her.”

Over 14 years ago, at the 2010 Grammy Awards, Swift and Nicks first shared the stage to perform a medley of Fleetwood Mac’s 1976 hit “Rhiannon” and Swift’s 2009 hit “You Belong With Me.”

Source: Particle News