And it’s the last era of the night. Swift appears in her iconic bedazzled Louboutin cowboy boots for the midnights era.

During Anti-Hero, she once again spots something in the crowd, but it seems to get sorted while she is speaking.

“Someone needs help over there… never mind you got it. Everyone who works in this stadium is amazing,” she says.

Swift is at the piano for the second half of the surprise set. And, it’s just as we predicted.. she plays Sweet Nothing. A big grin from Swift as she sings the lyric, “A pebble that we picked up last July / Down deep inside your pocket / We almost forgot it / Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?” And the crowd sings the line even louder, we reckon they might have heard it in Wicklow…

She mashes it up with Hoax from folklore, the first time she’s played the track live.

🎹 #DublinTSTheErasTour: Taylor mashed up “Sweet Nothing” x “Hoax” for surprise songs! pic.twitter.com/hnQ45e0st2

— Charlie |Taylor Swift & Harry Styles Updates (@haylorflorals) June 28, 2024

It’s one of the most anticipated moments of the night…Swift has appeared in a blue dress for the start of her acoustic surprise set. This is the section of the show where she digs deep in the back catalogue.

For fans on night one, first up is State of Grace on the guitar, the opening track from her seminal break-up record Red and.. she’s mashed it up with You’re On Your Own Kid, the song with the iconic lyric “so make the friendship bracelets”.

Taylor Swift opens to the Irish faithful: ‘Dublin… you guys are making me feel so good’

The faithful throng the Aviva Stadium as the US singer brings her Eras tour to Dublin for the first of a long sold-out three-night stint

Taylor Swift performing on stage at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Ireland has traditionally been a very Catholic country but at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday a new faith emerged.

“Taylor Swift is my religion. She’s like God,” a young fan told a steward as she explained how she and her friend wanted to be right at the front.

“Well then God is a lot prettier than I imagined,” he replied before redirecting the two girls to their queue.

The long-awaited day finally arrived as Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour began its Irish leg. You might call it the Éire’s Tour.

For devout fans, Friday night – the first of three sold-out concerts – is like Christmas. With tickets having gone on sale a year in advance, there has been a long build-up of excitement.

By the end of the weekend, Swift will have played to 150,000 people across the three Dublin nights. And that’s not including the people who did not get tickets and who intend to stand outside the stadium to overhear her perform her 3½ hour set.

In the Church of Swift, the dress code entails sequins, fringes and cowboy boots. Instead of offering signs of peace, friendship bracelets are exchanged. Hymns are replaced by songs from the 34-year-old’s extensive catalogue.

Kaitlyn Younes (29) travelled from Florida for the concert. She had always wanted to visit Ireland and when she got the tickets it felt like it was meant to be.

Dressed in a skirt made out of just under 300 handmade friendship bracelets – one for every song Swift has written – she said she has spent months preparing for the concert.

“I was trying to get tickets when I was in work and I was on my phone and they said: ‘Oh you shouldn’t be on your phone.’ But I said: ‘You don’t understand, it’s Taylor Swift. I don’t believe in a God, but I do believe in Taylor Swift,’” she said.

Taylor Swift arrived in Dublin ahead of her three nights at the Aviva Stadium and her loyal fans, or Swifties, are dressed for the occasion. Video: Enda O’Dowd

Swift is an artist that appears to appeal to all ages, with young children as well as older people in attendance. A man with his two daughters wore a T-shirt which said: “It’s me, hi, I’m the Swiftie dad, it’s me”. Another said: “Swiftie by choice (my daughter’s choice).”

As is typical, Swift opened her performance with the chorus of Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince before leading into her song Cruel Summer.

For Ciara, Lucy and Rachel McGrath it really did feel cruel. The trio travelled from Newry and sat outside the Aviva Stadium, in desperate hopes of obtaining tickets.

“We’re really hoping to get some for tomorrow if they release any more tonight. But we’ll come back from Newry if we need to,” they said.

Taylor Swift performing on stage at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Addressing the screaming crowd in front of her after finishing the first song, Swift says: “Alright, Dublin, that was wild. You know what? You guys are making me feel so good that I think it’s gone straight to my head. Ireland!”

The intensity of the support is no surprise given fans’ enthusiasm in the lead-up to the concert. Robyn Geraghty (16) travelled from Galway, after spending a long time perfecting her outfit by adding sparkly stars and diamantes. “I wanted to look great for Taylor Swift,” she said.

Eirinn McKiernan with daughter Mai Donohoe from Cavan before watching Taylor Swift performing on stage at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

But there were longer-standing fans in attendance, too. Eleanor Jeffreys travelled with her sister Elizabeth from Newry.

“I have been a fan since I was 11 and I’m 27 next month. The first time I saw her was the Speak Now tour in 2011. I’ve seen every tour since that. She’s just amazing. She’s grown as I’ve grown, so I’ve never grown out of her.”