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Nearly two years into her groundbreaking, headline-making Eras Tour,\u00a0Taylor Swift<\/a> is a more relaxed, slightly unserious\u00a0version of the artist we saw last March.<\/p>\n Though she\u00a0emerged from\u00a0the\u00a0stage on Saturday night (Oct. 26) in New Orleans as polished as ever \u2014 she could do this show in her sleep at this point \u2014 she’s sillier than ever, too, sticking her tongue out and making obvious references to her football beau<\/a>, Travis Kelce.<\/p>\n Let’s call it Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version)<\/em>.<\/p>\n Fans know that when a smirk hits her face, something is up, and\u00a0Swift flashed that all-knowing grin more than once during her three-hour show.\u00a0Songs from Lover<\/em>, Fearless<\/em>, Taylor Swift<\/a><\/em>, Red<\/em>, Reputation<\/em>, Folklore<\/em>, Evermore<\/em>, 1989<\/em> and The Tortured Poet’s Department\u00a0<\/em>came ahead of what fans have dubbed the “surprise song” set, and sure enough, she had a bonus surprise up her flowy sleeve on this night.<\/p>\n Ever the theater kid, Swift built up to the entrance of unannounced guest and former opener Sabrina Carpenter by calling her on the phone\u00a0as she stood at the mic, guitar in hand.<\/p>\n “Why aren’t you here with us?” she asked, hushing the crowd so she could hear Carpenter’s replies.<\/p>\n But fans\u00a0already knew what was up, and the roar was deafening.<\/p>\n Sure enough \u2014\u00a0following\u00a0some fanfare, because that’s what\u00a0Swift\u00a0does best \u2014 Carpenter popped out of the stage in a white mini-dress, and the two sang a mashup of Carpenter’s “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” with “Is It Over Now?”, a vault track from Swift’s\u00a01989 (Taylor\u2019s Version).<\/em><\/p>\n After diving into the stage (literally, and it’s the coolest thing \u2014 watch here<\/a> if you haven’t seen it yet), Swift shimmied through\u00a0Midnights<\/em>, an album that was still\u00a0her\u00a0“new”\u00a0record when she launched the Eras Tour in early 2023.<\/p>\n Then the confetti rained down, Swift\u00a0and her backup squad said their\u00a0goodbyes, and fans clung to the last drops of magic before leaving Caesars Superdome.<\/p>\n But while Carpenter’s appearance was the\u00a0most-talked-about moment\u00a0of Swift’s three nights in the city, it was hardly<\/em> the\u00a0most important\u00a0takeaway. That\u00a0would be how\u00a0the Big Easy\u00a0leaned into\u00a0the megastar’s mini-residency: Swifties swarmed Bourbon Street,\u00a0but instead of sloshing hand grenades, they embraced in friendly singalongs of their favorite pop star’s biggest hits. There were Swift-themed drinks, pop-up events, Halloween decorations<\/a>, dance parties, bracelet making sessions, so many sparkly dresses … the fun was endless, even if you couldn’t get an Eras Tour ticket.<\/p>\n New Orleans really highlighted what this tour did: Brought people together in something light and joyful.<\/p>\n Swift may have started this whole shebang, but fans have taken it over \u2014 you don’t know true\u00a0happiness until you’ve exchanged friendship bracelets with a 6-year-old Swiftie in red lipstick.<\/p>\n