When I attended the Eras Tour, the element of the show I was anticipating the most was the surprise songs. During each show, Taylor Swift plays two songs that aren’t on the set, and over the course of the tour, she’s only repeated a handful of them. It turns out, Rachel Zegler was also very excited to witness this moment too, and her concert was very special. This is because The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star attended the show where the pop star played “Getaway Car” and “Maroon” on the same night. Understandably the actress said she had a “mental breakdown” over the moment, and honestly, I would have too.
We know Rachel Zegler was living her best Swiftie life at the Eras Tour stop in New Jersey. She posted photos of her folklore-inspired outfit, the fun friendship bracelets she received, and Swift performing. However, what we didn’t know at the time was that she had a visceral reaction to the surprise songs. I’m being so real, her “mental breakdown” over it is incredibly relatable. She got one of, if not the, best combo of acoustic tracks. Explaining her experience at the concert on The Tonight Show, the West Side Story actress said:
I knew the setlist, I know the callbacks, I was waiting for the secret songs. My best friend Brenna had gone in Atlanta before the MetLife show, and I went to MetLife night one. And she said to my older sister, Jaqueline who I took to the show with me, she was like 'Jaqueline, if they play 'Getaway Car' or 'Maroon' she's on crisis watch.' Not only did she play 'Getaway Car,' she also played 'Maroon.' I was having a mental breakdown in the audience at MetLife Stadium.
There’s an ongoing trend among Swifties that when a fan-favorite track, like “Getaway Car” or “Maroon,” gets played, we’ll all both celebrate the gorgeous number and mourn the fact that we didn’t get to see live. There was an extra outcry over this one, because many fans, myself included, had been hoping at least one of these two songs would be played at the shows we attended. However, MetLife night one got both, and it was iconic.
In both The Ringer and Business Insider's rankings of the surprise song combinations so far, this pair is within the top ten, at No. 2 and No. 7, respectively. I’m not kidding when I say this is a truly legendary pairing, so Zegler’s response to it was 100% warranted. I likely would have acted the same way. You can see the actress’s enthusiastic attitude about the concert and this exciting moment in her full interview:
Like Zegler, many celebs have attended the Eras Tour and gushed over their love for Taylor Swift. Millie Bobby Brown danced with a security guard and sang along to the whole show. Heck, even Aaron Rogers and Paul Rudd went and were seen bopping along. Now, as the “Cruel Summer” singer embarks on her international tour, it will be so fun to see other celebs attend her concerts, and hopefully recall their reactions to various moments, as the Snow White star has.
Along with continuing her Eras Tour, Taylor Swift’s list of upcoming projects is long, and she’s already re-released two albums in 2023 – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – as well as a concert movie for the Eras Tour. As for Rachel Zegler, she’s also a very busy gal, as she’s currently promoting her new film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which premieres on the 2023 movie schedule on November 17.
