While refuting fan ideas regarding Reputation (Taylor’s Version), the song made its Eras stage debut.
Taylor Swift ultimately performed the album’s “I Did Something Bad” on The Eras Tour on Saturday night, despite not having revealed Reputation (Taylor’s Version) beforehand. The song, which Swift claimed to be a particular favourite, made its tour debut on August 17 during her acoustic performance at London’s Wembley Stadium.
With her guitar in hand and facing 92,000 spectators, Swift teased, “I’ve done hundreds of songs this tour, but I haven’t done one of my favourite ones because I was waiting for the right crowd.”
Subsequently, in 2024, “I Did Something Bad” made its debut – a piercing rendition of one of Reputation’s major pop cornerstones.
Swift’s performance of the song from Eras was thrilling even though it built to a bridge where she screamed the final line, ‘Light me up!’
Naturally, Swifties were ecstatic, not only because it was a musical joy but also because it raised the possibility that Swift’s highly awaited Reputation (Taylor’s Version) would finally come true.
Reputation and Swift’s self-titled debut are the only two re-recorded albums that are still in her queue. In addition, Swift stated in December of last year that the previously unheard vault tracks from Rep are “fire.” It’s an interesting decision to play a rarity from Rep that many fans assumed would be saved for an album announcement. Swift hasn’t performed “I Did Something Bad” live since 2018.
Swift fans may remember that on August 18, 2017, nearly precisely seven years ago, Swift mysteriously disappeared from social media in advance of the release of the original Reputation album. On August 21, 2017, one post appeared on her Instagram without any explanation: the initial glimpse of the now-famous snake imagery linked to her sixth studio album.
In the late hours of Saturday, “I DID SOMETHING BAD” became a popular topic on social media, inspiring a tonne of fan memes. (You can browse them below.)
She also performed a heartfelt piano mashup of “My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys” from The Tortured Poets Department and “Coney Island” from Evermore during Saturday night’s acoustic concert. Swift’s London tour dates come to an end after these two more Wembley performances.
Check out Billboard’s complete list of all the surprise songs performed on The Eras Tour after seeing ‘I Did Something Bad’ and reading about Swifties’ overall online reactions.