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“Kelsea Ballerini is all of us,” fans commented on TikTok over the weekend, when the country singer stopped her show to ask if anyone was watching Taylor Swift’s Eras tour on Saturday night (March 17) – while Ballerini was in the middle of his own performance.
“Can I just equalize you for a minute?” Ballerini asked a crowd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “Is anyone tracking The Eras Tour?” Has it started?
“I’ll hunt him down after that,” she promised, “but I have a question. Is ‘Cruel Summer’ on the setlist?
Fans of both artists – who must have had one eye on Ballerini’s stage and one eye on their phones, monitoring live updates from Swift’s tour kick-off – had the good news: “Cruel Summer finally has time to shine on The Eras Tour. THE Lover favorite had never been publicly performed live by Swift, who last toured before the album was released. Swift debuted the song live at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
“Wow,” Ballerini said in celebration. “It’s my Super Bowl, I have to be honest.”
BillboardThe show’s review notes that “Cruel Summer” got “the full stadium treatment, complete with a raised platform, backup dancers, and Swift unveiling a diamond-encrusted piece with matching tall boots. For fans in attendance and Swift herself, the song seemed to represent an expiration – this tour was Finally was happening, and this immaculate song, three and a half years old at the time, was finally performed.
Watch Ballerini’s “Cruel Summer” recording via TikTok.
