Taylor Swift Adds a Touch of (Ice) Spice to NYC Area Gig

Taylor Swift has brought her Eras Tour to the acrid swamps of East Rutherford, New Jersey and its MetLife Stadium—the only venue within view of the New York City skyline that could possibly hold a crowd worthy of the international pop sensation. The 82,000 ticketed fans (plus many, many more just chilling in the arena’s parking lot—a bargain at only $40—or else hanging out at the nearby American Dream mall hoping to catch some vibes) were treated to another stellar and lengthy performance. 

Swift ran through the different eras (aha!) of her discography for three hours and 40 minutes as per Setlist.fm, longer than the tour’s average of three hours and 18 minutes. The giant-sized experience in Jersey (the first of three for the long weekend) can be explained, in part, by Swift debuting a new video— the collaborative remix of her track “Karma” from the 2002 Midnights album featuring the very of-the-moment performer Ice Spice. This came during the “Surprise Songs” section of the Eras setlist, in which Swift mixes it up from night to night (usually an acoustic performance.) 

But the video wasn’t all. Later, the Bronx-born 23-year-old hip-hop star joined Swift onstage to close out the show.  

As Swift put it, per The Hollywood Reporter, “I got reached out to by Ice Spice … what she didn’t know at the time is that … I was listening to pretty much exclusively just her music every single day, all day, and getting in the zone to tour…I just not only fell in love with her but just decided she’s the entire future. I’ve been around so many artists and so many artists that are starting out, but I’ve never been around someone who is that prepared and curious, and focused on what she wants. So I was absolutely blown away.”

Ice Spice immediately halted the performance to put that endorsement on her LinkedIn. (Joke.) 

Jack Antonoff, the Bleachers and Fun. recording artist, as well as Swift’s longtime producer, also made an appearance during the “Surprise Song” section of the evening, duetting on “Getaway Car.” 

You can check out the new “Karma” video here. And there are no shortage of moments from the show—and every Taylor show—flying around on social media. (Hats off to my niece who took the less-is-more approach on her Instagram Stories, just taking one short video looking across the vast sea of swaying Swifties. Artistic and poignant, if I do say so myself!)