We might be more than a year into Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl era, but live performances of any of the songs on the album have been conspicuously absent.
No longer, though, because at Saturday night’s Academy Museum Gala, Swift performed a four-song set that included The Fate of Ophelia, The Life of a Showgirl’s opening track.
Swift was invited to the stage by talkshow host and comedian Conan O’Brien, who referred to her as “John, Paul, George, and Ringo all in one”. Backed by a band, she began with Blank Space, from 2014 album 1989, before giving The Fate of Ophelia its live debut.
This was followed by I Knew It, I Knew You, Swift’s song from 2026’s Toy Story 5 soundtrack, and the set was wrapped up with 2008’s Love Story, which became one of her first crossover pop hits.
Swift hasn’t performed a full concert since she wrapped up her Eras tour in December 2024, but there’s speculation that she may return to the fray next year as one of the headliners at the 2027 Glastonbury Festival.
Her Academy Museum could be viewed as part of a concerted push to win a Best Original Song award at next year’s Oscars, and comes as first-round voting is taking place for the 2027 Grammy Awards, nominations for which will be announced on 16 November.
