Taylor Swift appeared emotional as the crowd began to sing Happy Birthday during the final night of her juggernaut Eras Tour in Canada.
The US pop superstar is rounding off her record-breaking tour with her third and final night at the BC Place in Vancouver, having begun her mammoth string of dates in March last year.
After completing her track Champagne Problems from the Evermore album, Swift took out her earpieces to soak up the ovation, before fans took the opportunity to wish her a happy birthday ahead of her 35th birthday on Friday.
Swift appeared emotional as she bowed her head and absorbed the applause for several minutes, before describing the tour as “the adventure of a lifetime”.
“I just wanted to say on behalf of all of us, we will never forget you giving us that moment,” she said.
Swift also became sentimental ahead of the 10-minute version of her track All Too Well, praising her fans for their traditions, passion and “the way you care about this tour – it is unparalleled”.
“The lasting legacy of this tour is that you have created such a space of joy and togetherness and love, and I couldn’t be more proud of you,” she said.
The billion-dollar tour takes fans through Swift’s back catalogue, including hits from albums 1989, Red, Midnights and her latest chart-topping 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.
“It has been the most exciting, powerful, electrifying, intense, most challenging thing I have ever done in my entire life,” Swift said, as she opened the final three-hour show.
“We have got to perform for over 10 million people on this tour and tonight we get to play one last show for you tonight, in beautiful Vancouver.”
The Canadian show was filled with elaborate production, multiple costume changes and a setlist that spanned dozens of songs.
During her last surprise set, Swift said she “decided to go back to the beginning” with a mash-up of A Place In This World from her debut self-titled 2006 album alongside New Romantics from her 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album – which she played on the guitar.
While on the piano she changed the lyrics to her 2010 track Long Live to say “it was the end of an era” instead of a decade, which was mashed with New Year’s Day from the Reputation album and The Manuscript from The Tortured Poets Department.
Opening for Swift for the final time, US star Gracie Abrams told fans: “I’m not ready for it to be over”.
In a pre-prepared speech, Abrams praised Swift’s music, as well as her “generosity, curiosity, her wild and unparalleled pen, her superpower of seeing into our lives and creating soundtracks for every single formative moment that we’ve had that we will have”.
Among stars at the show were musician Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam and The Office US star Jenna Fischer, who recently announced she is cancer free after being diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of the disease, while Agatha All Along actress Aubrey Plaza was filmed trading friendship bracelets with fans.
Canadian superstar Michael Buble and his family were guests of Swift’s “kindhearted” parents during her penultimate show in his hometown.
“I witnessed something last night that I’ve never experienced before and, frankly, may never experience again. Taylor is truly an incredible entertainer,” Buble said in a post on Instagram.
Buble said his daughters were “in awe” of Swift, and watching the joy on their faces “is something I will never forget as long as I live”.
“The power of connection and the shared experience between generations is a testament to Taylor’s incredible talents,” he said.
“I am grateful to have seen the Eras tour and in my very own hometown. What an unforgettable night.”
Swift wrapped up the European leg of the tour in August before further dates in the US and Canada in October and November.
She made history as the first solo artist to perform at London’s Wembley Stadium eight times on a single tour.
Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, film director Greta Gerwig, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Prince of Wales and his two eldest children were among those who attended her shows in London earlier in the year.
In the summer, Swift had to cancel three sold-out shows in Vienna after police uncovered an alleged plot by terrorists.
The CIA’s chief later said the suspects had sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the agency discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests.
After finishing the European leg of her tour, she said it was “devastating” to cancel the shows but the reason “filled me with a new sense of fear”.
Earlier this week Swift was named Spotify’s most-played artist of the year with more than 26.6 billion streams.
She also won seven awards at the MTV Video Music Awards and was nominated for six Grammy Awards.
The Tortured Poets Department soared back to the top of the UK album charts this week after a new anthology version was released.
