tour 89 wiki

Best Tour de France Finish Ever: Why LeMond’s ’89 Win Reigns Supreme

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

A lot can go right and wrong in a race that traverses thousands of miles.

Even the best athletes who compete in the Tour de France fall victim to mechanical errors, illness, crashes, or other weird hiccups. Any misfortune can easily shatter their hopes and leave them hopelessly out of reach of the coveted yellow jersey.

Usually, those factors stack up throughout the tour to create gaps of several minutes in the overall general classification time between the race’s winner and the chasers. Riders often cement their victories before they even arrive in Paris for the final stage of the race, barring a cataclysmic crash or mechanical issue.

In 1989, nothing could be further from the truth. After weeks of racing and an epic battle that saw the yellow jersey handed back and forth throughout the entire race, just seconds separated the winner from the second-place finisher.

An Epic Tour de France Battle Brews

Even before the Tour de France began in 1989, cyclists knew a showdown was fast approaching among three of the top riders in the world: American Greg LeMond , France’s Laurent Fignon , and Spaniard Pedro Delgado .

Delgado won the Tour de France the year before, so he was a key contender straight out of the gate.

Fignon won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984 but had since fallen ill or suffered injuries that kept him out of the hunt for the yellow jersey. He’d recently proved he was on form to take a third title with a win at the 1989 Giro d’Italia just months before.

Greg LeMond found himself more of a question mark ahead of the race. LeMond took the yellow jersey at the Tour de France in 1986. He was the first American to do so and was on track to become a U.S. cycling superstar, the likes of which had never been seen.

However, in 1987, LeMond suffered a horrific hunting injury that nearly ended his career and life. LeMond was shot in the back with a shotgun, leaving him peppered with lead. He slowly built back his strength to enter competitive cycling again, but the impacts of his injuries were noticeable.

LeMond struggled in stages of the Giro d’Italia, and reportedly told confidants and relatives that he was all but ready to give up cycling.

Whether LeMond would be ready for the challenges of the Tour de France, if Delgado could repeat the success of the year before, and whether Fignon could claim a third yellow jersey all remained to be seen.

Flurries of speculation and conjecture erupted in the days leading up to the tour. But when it finally began, the picture rapidly sharpened.

1989 Tour de France Day One

The 1989 Tour de France began with a 5-mile prologue time trial in which riders set out alone to race for position against the clock.

Of the three men in the spotlight, LeMond hit the road first. He made a statement on the opening stage with a time of just more than 10 minutes, putting him in second place. At the end of LeMond’s run, he was behind only Erik Breukink, who edged him out by about 6 seconds.

However, Fignon also put down a scorcher of a time trial shortly after and bumped LeMond into third place by a fraction of a second. Ireland’s Sean Kelly also barely beat LeMond in a later run, pushing him to fourth place.

Still, at the end of the first day, it was clear that both LeMond and Fignon came to race. But the real drama encircled Delgado. Delgado had the final start time of the day as the previous tour winner. As his start time approached, however, he was nowhere to be found.

Whether racers begin at their assigned time or not, the clock starts ticking.

After missing his start time by 2 minutes and 42 seconds, Delgado finally took to the course. The error marked yet another dramatic episode for Delgado, who had battled allegations of doping in the 1988 Tour de France and bribing another rider in the Tour of Spain.

Still, Delgado, who asserted his innocence, ground out his run to finish in last place.

The Early Lead

With Fignon and LeMond opening their tours with solid performances, Delgado faced a tremendous challenge from the outset. Pulling back enough time would take multiple stages of the race, and nobody intended to just give it to him. He would have to stay on his game the entire race if he hoped to make a comeback.

He did himself no favors in the first several stages, including another individual time trial and a team time trial inside the first five stages, in which Delgado lost more time. By the beginning of Stage 5, Delgado was 10 minutes off the pace of the race leader Acacio Da Silva.

Meanwhile, both Fignon and LeMond continued to grind out efforts that kept them at the top of the standings.

At Stage 5, another time trial, LeMond appeared at the start of the race using aero bars that had never been seen at the tour before. Now ubiquitous, the bars were controversial at the time. Judges, however, ruled that they were allowed. In the aerodynamic position the bars allowed, LeMond pushed to the front to win the stage and the yellow jersey for the first time. It would not be the last.

Stages 7 and 8 pushed the riders through heavy rain, followed by a dash through the hilly Armagnac at the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Stage 9 marked a serious test for LeMond. He had excelled in time trials and held fast to the yellow jersey since stage five. However, how he would perform in the mountains remained unknown. Delgado, a renowned climber, planned to use mountainous stages as the key venues where he could creep back toward the front of the pack from his last-place position at the prologue.

Delgado powered through the day’s climbs to finish second, but LeMond also showcased a solid performance that allowed him to keep the yellow jersey for the fourth consecutive stage of the race.

Trading Blows

Stage 10, another romp through the mountains, proved to be hectic. Fignon struggled, while Delgado appeared to remain on form to clinch another second-place stage finish. LeMond, who had 5 seconds on Fignon, also seemed to be in difficulty but hung with Fignon for most of the stage,

Near the end of the stage, Fignon attacked and dropped LeMond, finding the 5 seconds he needed to close the gap and then some. Fignon took the yellow jersey for the first time in the race.

By the Stage 15 mountain time trial, Delgado pulled back to just 2 minutes and 53 seconds behind the yellow jersey. It proved he’d made good use of his time in the mountains. LeMond found himself 7 seconds behind Fignon ahead of the stage. On top of his aerodynamic bike, he put down another impressive time trial performance in which he beat Fignon by 47 seconds. LeMond once again snagged the yellow jersey.

LeMond extended his overall lead to 53 seconds over Fignon during Stage 16, while Delgado still struggled to find the nearly 3 minutes he needed to close the gap between himself and the race leaders.

But LeMond couldn’t hold Fignon off forever. Fignon staged an attack in the closing miles of Stage 17 that sent him across the finish line third.

LeMond, however, finished in fifth place at nearly a minute and a half behind Fignon. The gap yet again saw the yellow jersey change hands to Fignon. At the end of the stage, Fignon had a 26-second lead on LeMond in the general classification.

He had no intention of letting it go.

The Battle to the Bitter End of the 1989 Tour de France

Fignon attacked again on Stage 18. He showed confidence and power deep into the 3-week race. He won the stage and pulled another 24 seconds ahead, leaving him with a total cumulative time of 50 seconds over LeMond.

The day led almost everyone to count LeMond out. The large deficit was not impossible to overcome, but with only three stages left, it would take something just shy of a miracle.

LeMond won Stage 19, but Fignon was right behind, leading to no change in the time gap. After a flat course built for sprinters for the penultimate day of racing, Fignon and LeMond squared up in Versailles for the final time-trial dash to Paris for Stage 21.

The final time trial was just over 15 miles long, leaving an extremely short distance for LeMond to close the gap to Fignon. The odds were not at all in his favor. He needed to be perfect to beat Fignon, who was confident in the lead he had built before the final day.

At this point, Delgado had worked his way back to third place. Still down by more than 2 minutes, he had no hope of winning but showed that despite his early deficit, he was still as strong as ever.

As Fignon held the yellow jersey, LeMond left the start gates toward Paris. Fignon followed 2 minutes later. LeMond had to find more than 50 seconds to claim the yellow jersey. Fignon had only to hold on.

Once again gripping his unique aero bars, LeMond flew through the course. He hit record-breaking speeds that sometimes reached up to 40 mph. LeMond nearly caught Delgado, who started 2 minutes ahead. When he crossed the finish line at 26 minutes and 57 seconds, all he could do was look back and wait for the silhouette of Fignon to appear.

Fignon hammered the pedals, pouring everything he had into the final sprint on the Champs-Élysées, but it wasn’t enough.

Fignon crossed the line at 27 minutes and 55 seconds, losing his lead in the general classification to LeMond by just 8 seconds. It was the smallest margin for victory the tour had ever seen.

Fignon collapsed to the ground in despair after the finish line, and LeMond celebrated one of the greatest comebacks in the history of cycling.

Mark Wilson is a freelance journalist for GearJunkie and BikeRumor. Mark has been writing about cycling, climbing, outdoor events and gear for more than a year. Before that, he spent more than a decade as a journalist at major daily newspapers in Texas covering crime, public safety and local government. Mark spent every free moment during that time carving up singletrack and gravel, or climbing with friends and family in Texas, Colorado and Mexico. Based in Texas, Mark is always looking for new trails, crags and gear to help navigate the outdoors. As a new dad, he is particularly interested in learning how to share his love of the outdoors with his son.

Follow Us On

Subscribe Now

Get adventure news and gear reviews in your inbox!

Join Our GearJunkie Newsletter

Gear Top Stories Deals

This story is over 5 years old.

Taylor swift's '1989' world tour is engineered to be the best night of your life, and it is.

ONE EMAIL. ONE STORY. EVERY WEEK. SIGN UP FOR THE VICE NEWSLETTER.

By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

• Statistics Stats
• You are here:

Setlist History: Taylor Swift Kicks Off The '1989' World Tour

• Setlist History
• Published: 5 May 2023, 15:00:05
• Written by: Ashly Nagrant
• Photography by: Jun Sato/LP5/Getty Images for TS
• Categories: Setlist History Tagged: Taylor Swift The 1989 World Tour

1989 may have been Taylor Swift’s fourth album overall, but it was actually her very first pop album. Departing from her country roots, the singer-songwriter played around with synth sounds and pop friendly beats and it paid off. The album sold over a million copies in just its first week out. It dominated the Billboard charts and landed Taylor the Grammy for Album of the Year.

So it stands to reason that the tour that accompanied this album would be just as epic. Fans found out just how huge it was when The 1989 World Tour kicked off on May 2, 2015 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

The setlist was almost exclusively songs from 1989 , with 14 out of 18 songs from the album dominating the night. In Tokyo this meant there were plenty of live debuts: “New Romantics,” “I Wish You Would,” “How You Get the Girl,” “I Know Places,” “All You Had to Do Was Stay,” “You Are In Love,” “Clean,” “This Love” and “Bad Blood.”

The few previously released songs Taylor performed were remixed specifically for the tour to fit with the synth-pop feel of 1989 . “Love Story” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” notably were changed for the tour.

The actual show was broken up across eight “acts,” with a few songs featured in each. Back-up dancers, costume changes, floating platforms and more made up the stage show, though there was also time for Taylor alone on stage with a grand piano to perform a mash-up of “Enchanted” and “Wildest Dreams.” The show closed out with the album’s hit lead single “Shake It Off,” accentuated by fireworks and confetti.

That night in Tokyo was the start of something big. The tour went on to be a global success and was notable for featuring surprise songs and surprise guests at each of the dates. But none of it happens without Taylor herself setting the standard on that first date eight years ago at the kick off, with a brand new sound and a brand new show.

Latest News

COIN Announce North American Tour

Robert Plant & Allison Krauss Cover Zep & Others at Outlaw Fest

Tom Morello Joins Jane Addiction for Two Tunes in Cologne

Marquee Memories: POND

Most played songs.

• Love Story ( 600 )
• You Belong With Me ( 489 )
• Our Song ( 418 )
• Fearless ( 372 )
• We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together ( 327 )

More Taylor Swift statistics

Gigs seen live by

8,479 people have seen Taylor Swift live.

lilly-13 jessicvchitvs Mofette thekobrakid jtpiano Monika015 cianobrien288 NathanR38 Cinnamoroll puckaben mirrorballl atk614 artemis23 geffencohen RossP83 grgdvs DanielCheasley WCFai sophieggreen oliverorrr SiJJ mattkwyatt ad4904g ems2468 cait2468 xbbvipberryx SmilinThrough admiralcross natedogg BlueM natalielaunder Mundy henrywillmott SuperJimLad charlo_bert AndrewHookUK jpcollins2273 rolothecat dauntlessobrien jess222 scheasley fsalmon1 elisemarnie simransingh Nostress anaiya mscott23 Black_Star31 Foofighter1111 simonfripp

Showing only 50 most recent

More from Taylor Swift

• More Setlists
• Artist Statistics
• Add setlist
• Setlist Insider See the artists dive into their own setlist data.
• Live Debuts Witness the first time a song is performed live.
• Setlist.fm Exclusives Videos, photos and interviews - see it here first.
• Covers Better than the original? You decide.
• Guest Appearances Keeping track of the on-stage cameos.
• Setlist History Looking back on moments in music history.
• Tour Dates How to catch your faves: The who, what, where and when.
• Festivals News about the multi-artist, multi-day extravaganzas.
• General News Other music-related news.
• Jun 26, 2024
• Jun 25, 2024
• Jun 24, 2024
• Jun 23, 2024
• Jun 22, 2024
• Jun 21, 2024
• FAQ | Help | About
• Terms of Service
• Ad Choices | Privacy Policy
• Feature requests
• Songtexte.com

Thursdays 8/7c

From teen moms to moms of teens, the families are back for all-new episodes on Season 2.

Tuesdays 8/7c

Nēv and Kamie team with old friends to search for the truth on all-new episodes of Catfish Season 9.

Tuesdays 9/8c

Travis and Rahne shed light on shady romantic partners on all-new episodes.

Watch Full Episodes

The moms reunite for Jade and Sean’s wedding, Jade stresses over the possibility that her mom could miss her wedding, and Ashley contemplates divorcing Bar.

Rob, Steelo and Lolo check out videos of people who pay the price for being too locked in, referees who become collateral damage, marine malice, wedding photo fails and more.

Tirelle already broke it off once with DeeDee for not letting him meet her friends and family, but now that they’re back together, he wants to know why DeeDee's still hiding him.

After a decade of not dating, Jeni fell hard for Elijah, but he won't meet and now his inconsistent photos of what he looks like are causing Jeni to be confused about who she's in love with.

Seven-time champion Bananas explains how losing in the first round of his first season lit a fire in him, the origin of his notorious villain persona and how his rivalries define his legacy.

Tula "Big T" Fazakerley discusses her childhood, her culinary experience, and the highs and lows of her Challenge career with help from her friends Kyle Christie, Sean Lineker and James Lock.

Catch Up on Teen Mom

Lifestyle reality.

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9

Your Favorite Queens Are Back to Slay

Past queens return to the main stage to compete for a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars

Reality competition.

Mountain of Pride

It's Here, It's Queer, Start Watching!

Celebrate every shade of the rainbow with this collection of movies and shows highlighting LGBTQ+ stories.

Reality Dating Shows

MTV PUSH Playlist

Tap Into the Biggest New Stars in Music

Get to know rising artists through performances, interviews and more.

The 1989 World Tour

1989 World Tour was the fourth concert tour by Taylor Swift in support of her fifth album 1989.

The tour began on May 5th, 2015 and ended on December 12th, 2015.

Set List [ ]

• "Welcome To New York"
• "New Romantics"
• "Blank Space"
• "I Knew Your Were Trouble"
• "I Wish You Would"
• "How You Get The Girl"
• "I Know Places"
• "All You Had To Do Was Stay"
• "You Are In Love"
• "Love Story"
• "This Love"
• "Bad Blood"
• "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
• "Enchanted / Wildest Dreams"
• "Out Of The Woods"
• "Shake It Off"

Tour Dates [ ]

Loft '89 was the name of the meet-and-greet room from The 1989 World Tour . It was located in the venues of each of her show dates. This rooms' setup included brick walls, couches, and foods including pizza and homemade cookies! The event was free, and fans were selected for the events based on how much fun they were having or their amazing costumes!

The original name for this fan meetup room was the T Party Room , during the Fearless Tour and the Speak Now World Tour , Club Red during the Red Tour , and the Rep Room during the Reputation Stadium Tour .

Being selected [ ]

Fans were selected from crowds by Taylor's mother, Andrea Swift , during the shows, and on social media, by Taylor and her team at Taylor Nation. During or before the shows, fans were given sheets of paper and wristbands, telling the information including the room number, and what the event was.

When selected on social media, fans would receive direct message, reading, "CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE" from Taylor Nation, telling them the information about where to pick up their wristband and paper, for their free pre-show meet and greet with Taylor.

During the event [ ]

During the fan meetup, fans would wait around on couches, chatting with others until Taylor would come out to greet them. When she would show up, she would spend time with each group of people, getting to know them and cracking jokes! They would then take a photo together and Taylor would sign one of their belongings, or a laminated tour photo!

Gallery [ ]

• 1 List of Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriends
• 2 Andrea Swift
• 3 Kameron Saunders

Taylor Swift: ‘The 1989 World Tour’ Setlist

Feb 4, 2015.

Last month the reigning pop princess—and quite possibly undisputed one, after going platinum in record-setting time and defying the state of the music business— Taylor Swift announced her next tour, the much hyped The 1989 World Tour in promotion of the eponymous album that currently sits #1 for the 5th straight week. We covered the tour date announcement then so now we are going to speculate a bit about what songs attendees can expect Ms. Swift to sing. She also just announced the addition of sister rock act Haim for various dates. Looking at past tour setlists, speculation of fanatics, and clues from the princess herself, we can start to piece together a setlist for Swift’s 2015 The 1989 World Tour.

Taylor Swift Tour Setlist

Official setlist announced.

Welcome to New York

New Romantics

Blank Space

I Knew You Were Trouble

I Wish You Would

How You Get the Girl

I Know Places

All You Had to Do Was Stay

You Are in Love

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Enchanted/Wildest Dreams

Out of the Woods

Shake It Off

In a recent interview Taylor said “I know that with the way the fans have latched onto this album, the setlist will be predominantly songs from 1989…You know, when I go back and play songs I know they want to hear, like ‘Love Story‘ or ‘Trouble’ , it’ll be interesting to reimagine them so that the fans get a new experience that feels in keeping with 1989. But I’m so excited. I have so many things I’ve been dreaming up for this.” So straight from the source it sounds like we can expect a majority of the 13 tracks from the 1989 album to make the show’s playlist—the least amount of tracks cut since 2008’s Fearless. In addition, she will be supporting the 1989 act with the hits everyone still wants to hear, but it sounds like they’ll have a fresh gloss on them to fit the show, so even if you’ve seen them performed before…Taylor’s got you covered.

‘The 1989 World Tour’ Setlist (rumors)

“My dream Setlist is about 50% hits and 50% 1989 so here it is” – BRODYLOVESMUSIC6

Welcome To New York

How You Get The Girl

All You Had To Do Was Stay

You Belong With Me

Out Of The Woods

Wildest Dreams

Surprise Song or Everything Has Changed

Back To December

Love Story (1989 Remix)

ENCORE Shake It Off

And from Reddit, snowboardrdek submitted ‘[Her] Theory on the 1989 Tour Setlist’:

Love Story (1989 style)

I Knew Your Were Trouble (1989 style)

This Love (acoustic)

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (acoustic)

How You Get The Girl (acoustic)

“Wildcard” song (acoustic)

Shake it Off

You can also check out this budding setlist discussion on Reddit in the Taylor Swift subreddit.

The Red Tour Setlist

“State of Grace”

“Holy Ground”

“You Belong with Me”

“The Lucky One”

“Stay Stay Stay”

“Starlight”

“Everything Has Changed”

“Begin Again”

“Sparks Fly”

“I Knew You Were Trouble”

“All Too Well”

“Love Story”

“Treacherous”

“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

Taylor Swift’s Most Played (Live)

You Belong with Me

Picture to Burn

Should’ve Said No

Teardrops on My Guitar

White Horse

Forever & Always

Tell Me Why

You’re Not Sorry

Back to December

The Story of Us

Hey Stephen

Better Than Revenge

I’m Only Me When I’m with You

The Way I Loved You

State of Grace

All Too Well

Holy Ground

The Lucky One

Treacherous

Begin Again

Everything Has Changed

Today Was a Fairytale

Stay Stay Stay

A Perfectly Good Heart

Permanent Marker

Lose Yourself (Eminem cover)

Stay Beautiful

Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)

The Outside

The 1989 World Tour Tickets

[Oct 18 Fri · 7:00 PM

Taylor Swift

Hard Rock Stadium · Miami Gardens, FL

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/miami-gardens-florida-hard-rock-stadium-2024-10-18-7-pm/concert/6109432 )

[Oct 19 Sat · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/miami-gardens-florida-hard-rock-stadium-2024-10-19-7-pm/concert/6109434 )

[Oct 20 Sun · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/miami-gardens-florida-hard-rock-stadium-2024-10-20-7-pm/concert/6109436 )

[Oct 25 Fri · 7:00 PM

Caesars Superdome · New Orleans, LA

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/new-orleans-louisiana-caesars-superdome-2024-10-25-7-pm/concert/6109438 )

[Oct 26 Sat · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/new-orleans-louisiana-caesars-superdome-2024-10-26-7-pm/concert/6109440 )

[Oct 27 Sun · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/new-orleans-louisiana-caesars-superdome-2024-10-27-7-pm/concert/6109442 )

[Nov 01 Fri · 7:00 PM

Lucas Oil Stadium · Indianapolis, IN

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/indianapolis-indiana-lucas-oil-stadium-4-2024-11-01-7-pm/concert/6109444 )

[Nov 02 Sat · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/indianapolis-indiana-lucas-oil-stadium-4-2024-11-02-7-pm/concert/6109446 )

[Nov 03 Sun · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/indianapolis-indiana-lucas-oil-stadium-4-2024-11-03-7-pm/concert/6109448 )

[Nov 14 Thu · 7:00 PM

Rogers Centre · Toronto, Canada

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-2024-11-14-7-pm/concert/6109450 )

[Nov 15 Fri · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-2024-11-15-7-pm/concert/6109452 )

[Nov 16 Sat · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-2024-11-16-7-pm/concert/6109454 )

[Nov 21 Thu · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-2024-11-21-7-pm/concert/6109456 )

[Nov 22 Fri · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-2024-11-22-7-pm/concert/6109458 )

[Nov 23 Sat · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-2024-11-23-7-pm/concert/6109460 )

[Dec 06 Fri · 7:00 PM

BC Place Stadium · Vancouver, Canada

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/vancouver-canada-bc-place-stadium-2024-12-06-7-pm/concert/6260020 )

[Dec 07 Sat · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/vancouver-canada-bc-place-stadium-2024-12-07-7-pm/concert/6260021 )

[Dec 08 Sun · 7:00 PM

]( https://seatgeek.com/taylor-swift-tickets/vancouver-canada-bc-place-stadium-2024-12-08-7-pm/concert/6260025 )

Get 1989 (the album)

Buy on iTunes

Buy on Amazon

Listen for free on Spotify…

• Manage Account

Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’: 9 Key Numbers Ahead of ‘Taylor’s Version’

From No. 1 hits to album sales to tour grosses, these numbers help tell the story of Swift's monumental success with her 2014 album.

By Jason Lipshutz

Jason Lipshutz

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on Pinterest
• + additional share options added
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Reddit
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Whats App
• Send an Email
• Print this article
• Post a Comment

On Wednesday night (Aug. 9 – 8/9, get it?), Taylor Swift ended the final show of this U.S. leg of her Eras world tour by making fans’ wildest dreams come true: 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was officially on its way .

The fourth album in the superstar’s six-part re-recording project would be her landmark 2014 album, which will be released on Oct. 27 – nine years to the day that the original 1989 was unveiled. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) will follow Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) ; the lattermost just scored the biggest debut on the Billboard 200 chart of the year upon its release last month, while the first two topped the Billboard 200 upon their releases in 2021.

Although all of Swift’s studio albums are blockbusters to some degree, 1989 is especially indispensable to her story. With hits like “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” “Style” and “Bad Blood,” the album represented as an embrace of full-on pop music, after years of expanding the sonic boundaries of country music.

“The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways,” Swift wrote while announcing the re-recorded version. And along with the artistic growth that the 2014 full-length represented, the album’s commercial performance was downright mind-boggling, a particularly dominant professional moment in a career full of them.

Ahead of the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) release this fall, let’s dig into nine key numbers that demonstrate both the blockbuster performance of 1989 , and why fans are so excited about its re-recorded version.

3 No. 1 Hot 100 hits

1989 has the distinction of being the Swift album with the most Hot 100 chart-toppers on its track list. Lead single “Shake It Off” spent four nonconsecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 in 2014, after which,“Blank Space” took over the top spot, where it spent seven weeks at No. 1 – the most of any Swift single, until “Anti-Hero” surpassed that mark with eight weeks earlier this year.

In May 2015, the release of a remix to “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar, along with a star-studded music video, helped power the song to No. 1 for a single week. “Bad Blood” actually served as Lamar’s first Hot 100 chart-topper, although he’d return to the top spot with his own single, “Humble,” two years later.

5 top 10 Hot 100 hits

In addition to “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood” reaching the top of the Hot 100, “Style” peaked at No. 6 and “Wildest Dreams” made it to No. 5. (“Out of the Woods,” the sixth official single from the album, reached No. 18.) Which Swift album has the most top 10 hits? Easy: Midnights scored 10 all at once, as Swift’s 2022 album made her the first artist in history to flood the entire top 10.

1.287 million copies sold in its first week

Although Swift’s Speak Now (1.047 million) and Red (1.208 million) had both crossed the seven-figure mark in their debut weeks in 2010 and 2012, respectively, the final first-week total for 1989 surpassed both in 2014. The monster debut represented the largest sales week for an album in over a decade – since Eminem’s The Eminem Show bowed with 1.322 million in June 2002 – and made Swift the first artist with three million-plus sales weeks. Although 2017’s Reputation and 2022’s Midnights would also later cross that threshold, the debut figure for 1989 remains the biggest-ever pure sales week of Swift’s career.

11 total weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200

Following that seven-figure bow on the albums chart upon its October 2014 release, 1989 dipped in and out of the No. 1 spot through February 2015. By October 2015, the album had spent its first full year in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 – only the fifth album in history, and Swift’s first album, to do so. Its 11 weeks at No. 1 is tied with Fearless for the most chart-topping frames by a Swift album.

12.3 million equivalent album units to date

Nearly nine years after its enormous chart debut, 1989 stands atop her discography in terms of multi-metric consumption. To date, no Swift album has earned more equivalent album units – which comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA) – than 1989 , with 12.3 million units, according to Luminate.

$250.7 million grossed on The 1989 World Tour

Eight years before the Eras tour was the hottest ticket of the summer, Swift made her stadium debut with The 1989 World Tour in 2015, after multiple arena runs in support of previous albums. Over the course of 85 shows across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, the 1989 world tour made over a quarter of a billion dollars, according to Boxscore, with $181.5 million of that figure grossed during the U.S. dates. Swift would surpass both totals with her Reputation Stadium Tour three years later, and while The Eras Tour’s grosses have yet to be reported, one can imagine that they could be her loftiest numbers to date.

2nd Album of the Year Grammy win

After winning the top prize at the 2010 Grammy Awards with Fearless , which gave Swift an album of the year trophy at the age of 20, she was back at the podium six years later, when 1989 emerged victorious at the 2016 ceremony. (In between, Red was nominated in 2014, but lost out to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories .)

With the win for 1989 , Swift became the first female solo artist to take home multiple album of the year Grammys – and she joined even more elite company when Folklore became her third winner in 2021. Now, Swift is among Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon as the only artists with three album of the year trophies.

2 re-recorded songs already released

Although anticipation for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) has been sky-high for months, fans have already been gifted a pair of re-recorded songs that will appear on the track list. In September 2021, Swift unexpectedly unveiled “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version),” after spotting fans using the original recording on TikTok; the re-recorded version surged onto the Hot 100, peaking at No. 37.

And in May 2022, we got the reworked version of “This Love,” after it was featured in a trailer to the Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty . “This Love” had never made the Hot 100 in its original form, but “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” reached No. 50 on the chart last year.

5 new "From the Vault" songs

“To be perfectly honest,” Swift wrote while announcing 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on social media, “this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane.” Between Fearless (Taylor’s Version) , Red (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , fans have thus far received 21 “From the Vault” songs – compositions that Swift has dusted off from those albums’ respective studio sessions, recorded anew, and included on the re-recordings.

Although Swift did not share any details of the revived tracks from 1989 (Taylor’s Version) , the previously released “From the Vault” songs have included guest stars like Phoebe Bridgers, Ed Sheeran, Maren Morris and Fall Out Boy. “I can’t believe they were ever left behind,” Swift wrote. “But not for long!”

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox

Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about?

Get in the know on.

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

• Billboard Hot 100™
• Billboard 200™
• Hits Of The World™
• TikTok Billboard Top 50
• Songs Of The Summer
• Song Breaker
• Year-End Charts
• Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

• R&B/Hip-Hop

Videos Expand videos menu

Culture expand culture menu, media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

• Business News
• Record Labels
• View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

• Songwriters & Producers
• Artist Index
• Royalty Calculator
• Market Watch
• Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

• Cultura y Entretenimiento

Get Up Anthems by Tres Expand get-up-anthems-by-tres menu

Honda music expand honda-music menu.

Flashback: The Who Reunite In ’89, Seven Years After Saying ‘Farewell’

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Most fans of the Who point to the band’s 1989 reunion tour as their absolute low point as a live act. Not only did Pete Townshend play acoustic guitar most of the night to protect his damaged hearing, but the five-man lineup of their 1982 farewell tour suddenly swelled to a whopping fifteen musicians all crammed together onstage. Roger Daltrey was also far from top form since he was experiencing severe stomach problems through most of the tour that eventually required surgery.

Where Do the Who Rank Among the 100 Greatest Artists?

Despite all the problems, bad haircuts and other poor decisions, the Who staged a marathon three-hour show every night that kicked off with a complete performance of Tommy followed by a mixture of hits, deep cuts and, in a move they’ve never done before or since, tracks from their solo careers. They even played unexpected covers like “ Hey Joe ” and “ Born On The Bayou .”

“Hey Joe” and More of Your Picks for Jimi Hendrix’s Best Songs

One of the motivations for the tour was John Entwistle’s desperate financial situation. He often said that being in the Who was like “winning the lottery, but not cashing in the ticket.” His income sank dramatically in the 1980s, even as he continued to live a lavish lifestyle on a castle-like estate.

Remembering the Epic Life of the Who’s John Entwistle

Entwistle’s songwriting skills were always overshadowed by the simple fact he was in a band with Pete Townshend, but the bassist was a very gifted writer who liked to draft songs about men with vices. “Whiskey Man” is about an alcoholic, “My Wife” is about a dodgy character whose wife (probably with good reason) suspects him of infidelity, and “Trick of the Light” is about a guy who hires a prostitute to gauge whether or not he’s skilled in bed. The man in “Boris The Spider” doesn’t seem to have any real vices, though his fixation on a spider that he eventually crushes is a little disturbing. (It’s no coincidence that Entwistle himself had issues with drugs, angry wives and women of ill-repute. It’s unclear what he thought about spiders.)

Why Is Everybody Talking About the Hawk Tuah Girl?

Dr disrespect knowingly sent explicit messages to a minor, former twitch employee says, hawk tuah girl has already sold at least $65,000 worth of merch, kinky friedman, proudly eccentric texas singer-songwriter, dead at 79.

John Entwistle and More of Your Picks for the Best Bassists of All Time

One of the highlights of the Who’s 1989 tour was “Trick of the Light.” (Check out the video above from a show in Tacoma, Washington.) “This is a song about hookers, ladies of the night,” Entwistle told the crowd at the Tacoma Dome. “And the good they do for everyone in the world.” About an hour or so later, Pete Townshend slashed open his hand while windmilling during “ Won’t Get Fooled Again .” He rushed to the hospital for stitches, forcing the band to play the encores without him. Lucky for him, there were fourteen other people on stage more than capable of playing a couple songs without him.

Lisa Reminds You She's a 'Rockstar' on Clubby New Single

• By Brittany Spanos

How Mabe Fratti Transformed Self-Doubt Into Her Most Daring Music Yet

• stunning experiments
• By Marcos Hassan

Clinton Kane Addresses Claims That He Lied About His Mother’s Death

• New Information
• By Tomás Mier

Watch Kelly Clarkson Deliver Tender Cover of Phil Collins' 'One More Night'

• By Larisha Paul

See Metallica Cover Diamond Head's 'Am I Evil?' With That Band's Brian Tatler

• By Kory Grow

Most Popular

Sean penn says he 'went 15 years miserable on sets' after 'milk' and could not play gay role today due to a 'timid and artless policy toward the human imagination', 'tulsa king' season 2 premiere date and teaser trailer released, kylie kelce’s heartwarming photo of her 3 daughters has fans calling one girl a ‘travis twin’, nba agent sues klutch sports, rich paul over lebron fees, you might also like, ‘the vourdalak’ review: mood and marionettes make for a pleasingly odd french vampire drama, how much is a carolyn bessette-kennedy dress worth, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, alamo drafthouse will reopen 6 recently-closed theaters following sony acquisition, bronny james’ marketing clout could boost round 2 draft value.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

• Latest News

‘Freak Out!’: Frank Zappa’s Masterclass In Mischief

‘the end of the innocence’: don henley’s multi-million-selling triumph, lovestruck romeo: the killers’ long-term admiration of mark knopfler, ‘no sleep till hammersmith’: motörhead reach their destination, bon jovi’s ‘these days’: america’s party band gets introspective, how 5 seconds of summer became hot property with their debut album, schoolboy q, jhené aiko, and sublime: currently trending songs, documentary on legendary lyricist bernie taupin in the works, new footage of john lennon and yoko ono shared for ‘aisumasen (i’m sorry)’ ultimate mix, ‘(rotten apples) the smashing pumpkins greatest hits’ heads to vinyl, chalino sánchez’s landmark album ‘nieves de enero’ set for vinyl reissue, the who’s pete townshend announces ‘quadrophenia, a mod ballet’, new limited series podcast ‘disney: a recorded history’ launches, role model shares ‘look at that woman’ video, the who in 1989: recreating ‘tommy’ and much more besides.

It was the year of the band’s 25th anniversary tour, which brought new performances of Pete Townshend’s opus.

Published on

It turned out to be less than halfway through the band’s enduring lifespan to date, but on August 24, 1989, as part of the 25 th anniversary tour by The Who , they played Tommy and much more at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

The LA gig was a star-studded affair. The Who’s performance of Pete Townshend ’s rock opera featured guest appearances by Elton John (reprising his role in Ken Russell’s Tommy film as the Pinball Wizard), Phil Collins , Billy Idol, Steve Winwood , and Patti LaBelle, who played the Acid Queen. Robert Plant was billed to perform, but he pulled out of the LA show.

Ticket prices started at $75 and went all the way to $1,500, with proceeds going to charities for abused children and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band were coming towards the end of the massive reunion tour of 1989 by the time they got to California.

The itinerary began on June 21 in Glen Falls, New York, filling stadiums throughout North America until September 3. In October 1989, the tour finished with four shows in Birmingham, four at Wembley Arena and two closing nights at the Royal Albert Hall.

Pete solo and Who hits

After featuring the whole of the  Tommy  opus, the Universal Amphitheater gig followed the pattern of the North American tour with a second set of greatest hits, as well as three Townshend solo numbers, “Face The Face,” “Dig,” and “Rough Boys.” The band encored with two more enduring favourites, “Who Are You” and Eddie Cochran ‘s “Summertime Blues.”

Some songs from the Los Angeles show were included in the Join Together live album that followed the tour in the spring of 1990, which only nudged the bottom of the US chart at No.188 and the UK listings at No.59.

Listen to the best of The Who on Apple Music and Spotify.

August 24, 2014 at 9:27 pm

La pelicula Tommy la vi el dia de su estreno aqui en Madrid y despues otras veintitantas veces. La tengo en VHS Y DVD.

david livingstone

July 24, 2015 at 9:36 pm

always loved this band since i was 12 years old just a pity the tickets are so expensive i cant afford it but all the best my favourite band of all time

August 24, 2015 at 9:39 pm

I wasn’t allowed to see the Rich Stadium show that tour. And it hurt because I’d just fallen for Roger.

August 25, 2015 at 12:21 pm

This was my first Who show. My sister had a co-worker who got dibs on tickets at the venue, so he scored $150 seats and sold them to us for face value. The venue is small and intimate, only around 5,000 seats. Being toward the end of the tour, the band was well-oiled, though its size and the complexity of the song arrangements meant long free-form jams were impossible. It was essentially Pete’s Deep End band. In 2011, I met Roger in Austin for a Tommy show, and he told me that he “hated the marimba band” they had with them on this tour! That may be a little unkind, for at the time you could look past the big band and enjoy the the big three, who were clearly enjoying themselves as well. This still ranks among the best shows I’ve seen.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Nine Inch Nails has a tour history dating back to late 1988, when they started out as an opening act, playing in small clubs. Since then, they've played in all types of venues, from small clubs, to sports arenas and stadiums, to some of the largest music festivals in the world.

This page serves as a hub for all the tours performed by NIN, as well as solo appearances by Trent Reznor .

Unabridged Dates

• Happiness in Heresy
• NIN Live Archive
• The NIN Historian
• NIN Tour History