The second she asked the 64,000 fans on hand to not trash-talk one of the subjects of a song on her "Speak Now" album, they immediately started shouting out the song title.
"Dear John" — a tune Taylor Swift purportedly wrote about her first famous ex-beau John Mayer — was dropped in as her first of two "surprise" songs on Saturday night during her second two sold-out concerts at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was quite a special treat for Twin Cities Swifties.
Probably because it sparked so much speculation and scorn around Mayer, Swift had not performed the song in 11 years, despite it being a fan favorite.
She offered an explanation for why she finally pulled it out of her deep catalog on Saturday: The newly re-recorded "Taylor's Version" of 2010's "Speak Now" is due to arrive July 7, she said, so she was eager to revisit another song from it in concert (after also performing "Enchanted" earlier in the set).
"Only because I'm proud of it am I going to play it," Swift told the crowd, after asking them for "kindness" once the song gets re-released.
"Please don't feel like you need to go on the internet and defend me from anyone."
The crowd sang along to every word as she performed "Dear John" solo on acoustic guitar. She followed it with a solo piano version of the night's other unveiled song, "Daylight," from her 2019 album "Lover."
That pair of surprise songs — she's playing two every night of her Eras Tour that will only be heard that night — was the only major changeup from her concert a night earlier.
