Taylor Swift Brings Back the Koi Fish Guitar Onstage at Kansas City [Watch]
Fans guessed it. Taylor Swift pulled her blue koi fish guitar out of its glass case at the Country Music Hall of Fame in order to recreate a fan-favorite live show moment during a recent Eras Tour stop.
Rumors that the special guitar might be making an appearance at a show began to rumble after the instrument went missing from its spot at the Hall of Fame late last week. A sign in the glass case read that it had been "temporarily removed," and a video clip of the removal began to circulate on social media.
During her second night in Kansas City on Saturday (July 8), Swift confirmed fan speculation when she brought out the koi guitar to play "Last Kiss," one of the surprise songs of that night's set list, and a track off of her 2010 Speak Now album. The performance was particularly timely since Swift released Speak Now (Taylor's Version) on Friday (July 7.)
Swift previously used the koi fish guitar on her Speak Now World Tour from 2011-2012, using it in the set list for an intimate, seated performance of "Last Kiss." The instrument, which was custom-built by Taylor Guitars designer Pete Davies Jr., is embellished with Japanese koi fish inlays in the top of the guitar as well as the fingerboard.
The guitar also features in Swift's 2022 "Anti-Hero" music video, in a scene where Swift sits in a chair and strums it as her bad-influence alter ego stands next to her and smashes another version.
The Eras Tour is set to continue domestically through Aug. 9, wrapping that stint in Los Angeles. Next up, she'll head overseas -- Swift recently announced an international leg of the tour, hitting cities in Europe, Australia and Asia. Dates for those shows are on the books through Aug. 17, 2024.