By: Brandon Moran
Concert date: 6/2/18
The old Taylor may be dead, but the new Taylor is alive and slaying everyone in her presence. Taylor Swift’s reputation Stadium Tour has been taking over the world with its high energy, insane stage presence, and fireworks. With Taylor disappearing from the spotlight over the last three years, she’s back with a vengeance. This was my fourth time seeing Taylor perform live and she just gets better every time. From the moment you walk through the gates of the stadium, feeling the rush of getting your light-up wristband to Taylor dancing around on stage to her banger of a closer, “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things;” Taylor makes you feel like you’re having the best night of your life. For me, that was 110% the case with this show.
Charli XCX and Camila Cabello command the stage as they open the show with their energetic sets. Charli known for her hits “Boom Clap” and “Fancy,” which she is featured on with Iggy Azalea. Cabello took center stage as she incorporated dancers and latin themes to her set, which made her stand out more to me than Charli. The crowd roared as Cabello closed her set with Hot 100 chart-topper, “Havana,” incorporating a dance break in the song. A true performer in my opinion.
Before Miss Swift took the stage, she strategically placed two songs that played over the stadium speakers to set the tone for the show. “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey and “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett were played and Taylor wanted to let you know she was coming. “Baby let the games begin” repeated on the speakers from her song, “…Ready for It” as Taylor glided to the stage with a blue silhouette appearing on the screens. As Taylor reached the stage the blue silhouette turned red as Taylor sung the words “are you ready for it?” and bombastic beats filled the stadium along with screams and cheers that our queen had finally arrived on stage. This was hands-down the best opening to a concert I have ever witnessed with my own eyes. At this time, I started crying because of the intensity of the show and the buildup of anticipation was just all happening at once. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. Miss Swift’s rendition of her song, “I Did Something Bad” changed my entire life as it was completely different from the album version of the song. It was added with extra passion, fire, and suspense, you truly did not know what was coming next.
Throughout the show, Swift had brought back some of her more popular singles that had brought good to her reputation so long ago. Taylor decided to mashup some of these popular singles to maximize effect including “Style,” “Love Story,” and “You Belong with Me,” as well as “Bad Blood” and “Should’ve Said No.” With the performance of “Delicate,” Taylor takes flight on a glistened cart that transports her from the main stage to B-stage #1. At B-Stage #1, this is where Miss Swift bring out Camila Cabello and Charli XCX to perform the chart-topping single, “Shake it Off” accompanied with fireworks IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STADIUM. Mind-blowing, truly. Taylor then puts on the infamous green rep Tour jacket to perform two acoustic songs. One staple is “Dancing with Our Hands Tied,” which she always performs on every night of the show. The second song however is a secret song that only Taylor knows up until it is played. Typically it is a song that is a deep cut and relatively older. At my show, Taylor sang “Forever & Always” from the Fearless album and let me tell you I was almost in tears. “Forever & Always” is that song I heard ten years and was like, “wow I’m really crying over my non-existent ex-relationship right now.” That was “Forever & Always.”
As a person who has been to 80+ concerts, this has been the best concert I have ever been to. From beginning to end, it was an experience I have never had before when attending a concert. People will say “oh I heard that Taylor isn’t really good live” or “she kinda sucks when she sings and she’s awkward.” You may have those opinions, but until you see her live in person, you will be in the dark about attending an amazing concert experience. She is one of the greatest entertainers of our generation, and that’s the tea.
Rating: 10/10
On-Air Now
