It’s hard to label Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour as a concert. To some, myself included, it felt more like a two-hour emotional rollercoaster, a motivational speech, dance party, and religious experience. When you enter the arena of one of Swift’s concerts there is something different about the atmosphere, almost as if you’re about to be wiped clean of any problems or curveballs life has been throwing at you lately. You are now in an environment surrounded by people who just get it. Whether they are new to the fan base or have been by Swift’s side since “Mary’s Song,” every Swiftie will enjoy her newest venture, solidifying her status as an icon.
Throughout her ground breaking, 80’s-infused, juggernaut of a tour, Swift has had a slew of chart-topping and runway-worthy guests. From Alanis Morissette to The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, Swift’s mission to share the stage with as many talented performers as possible is making some incredible strides.
As wonderful and exciting as these guests are, nothing compares to Swift herself. With her years of small coffee shops and county fairs far behind her, Swift is a full grown stadium performer; it’s hard to imagine her playing any other way at this point. While I am very lucky to have seen her at both small intimate performances as well as Madison Square Garden crowds, nothing compares to the way she has carried herself throughout this tour.
“Feel so Close” by the ever-so-charming Calvin Harris fades out and the lights in the arena dim, Swift appears and shouts, “Welcome to New York” and we’re off. The screams pierce your eardrums as Swift makes her way to the stage and begins her long strides down the never-ending cat walk.
Fans of all ages dance and sing along to the songs Swift hand-crafted with the likes of Max Martin and Jack Antonoff. Swift performs every song off of her fifth studio album, 1989, even adding the upbeat twenty-something anthem, “New Romantics” and occasionally adding in the sweet and heart felt, “You Are in Love,” as well as the exciting, mysterious, “Wonderland.” Every tour she performs she seems to outdo herself, whether that be by doubling the size of the stage or having a spinning catwalk that lifts into the air with half a dozen dancers on it.
While the outfits, stage, and tech enhancements are a huge leap in the right direction for Swift, nothing tops her vocal power. The “Our Song” singer has come a long way from her country music roots; her voice swallows you whole during “Out of the Woods” and chews you up and spits you out during fan favorite, “I Knew You Were Trouble.” She is a seasoned vet that is not going anywhere, and her vocals on “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “Clean” prove that.
While you may not be able to realize it while watching this poised mega star perform in front of an arena of 60,000, she still has not strayed from her “Fans are Friends” motto. After the show has begun, Swift’s radiant mother, Andrea, walks through the crowd and chooses the most enthusiastic and dedicated fans to meet her angelic daughter after the show, as well as partake in photo booth shenanigans, fangirling with fellow Swifties, and pizza inhaling. If you’re one of the lucky few who get chosen for Loft 89 (my friends and I were picked during her June 13 Philadelphia show, we still are in shock) then the show doesn’t quite end for you after the eccentric, mind -blowing finale of “Shake It Off.”
Post-Swift Depression is very much a real thing, and it starts the moment the event staff of whichever concert you attend starts yelling for you to get off the floor, stop crying, and leave the arena. It’s a funny thing, how all of your troubles, insecurities, and fears can go away for a few hours during the 1989 tour. She lost him, but found herself standing in an arena with 50,000 screaming fans, and somehow that was everything.
IMAGES COURTESY of cleveland.com and brit.co
