My review of the Taylor Swift concert as part of her 1989 Tour
(Archive Original)
I’m 26-years-old and I love Taylor Swift and her music.
On Tuesday, June 9, I attended the 1989 Tour at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina with my girlfriend. I dragged her along. It was my second Taylor Swift concert, the first being two years ago during her Red Tour.
Over those two years Taylor has grown as an artist and a performer, but she still remembers the basics: entertain and sell.
Throughout the show Taylor likes to take little breaks where she talks to the crowd. More than her music, this is where she shines. I’m a pro wrestling fan. I understand that pro wrestling is scripted and that most of the wrestlers don’t actually hate each other, but the great pro wrestlers get you to believe that what you’re watching is real or they get you to relate to what’s going on. When Taylor talks to the audience, she’s a pro wrestler. She speaks with such eloquence and charm that you hang on every word she’s saying. Whether she believes what she’s saying or not, I don’t know, but when you’re in that moment she has you believing in her and her music. She knows all the great pro wrestling promo tricks. She knows to say the name of the city to get a cheap pop, she knows to interact with the audience by asking them questions and getting them to sing along, and she knows where the money is.
As a pro wrestling fan and a grown man with no child to please, I should know better than to buy in 100%. But I do. I’m a mark and it’s still real to me, damnit.
The songs are almost secondary to the interactions. When you’re the biggest popstar in the world, your concert is expected to be a big production. And Taylor delivers. The stage is large, props are used, wardrobes are changed. Taylor spares no expense in putting on a memorable show.
She performed every track off of 1989 except for “Wonderland” and even came up with new versions of old favorites like “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
The set list is flawlessly put together, starting with the upbeat “Welcome to New York” and ending with the dance anthem “Shake It Off.” In between she weaves in and out of high energy songs to get the crowd moving and slower songs to give fans a little rest.
There’s never a dull moment during the show. Even during long wardrobe/set changes, a video plays featuring Taylor’s famous friends talking about Taylor’s music and their relationship with her. These videos do a nice job of moving the show along and keeping the crowd engaged while also adding a little humor. However, I would’ve liked to see some fan videos. We all know that Taylor has a ton of celebrity best friends and obviously they love her and it’s cool to hear how fun and down to earth she is from famous people, but it also would’ve been cool if they recorded fans at the arena, done before the show, talking about Taylor, her music, and how excited they are for the concert. If this is done at 7 PM when the doors open, I’m sure they can edit it together by 10 PM and ready to air in the shows closing moments.
No one walks away from the show empty handed as everyone gets a light up bracelet before Taylor takes the stage. The bracelets go off throughout the performance and makes for really cool visuals in the arena. Plus, they work after the show on vibrations.
The 1989 Tour was everything I thought and hoped it would be. It was a memorable and magical two hour show that left me wanting more.
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