Okay so chances are Taylor Swift has already performed at a city near you as there a more U.S tour dates behind us now than ahead of us-- the tour started May 8 in Glendale, Arizona and ends October 6 in Arlington, Texas. But overall I just want to write a review about Swift’s Reputation Tour and why you should see it or if it has passed for you then see this as an article about why you should respect the New Taylor, but not forget the Old.
On July 26, 27, and 28, Swift brought her Stadium Tour to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts and proved that she does have what it takes to be the next GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) at Gillette-- sorry Brady.
I attended the second and the third night of the tour and had the absolute best time at both. The second night I had upper level seats and the third night I had seats on the floor, but my friend and I did not seat in our seats once. We stood up the whole time and danced and I believe that is the best way to spend time at Swift’s concerts. I promise no one will judge you for your crazy hair flips and jumping.
I have to say that my favorite night of the concert was the final night. I was on the floor and was super close to one of the B-stages: the one where she sings “Shake It Off,” “Dancing With Our Hands Tied,” and the surprise song. My friend and I waited by the B-stage barricade when we first got there, but security soon kicked us out as we didn’t have seats right by the barricade. But of course like the true Swift fans we are we ran back towards the barricade as she was flying through the stadium singing “Delicate” on her way to B-stage.
It was so cool to finally be close to her. When I saw her during the 1989 Tour I was all the way up in nosebleeds and she was only a dot in the distance, but here she was five feet away from me looking stunning in her colorful dress for “Shake It Off.” She’s gorgeous in her pictures online, but even more in person.
But alas here are 13 reason’s why (not to be confused with the Netflix series) you should see Swift on her Reputation Tour-
1. Charli XCX and Camila Cabello are openers-
Swift proves that this tour is all about girl power with Charli and Camila as openers. Charli sings an array of her hits including “Boom Clap” and “Fancy” and Camila sings songs like ‘Havana” and “Never Be The Same.” They both do a great job of opening the concert and getting the audience hyped up for Swift.
2. "Obsessed" and "Bad Reputation" plays before she comes on-
Swift has an excellent pre-show playlist that really reflects her Reputation era. This of course includes “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey which seems to be a reference to all the Kimye drama and “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett which an obvious nod to what this whole tour stands for. As soon as “Bad Reputation” ends the lights dim and the show begins. It’s the best feeling.
3. The huge stage-
The stage is MASSIVE. Before I finally went to the tour, I saw so many photos of the stage and heard so many things about the size of it, but wow when you walk into the stadium it presides above the whole audience. Even the seats in the back aren’t really nosebleeds because you can still see everything on the massive LED screens that rise into the sky. In addition to the stage, the props really pull the tour together-- the gigantic snake and the literal titled stage during “Look What You Made Me Do,” the sparkling gondola during “Delicate,” and the working fountain during “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” Swift seems to be a master of her own production.
4. FIREWORKS-
It isn’t a Taylor Swift concert without pyrotechnics! There are fireworks for four songs: “I Did Something Bad,” “Shake It Off,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” Fireworks make for great pictures and brings out the liveliness of a song especially “I Did Something Bad” which was my favorite live performance.
5. Choreography-
The choreography is AMAZING. The dancers put on their own performance separate from Swift and even Swift’s dancing has improved. Swift gets raised up during “I Did Something Bad,” dances on the “titled stage” during “Look What You Made Me Do,” and gets on her knees during “Don’t Blame Me.” Swift and her dancer squad= know exactly what they are doing!!
6. Surprise song on B-stage-
Each tour, Taylor sings a surprise song. This surprise song can be anything from her debut album to the album previous to “Reputation,” “1989.” The first night I saw her she sang “Change” from her “Fearless” album and the second night she sang “Ours” from her third album, “Speak Now.” It was so nice to get a glimpse into the Old Taylor in her most rebellious era yet. The Old Taylor isn’t as dead as you think.
7. Occasional special guests-
It is well known that in the past Swift has had an abundance of special guests on her tours including Justin Bieber, Mick Jagger, Selena Gomez, and Lorde. So far during the Reputation Tour she has had many guests including Niall Horan in London, Hayley Kiyoko in Foxborough, -- unfortunately the one night at Gillette I didn’t go to -- Shawn Mendes in Pasadena, Bryan Adams in Toronto, and more. It’s so great that Swift allows these artists to gain exposure in one of her biggest tours yet!
8. Light up bracelets-
This is Swift’s second tour using light up bracelets -- the last being 1989 -- and it adds another element to the show and really brings the crowd together. From pink during “Love Story” to red during “I Did Something Bad,” but the bracelets don’t stop there. The bracelets even make shapes in certain parts of the crowd according to the song. In “King Of My Heart” there was crowns throughout the audience and “Look What You Made Me Do” had the bracelets make snakes slither around the stadium.
9. Snakes everywhere-
If anything symbolizes this era it is definitely SNAKES. Swift’s obsession with snakes began after Kim Kardashian and Kanye West instigated drama between Swift after the release of West’s song “Famous” that made sexist remarks about Swift. When this drama began in July of 2016, Kardashian got her followers to comment the snake emoji on Swift’s social media posts. And of course Swift soon reclaimed the snakes as her own and incorporated them into this era. There are giant snakes that pop up on the B-stages and a massive snake that slithers around during “Look What You Made Me Do” as well a snake graphics on screen throughout the concert. Additionally, on the two year anniversary of the snake drama, Swift even wished everyone one in the audience a Happy Snake Day during the show.
10. IF A MAN TALKS SHIT THEN I OWE HIM NOTHING-
This was my favorite line to scream during the show from the second song she performs, “I Did Something Bad.” From the pause after it to the fireworks it truly is such a powerful performance.
11. The monologues-
Swift changes up her speeches to the crowd every night and makes everyone in the audience feel loved and appreciated. At Gillette she thanked those who have attended all of her Gillette shows and even gave a shout out to those who were seeing her for the first time. If Swift wasn’t a professional performer practically ruling the music industry then she could be an excellent motivational speaker. She really knows how to hold the large crowd's attention for two hours.
12. Long Live/New Years Day on the piano-
Swift takes the ballad “Long Live” from her “Speak Now” album and mashes it up with “New Years Day” from “Reputation” on piano for a breathtaking and goosebump raising performance. I grabbed onto my friends during this performance and just took in the beauty of the night. I'll never forget that moment.
13. Her confidence on stage-
After Swift’s most vulnerable years she rose up and released her most confident album ever, “Reputation” and the tour proves this aura with her outfits, choreography, and monologues.
Bottom line: This tour is WORTH the money. I paid over $100 for both of my tickets and based on the impressive production with the light up bracelets, massive screen, props, merch, fireworks, etc...you do get your money's worth. This was way more than a concert, it was a SHOW. Swift proved that there are few people as good as her and that she is a class act that should be taken seriously. Although Swift may claim that the Old Taylor is dead, there are still old remininents of Old Taylor throughout the show. But the New Taylor definitely takes the reigns.
Additional tour dates HERE.
Sarah, xo
