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| Shake It Off With Friends, 2018 |
On a Tuesday night in Glendale, Arizona, a sea of 60,000
people with sparkling red led bracelets scream when a simple question is asked,
“Are you ready for it?” Two colossal video screens flash the word “rep” and
strobe lights dance as more screams burst into the air. It is May 8, 2018, and
it is the beginning of Taylor Swift’s worldwide Reputation Stadium Tour.
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| Taylor's Dress, 2018 |
With over 40 million worldwide albums sales, 130 million
song downloads, and 6 studios albums, Taylor Swift has numerous choices for her
Reputation Stadium Tour set list and boy, does she deliver! She sang recent
hits such as “Delicate,” “End Game,” and “Look At What You Made Me Do,” as well
as fan favorites such as “Love Story,” “Shake It Off,” and “All Too Well.” She
brilliantly mashed up some of her hits together such as “Bad Blood” and “Should
Have Said No”, and delivered an extremely satisfying experience for everyone,
especially long time Swifties like me. I have been a Swiftie since 2008 and
this was my third time seeing her. The other two times were for her Red Tour
and 1989 Tour.
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| Lighted Zip Line, 2018 |
Swift’s production and staging was next level. She had
massive snakes, screens, and wonderful set pieces such as a three level
waterfall, lighted zip lines, and electric fireworks. You can see one of the
sets in my photograph
Snake Set. I
wanted to capture the grand scale and incredible production her tour has. She
was also accompanied by dancers throughout parts of the show that added even
more joy to the stage. You can see this in my photograph
Taylor Crew. Unlike some other performers who use dancers, you can
tell that Taylor and her dancers were having fun together and get along well.
The dancers are not there to make her look cooler or sexier, but rather to add
more joy and fun to the stage. During “Dress,” one of Taylor’s dancers had
these gorgeous wings and stood behind Taylor, which added to the song’s angelic
sound. This can be seen in my photograph
Taylor’s
Dress.
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| Taylor's Smile, 2018 |
One of my favorite stagings was when she sang ”Getaway Car.”
As she sang, beautiful landscapes from red mountains to evergreen forests to cacti
were displayed. Her visuals looked like they could have been in a movie. I also
really loved her “I Did Something Bad” production. She had laser lights,
strobes, fireworks, and flames erupt from her stage. It was electric!
Another great performance was when she sang “Shake It Off.”
She first got into a lighted ball and was zip lined to a second stage, flying over
the crowd and making eye contact with numerous fans. You can see the lighted
zip line in my photograph Lighted Zip
line. Then when she got onto the second stage, “Shake it Off” began and
brought out her friends and tour openers, Charlie XCX and Camila Cabello. This
can be seen in my photograph Shake It Off
With Friends.
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| Taylor's Crew, 2018 |
This tour shows how nothing can slow down Swift’s incredible
talent and determination. She addressed all the misconceptions and lies
tabloids have shared about her over the years with beautifully crafted videos
and heartfelt speeches. In front of a grand piano, Swift gave a sincere speech
explaining how she was labeled as a “snake” and the toll it took on her. But
Swift is a fighter. She overcomes hate and continues to be herself. She emphasized
the importance of focusing on those who care and love you, not to focus on the
words of those who don’t know you. It is inspiring how she took snakes, which
was originally an insult, and made it empower her. She changed the perception
of snakes and comes out on top. In a world full of so much negativity right
now, it is refreshing to see someone so positive and spreading the message of
respecting others. The Reputation Stadium Tour is one of the best concerts I
have ever been too and is Swift’s best to date! If you are a Swiftie like me,
or even just love great concerts, this is not one you want to miss! Her world
tour is scheduled through November and tickets can be purchased at
taylorswift.com.
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| Taylor with Dancer, 2018 |
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| Taylor With Guitar, 2018 |
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| Snake Set, 2018 |
