There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation.
Before May 22nd, 2018
When I first heard that Taylor Swift was going on tour, I was super excited - that is, until I saw the dates and locations of the tour. The closest location from home would be Seattle, and the concert was on a Tuesday. Take into consideration, I was working with a different company when the announcement was made back in November (I wasn't sure whether I would be able to get the days off).
Forward to the beginning of May, when Taylor kicked off the tour. I was watching video clip one after another on Instagram, thinking that I might as well experience the tour through my phone. I didn't think that I would be attending the concert, that I should save my money for another time... oh, how wrong was I.
Turns out, I received my schedule from work (my current one), and it was a sign from the universe: I had May 22nd and 23rd free! The weird part is that my regular days off are not those ones - I had to go and watch Taylor! But who would be available in the middle of the week? I asked friends on Facebook, but those interested were either far away from me, or had other priorities...
I was running out of people, and so I asked the one person who may have been interested: my sister. Not a big fan of concerts, my sister was really considering this one, long as there was someone to watch over her son/my nephew. Having to look for more resources, I relied on my trusting and faithful auntie. Like a second mother, she loved looking after my nephew; and naturally, he loves her the most.
Once everything was set in stone, I had to find my tickets - I had one day to figure this all out. To my surprise, the concert was not completely sold out - I think it's the last minute released tickets that Ticketmaster holds on to (or, that is what I believe). Having no clue how the stadium in Seattle worked, I selected seats that seemed relatively close to the stage, but still at a decent price. After looking for a good hour, I finally selected seats - my sister and I were in for the biggest snake tour!
May 22, 2018
My auntie and I left home to Seattle around 12:30PM, and managed to get to my sister's house around 4:30PM. Although the trip to Seattle takes on average three hours, my auntie and I took a pit stop for lunch, and got caught up in the Seattle traffic, missing the turn from the highway into the city (that was not a pretty sight, needless to say).
With a few hours to spare, we got to spend time with my nephew, and got Thai food for dinner (yum, especially the cream cheese wrappers!) Missing out on the opening act, Charli XCX, we left the house around 7:30PM and headed into the downtown core. To our surprise, we managed to find free parking on the streets - now what luck is that on a concert night?
A six-minute walk from the stadium, there were all kinds of people heading into the concert. From the eccentrically dressed to the young at heart, every one was ready for the Taylor experience. Surrounding the stadium were the trucks with Taylor Swift paved all over the sides. Naturally, a photo had to be taken:
So ready for it
Before entering the stadium, all attendees had to go through bag check and metal detectors. What really puzzled me was the fact that people with bags had to enter a separate line from other detectors. Apparently, there was a bag rule where the size could be not bigger than basically your hand... Strange rules in America. Once in, we had no clue where to find our seats. Not really knowing who worked at the venue, my sister asked a woman working the concession stands for assistance. Instead of being on the main level, we had to take a series of levels up to reach our seats. Despite going up so high, the seats were rather close to the stage (keep in mind, I had no clue of the stadium layout).
We got ourselves drinks and went to the washroom before settling in, and the seats were pretty decent - even if that meant that I spent quite an amount for the tickets! Like the previous Taylor Swift concert, there were the light-up bracelets that syncs with the concert... I have no clue how these bracelets work, but they are awesome:
Mid-performance light-up
Quite close to the stage, don't you think?
Explaining to the metal detector about your harness was awkward...
Although I did not have a costume to wear for this concert, I did wear my harness, which lead to my sister questioning if I was into S&M... For reference, Taylor Swift wears a neck strap in the "Look What You Made Me Do" from the same company (was going for that edgy aesthetic). The lead-up to the concert was brilliant, I am satisfied that she used Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" right before her stage entrance. The introductory video was a depiction of her career so far, as well as the rumours that followed along the way. But despite what was told, she gives what the people want: the snake persona. Playing along with this image from the beginning, the whole theme of this concert was going to be anything but dull.
After the first performance, "Ready For It," followed to be what I believe her best performance of the night. From fire to explosions, you can feel the fierceness that she served in her voice (snippet of the performance below):
Go ahead and light me up
You could feel the heat of the fire, it was really hot
After her little anger session, she talked to the audience and gave a shout out to both Charli XCX and Camila Cabello (everyone wished for her to feel better soon!) Being one of the few shows on the northwest coast, she appreciated her fans coming from Oregon and Canada (that's me!) Then Taylor resumed the show by introducing her dancers, which followed into "Gorgeous." The cool part of this performance was the stage floor, where there were clips of her singing scattered all over the place; pretty nifty if you ask me.
Them poses though
Putting a throwback, she brought a medley of her older hits, which included "Style," "You Belong With Me," and this little ditty down below:
Was living for this session
The old Taylor is still well alive
One of my favourite video panels
One of the more elaborate sets from the concert came songs from "Reputation," where she was dancing on a tilted stage, ballin in gold attire, and banging on some big drums. Of all the sets, this one made most sense to me, and probably stayed most true to the whole theme of the show. Here are some visuals of the set:
Look What You Made Me Do 🐍
End Game - now if only Future & Ed Sheehan appeared
King Of My Heart - I enjoyed this performance, especially with the Asian undertone additions
I did wish that "End Game" was performed longer, but she only wanted to sing her part of the song (bummer). Now it was time for Taylor to leave the main stage, and come closer to her fans. Before going up in the air, I thought this clip was marvellous. The bracelets were going off, but in a wave formation - just look at the video:
How is this possibly done?!
Asides from incredible light wizardry, the concert continued to progress in a better direction. Taylor brought out Charli XCX to perform "Shake It Off," and you know that everyone was dancing to this song (I think my sister even swayed from side to side). But one of the most colourful stages to date, you can tell that Taylor is having the time of her life, being closer to her fans.
Look at this galore!
Slowing things down, the acoustic sessions went through, beginning with one of my favourite songs off of "Reputation:"
Singalong time
Trying to be familiar with the set list, I was not ready for the surprise track that she would perform. The song is from her album "Red," but I had no clue about it. But oh my, I am thoroughly impressed by the other people in the crowd who knew every line from that song - goes to show how dedicated are her fans (I need to be reacquainted with my older Swift songs):
Can you hear that audience singing back?
After the guitar was put down, another side of Taylor comes out - the more sensual side. I feel weird to describe Taylor Swift as 'sexy,' but she is out there, strutting what she's got - and you got to admit, she still looks good, even if she got bustier. One of the appealing parts of her concert would have to be the visuals again, and this one caught my eye the most:
Retrospective Taylor on big display
With two songs to sing before returning to the main stage, it felt like forever to have Taylor closer to us - it's much appreciated. Coming back in a snake skeleton, she mashed up two songs that somehow work well together: "Bad Blood" and "Should've Said No;" like the full effect comes full circle somehow.
The most interesting performance would have to go to her gospel-hymn of "Don't Blame Me," which wasn't a song I thought I would enjoy in concert. On track, the song comes out a bit of a slur, but on stage, it's full glory out there. This song would make me give the song another chance, and I am still not sure how I feel about the line "I once was poison ivy, but now I'm your daisy." To me, that line seems rather dirty (maybe it's just me):
The choir singing was everything
And alas, we know the show is coming towards the end once the piano comes out. From tour after tour, Taylor always has customized instruments and microphones. There was something about this piano that I liked, it almost looks like a high-end brand. I don't think there has been a piano this nice in her concerts. Adding to the customizations, she sang the song for her fans, "Long Live," and it was the perfect choice to pair up with "New Year's Day:"
Such innocence behind the keys
If budget went to anything, it would have probably been to this song. The whole introduction to the song makes me feel like the audience had a preview of her next music video. I do enjoy the song, but I think it's the whole packaging that makes me a fan - and I'm sure she will be able to convince that this song is brilliant (I'm still trying to decipher the whole message of the song):
A spectacular video I can't wait to see
And alas, we have reached the end of the tour. With two songs left, she saved the best for last. "Call It What You Want" was just magical, it felt like a fairytale ending for modern day society. After all of the things she's been through, there is only one person that matters to her: her baby. Regardless of what others think, she is truly blissful and enjoying the moment she spends with him:
Water fountain, confetti, and dancing - what more could you ask?
For the finale would be the worst song off of "Reputation," and yet I still sang along to every word of it. Not the ending I imagined, but it makes sense for her to play "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things," I'm sure this is what fuelled the era. Have to admit, the song is growing on me (perhaps I have some demons that need to be summoned).
The End
This was the first concert that I went across boarder (I wouldn't really count Britney Spear's "Piece Of Me," that was a residency show). Although I really enjoyed the show, I felt like something was missing. Maybe the show was too short, or some songs should have been performed in full rather than partly. The flow of the show was steady, but didn't really connect in my opinion.
It's hard to just review the show itself, especially when I want to compare the Reputation Stadium Tour to the 1989 World Tour and the Speak Now World Tour. If it's the theme, then this one didn't really stand out. I loved every song performed, and I was hoping for a performance of "So It Goes," but maybe that song is a bit dark for the stage in front of her fans. There is still room for Taylor to improve, as she continues to progress as a Pop star. Just get a few more dance moves, and I think she will be a force to be reckoned.
Overall, I am glad that I got to see the show, "Reputation" is an album that I can relate, and is a good change for Taylor. If anything, the concert showed me to stay true to yourself, it's okay to feel the way you do, and the results will be magical when you see the change.
I got a t-shirt from my sister, and I am enjoying it quite much. I thought I would not get another tour merchandise, but this shirt was everything:
Snake power
I can't wait for the next Taylor Swift tour - but for now, I will appreciated all that is happening within the era where she got a big reputation, but doesn't give a damn.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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