In the middle of the night, in my dreams, I'll still be thinking about the Reputation Tour.
After years of waiting to finally see this country-singer turned pop star live, I (and thousands of others) left Taylor Swift's Reputation Tour at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans wishing that it never ended. She may have a big reputation but after watching her 2-hour set, Swift proved to the crowd that she has definitely earned it.
Is it even legal to call Taylor's Rep Tour show a "concert?" From the outfit changes, the pyro, and the flying cages to the fan interaction, the giant snakes, and the plethora of dancers, the Rep Tour: NOLA show was a full-blown production. All pictures and videos I looked at prior to the show did not do it any justice. It's truly an experience. In case you missed the concert, I’m going to tell you about some of my favorite parts of the show. So without further ado, here is my official NOLA Concerts Reputation Tour review:
Let's start with the crowd. Swifties from near and far filled the Dome Saturday night. I ran into people in attendance from out of town, out of the state, and even out of the country all to see Ms. Swift in the flesh. Her fans are definitely a force to be reckoned with. From their light up signs and official TS merchandise to their music video inspired outfits and homemade t-shirts, I've never seen a concert crowd quite like this one. After her second song, Taylor addressed the crowd, "You guys are the best, I mean you obviously know that...you guys have done a really nice thing. You broke the all-time attendance record for a female artist in this building." The attendance, provided by Taylor Swift's representative, was 53,172.
The openers. The night started off with an energy-filled performance from UK artist, Charli XCX. Her 7-song set included some of her hit songs like "Boom Clap," "Fancy," and "Boys" which had the crowd singing along and jumping around. After Charli XCX, Camila Cabello took the stage. Cabello performed a 9-song set which featured some of her hit songs such as "Bad Things", "Never Be The Same", and "Havana." Later on in the night, both Charli XCX and Camila Cabello joined Taylor Swift on stage to help perform her 2014 hit single, "Shake It Off." It was a night filled with back-to-back badass, chart-topping females taking the stage. Girl Power!
The pregame. It's always interesting to see what songs are played before the main act goes on stage. The songs during the intermission between openers and headliners set the tone for the night. It was only right for Joan Jett's 1981 hit single "Bad Reputation" to play throughout the stadium right before the lights went down and Swift graced the stage.
The setlist. As she started to perform her opening song, "...Ready for It?" it was 100% clear that the "Old Taylor" was definitely gone. During her 24-song set, Taylor performed almost every single song from her latest album Reputation. Along the way, she threw in a couple songs from her previous albums including Red, 1989, and Fearless. Also, fans were in for a special treat because her surprise song of the night was "Speak Now" - which Swift acknowledged she hasn't performed since her Speak Now Tour in 2012. You can view the entire Rep Tour setlist here. Some of my favorite songs throughout the night were "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Thing," "Shake It Off," and "Dress."
Her production. Taylor Swift may have a big reputation but she had an even bigger stage. The stage itself was over 110 feet tall. Yes, you read that correctly...one hundred and ten feet tall. Rep Tour: New Orleans was filled with amazing Instagram-worthy lighting, colorful confetti, cool pyro, a 110-foot main stage, two large B-stages, two giant inflatable snakes, flying cages, and more. Props to her behind-the-scenes team that breaks down and puts up the stages at every tour stop.
The dancers. Taylor was joined by 14 dancers throughout the night. My favorite parts including the dancers were: them shaking it off on the side stages during "Shake It Off", lifting Taylor up during "...Ready for It" (as pictured), playing in the on-stage fountain during This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things," and dancing during Taylor's performance of "Dress."
The light up bands. "And because of those bracelets, I can see every single person in this stadium even if you're in the top sections...I can see when you've got your hands in the air, I can see when you're dancing." When walking into the show, attendees were given a free wristband and once Taylor hit the stage, the bands flickered along to the beat throughout the night. Seeing the color coordination and flashing lights throughout the crowd was indeed a very cool element of her show. During "Look What You Made Me Do", the lights synchronized to where in sections of the audience lit up in sync to look like a snake was slithering by.
Her interaction with the crowd. I've never seen an artist interact with a crowd as much as Taylor did last night. She flew over the entire crowd in a gold cage while performing "Delicate" which gave those in higher level seats a closer view to the singer. But those who were on the floor were in for a treat when Swift walked (yes, very much casually walked) through the crowd to reach both of her side stages towards the back of the stadium floor. The genuine excitement, disbelief, and overall happiness on the crowd's face when Swift passed by and tapped their hands or smiled into their cameras was a beautiful moment that I know they'll never forget. Also, though she performed the majority of her setlist on the main stage, she did about 6 of her songs on the side stages which gave fans towards the back of the stadium a front row view.
As the show came to an end, "And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive," flashed across the screen. And at that moment it felt like we were all truly alive. Taylor really did THAT and if you missed the Rep Tour in New Orleans, you have exactly one week to book a trip to Houston to catch it before it ends.
Missed the show? Check out my Instagram Highlight from the show.
Also, you can vote for Taylor Swift for the #AMAs. She's currently nominated in 4 categories, including Tour of the Year. After seeing her live, she definitely has my vote.