Pop icon Taylor Swift brought her “Reputation” tour to 50,000 Nashville fans at Nissan Stadium on Saturday night in support of her latest album released last year.
Loyal fans that had prepared for this night months in advance came ready in sparkly dresses, snake outfits, and other themed attire that tied into songs, albums, and outfits throughout Swift’s career.
When “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers sounded over the speakers the crowd erupted knowing their idol would hit the stage soon. Following a short video introduction to the “reputation” era, she appeared through a break in the screens of her 110’ stage to start the show with her synth heavy track “…Ready for It?”
Normally pyro and fireworks typically signal the finale of a show, but for Swift she introduced them in only the second song, “I Did Something Bad,” showing off the level of production invested in this tour. With three stages on the stadium floor, Swift performed at each giving fans even in the very back of the stadium a great view of her at some point in the night. And if that wasn’t close enough, she also ran through the floor between stages giving fans the opportunity for a quick chance to touch the hand of the superstar herself.
Mixed in with the pop hits, dancers, and flashy stage setups, she played several stripped down acoustic songs standing alone on stage. “A song should be able to be taken back to its original beginning and still be good,” Swift said telling the audience how she always starts writing a song with only a guitar or piano to work with before building any other instruments and beats into it. “I still think of myself as a songwriter first,” she explained before performing her song “Better Man,” which became a hit for the country band Little Big Town.
At only 28 years old, Swift has already had over a decade long career. “I meet fans that say ‘I started listening to you when I was nine’ and I’m looking at an adult now,” she said onstage speaking about the passage of time before she played her song Long Live dedicated to her fans.
Taking the audience back in time, Taylor gave fans a treat when she played one of the songs that started it all for her, “Tim McGraw.” And what Nashville show would be complete without at least one surprise? Midway through the song Faith Hill rose from under stage to sing a chorus with Swift, only to have Tim McGraw himself appear after another verse of the song.
Swift ended the night in a spectacular display of confetti and water fountains to perform a mashup of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things.”