Concert Review: Taylor Swift's Reputation Tour

By Yising Kao

May 15, 2018

Photo By Yising Kao: Click here for more photos!

On May 11, 2018, I attended Taylor Swift’s concert for her Reputation Tour at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and had the opportunity to shoot photos of it as well. I couldn’t make it to her Los Angeles show anymore, so I flew up for the show, and yes, it was worth it.

Taylor’s concert was PHENOMENAL and honestly one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. Camila Cabello and Charli XCX opened the show and were incredible! I admire how this tour is all about embracing and inspiring girl power. I’ve supported Camila since she was in Fifth Harmony and she inspires me because she used to be a huge fan of Taylor, and now she’s opening for her! Camila and Charli both have awesome music and I’m proud of what they’ve achieved. After they performed, Taylor’s set started with a bang as she performed …Ready For It? which was the perfect opening song. Smoke rose from the stage and there were fireworks and flames that captured the aesthetic. During Look What You Made Me Do, a giant snake rose to the stage and it looked amazing. I admire how Taylor embraced the snake symbol and owned it, showing that she rose above her haters and is thriving! Taylor and her dancers were dressed in strikingly gold outfits that matched the snakes on the screen, and the gold platform they were on. My heart was pounding with excitement as I was surprised with every performance, and I sang at the top of my longs to every song.

Delicate was my favorite performance. Taylor performed on the main stage, then she hopped onto a lit-up, golden platform that reminded me of Cinderella’s carriage, which is perfectly fitting since she looked like an actual princess. She floated through the crowd in the caged platform, landing on one of the smaller B stages as her fans screamed her name, getting a close-up glimpse of her. The stage had a huge inflatable snake, which was an incredible prop. Her Delicate performance created a truly magical atmosphere and I felt like I was in a fairytale. Camila and Charli XCX joined her on the stage to sing and dance to Shake It Off, and confetti exploded everywhere at the end. Her confetti wasn’t regular confetti-it had pieces of mini Taylor newspapers which was very unique and awesome. Another performance I really enjoyed was Bad Blood. Taylor surprised everyone by mashing the song up with Should’ve Said No from her debut album. I was so happy because I remember listening her first album during my childhood, so it was really special. Expect the unexpected for her tour!

Before Taylor’s Long Live and New Year’s Day mashup, she gave a speech that will stick with me forever. She spoke about how sometimes she wonders what she’ll think of her life when she’s 80 years old, and how she will not regret becoming an artist and getting to perform for millions of people every night. Another thing she said was that she loves how her fans relate to her music because it means they shared the same feelings at certain times. Taylor is one of the most genuine artists and people, and she really cares about her fans. She is humble and always expresses her gratitude for anyone who supports her. I started crying during her speeches because her words were beautiful and her music means a lot to me. It was an enchanting performance with the audience waving their phone lights, lighting up the entire stadium, and it looked even more amazing with the lit-up bracelets. The screen played a visual of stars, and I really loved that because I’m obsessed with stars and lights, and it fit flawlessly with her songs. During a video interlude, Taylor spoke a voiceover of amazing poetry while a gorgeous visual of her with colorful smoke bombs played on the screen. It was a perfect transition and I would watch the video 100 more times! Taylor speaks very elegantly and I always look forward to her speeches during her shows.

Taylor’s show ended with her mashup of We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together and This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. She wore a sparkly blue dress and there was a fountain with water spewing out. Fireworks of bright colors exploded around the stage and it was so spectacular. I love how she creates mashups to perform-the songs match extremely well and it’s always a fun surprise!

Overall, the Reputation era is Taylor’s best era yet, and I hope that more people give her a chance and ignore all the drama that the media cooks up. From Taylor’s outfits down to her different microphones, the concert production was so amazing, and I can tell that Taylor and her team put a lot of thought into each performance to express every song’s aesthetics and meanings. Taylor didn’t just perform a concert; she performed a SHOW and told a story through music and visuals. I was entranced during the whole show and entered another world where I didn’t want to escape. Her dancers were incredible and are extremely talented-they even did acrobatics! Taylor and her dancers looked like they were having so much fun on stage and the crowd was incredibly energetic. Also, I love how Taylor had three stages so everyone had a chance to see her from a closer view, no matter where their seats were. I grew up listening to Taylor’s music and she will always be one of my favorite artists. This show was extraordinary and I would definitely go again if I could!