Taylor Swift is here to stay
If you’re hoping that Taylor Swift will disappear from the music industry, you’re going to be waiting for a very long time. Performing at the Rogers Centre on June 14 and 15 as part of her Red Tour, Swift’s concert showed an appreciation for the musical aspect at the core of the glitzy show, as well as gratitude for the devotion of her fans. Swift performed the most recent hits off her new album, such as “22”, “We are Never Getting Back Together” and her riveting duet “Everything Has Changed” with opener Ed Sheeran; the audience responded with cheers and they proudly sang along to every word.
When reviewing the spectacle of Swift’s show, you cannot help but think that she is the biggest phenomenon since The Beatles. It sounds blasphemous, I know, comparing anyone to The Beatles, but Swift has gained the same kind of notoriety that has immortalized The Beatles today. Swift joked about her tumultuous love life during her concert, acknowledging that she “writes a lot of breakup songs” about the celebrities she has dated, such as Joe Jonas and Harry Styles. When purchasing her albums, the entire album is dedicated to her journey from passionate love to devastating heartbreak.
Although she is associated with wholly expressing her feelings, Swift was not the originator of singing about her feelings. This strong connection with love ballads is also what first attracted attention to The Beatles, who have become immortalized through their poignant love ballads such as “All you Need is Love” and “If I Fell”. For both artists, it is impossible for someone to not be able to identify with at least two songs that each had sung. Obviously Swift has given people a reason to remember her music since her debut album came out eight years ago. This was evident when nostalgia washed over the crowd as Swift played the acoustic version of “Tim McGraw”, her first single from her debut album. It was one of the few moments when fans remained completely silent, as they relished in Swift’s journey from a small-town country singer to the unstoppable superstar that was performing before them.
Over 45,000 fans showed up to see Swift perform and they were a spectacle in themselves. Her fans were adorned in shirts with Swift’s face and her most memorable lyrics. Other fans held up signs that proudly expressed their love for Swift. Some die-hard fans sobbed when Swift first appeared on stage singing “State of Grace”. This fandom mirrors the faithful followers of The Beatles, composed of doe-eyed females who most likely thought that they were going to marry one of the members. Swift’s fan base is almost predominantly composed of tween females who look to her as a role model for female empowerment and strength.
Even the concert in itself is a reminder to audience members and fans everywhere that Swift will forever be remembered as an icon in her own right. Her show was glitzy, shooting out fireworks at various points, Stomp-style percussion interludes and a memorable circus-themed blowout for her encore rendition of “We are Never Getting Back Together.” Needless to say, it is very easy to understand what all the hype surrounding Swift is once you’ve seen her perform live. It is clear that she had put her heart into her shows to please her dedicated fans. And that dedication will not go unnoticed by fans for the many years to come.
