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Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” had just finished being piped in through the speakers, quickly replaced by a bevy of recorded voices talking about how one of the world’s biggest stars has greatly damaged her reputation over the last few years.
Then two towering shadows appeared on mammoth video screens, rising several stories off the stage. The shadows belonged, of course, to one Taylor Swift, who suddenly appeared in person and asked the most important question of the night:
“Are you ready for it?”
Yes, indeed, they were – all 55,000 fans in attendance on Friday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. In fact, they had been ready for months, basically counting down the days since the pop diva announced the dates for her Reputation Stadium Tour back in November.
And the 28-year-old singer-songwriter definitely lived up to even the loftiest expectations, delivering what was pretty much a perfect pop spectacle in support of her latest album “Reputation.” If this is what having a chip on your shoulder sounds like then, well, everyone should have one. Swift performed 25 songs in right around two hours, during which there was never a dull moment or, really, even much of a misstep.
And this is how @taylorswift13 opens her show at @levisstadium in beautiful Santa Clara pic.twitter.com/kh367SbQdJ
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) May 12, 2018
It was so good that I felt a bit jealous of the people who have tickets for the second night (May 12) at Levi’s. If you saw her previous stop at Levi’s, in support of the “1989” album in 2015, this one was even better. And it has a lot to do with how much Swift has grown as an entertainer in three years, especially in regard to her ability to command a stage, and also how well the “Reputation” material translates live.
And what’s really amazing is this was just the second show of the tour, which kicked off earlier this week in Arizona. It’s amazing to think it might get even better as the tour progresses.
Following enjoyable opening sets from Camila Cabello and Charli XCX, Swift made it clear upfront that the focus of the night was on “Reputation.” She kicked off the show with three straight new tracks — the dramatic “ … Ready For it?,” “I Did Something Bad” and “Gorgeous” — before venturing back to older material.
Her vocal work, which has definitely improved over the years, was absolutely on point to start. And it would somehow only get stronger as the night progressed.
The biggest problem she faced was trying to fit everything into the show, relying perhaps a bit too heavily on medleys and shortened versions of songs. That’s the price you pay when you have as many great tunes as Swift has in the songbook.
Still, it was hard to argue with the medley method as she sweetly sewed together “Style” (from “1989”) with “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” (both from “Fearless”).
How about a little Love Story, Santa Clara? @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/vkVSrHbyxF
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) May 12, 2018
She proved she could do big with the best in the business, as she convincingly rocked through such stadium-sized anthems as “Look What You Made Me Do” and “End Game” amid a swirl of flashy dance routines, cool stage props and pricey special effects. Yet just when things were getting a bit too hectic, Swift would slow things down and just let her personality and smile carry the evening for a while.
She understands the importance of a properly paced show as well as any pop star in the business. And, fortunately, her game is well-rounded enough that she can excel equally at every different aspect of the show. That hasn’t always been the case. Even three years ago, on the tour in support of “1989,” Swift was a slightly uneven entertainer, as she was still fingering out how to go from country singer-songwriter to big-time pop star.
But she’s figured that out now — and how.
There were so many great moments of the night, but one of the most memorable came when Charlie XCX and Cabello returned to the stage to join in on Swift’s “Shake It Off.” They danced about a smaller stage set up toward the back of stadium’s floor, joined by other dancers and a rainfall of confetti. (Watch videos of the three performing together here.)
https://twitter.com/jimthecritic/status/995169260157616130
“Shake It Off” is one of the best pop songs of the last 10 years. It’s also one of the most ironic, given that Swift seems to have such difficulty taking her own advice to shake things off. She harbors a grudge like nobody’s business — especially if she feels she’s been disrespected — and we’ve heard the songs that prove it.
The evidence of those grudges could also be seen onstage, especially with the use of the giant snake props — which is a reference to Kim Kardashian calling Swift a snake. She also reportedly addressed some of those issues and hurts during the tour opener, but, fortunately, didn’t really elaborate in Santa Clara.
. @taylorswift13 sits at piano and sings pic.twitter.com/0JLu3ubosc
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) May 12, 2018
Swift saved her best for the last quarter of the show, sailing through a sexy version of “Dress” before powering the glorious gospel/soul of “Don’t Blame Me,” which featured Swift’s most dramatic vocal work of the night. Then, in another sharply satisfying change in dynamics, she took to the piano for a gorgeous solo segment highlighted by the tender, nostalgic “New Year’s Day,” before rising back up and bringing the concert to a close with the likes of “Getaway Car” and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”
