Since the release of Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album in October of 2014, fans have (im)patiently awaited the opportunity to belt out every song on "1989" with the Grammy-winning pop artist in person. On Saturday, July 18th, and Sunday, July 19th, Swift fanatics of the Midwest took advantage of this opportunity as the 1989 Tour approached Chicago, Il. Not only did Swift perform a 2 and a half hour set list to sold out stadiums both nights, she offered a level of personal interaction with her tour that no other artist has.
As concert-goers entered Soldier field, they were handed an LED bracelet and were told by distributors that it was “from Taylor”. As they slid the bracelet on their wrists and wondered what exactly this semi-bulky, white band had in store, their eyes gazed up at the commotion in front of them. Before their eyes, glazed with excitement and wonder, were photo pillars of Taylor Swift to take pictures with, photo booths in which fans could pose for a camera to then receive a print out with Taylor Swift photoshopped in their picture, and a “magic mirror” where fans could listen to a recorded, special message from Taylor Swift, herself. Since seeing Hilary Duff at the age of 8, I have had my fair share of concerts. Never before have I seen a concert, especially one that was part of an international, busy tour, have so much interaction with fans.
As fans made their way to their seats at various times, they had the pleasure of enjoying three opening acts. Shawn Mendes took the stage first singing several songs, but really melted young teenagers’ hearts with his most popular single, “Stitches.” Then, Vance Joy, popular for his hit single “Riptide” followed Mendes in the opening acts. Joy also sang a cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me”, perking up the ears of all parents forced to attend the evening due to their small, Taylor Swift-obsessed children. HAIM, an American pop rock band, was the third and final opening act. The three sisters ended their set list with one of their most popular singles “The Wire.”
A little before 9:30, the lights went out, causing an eruption of squeals and screams from the crowd. Just as the first few beats from “Welcome to New York” blasted throughout the football stadium, every LED wristband lit up, its flashes and color clearly synchronized with the song. The flashes and colors of the LED bands changed with every song on Swift’s 1989 set list, taking the concert to the highest level of fan-interaction that I have ever experienced. It was as if the fans were contributing to the lighting and production of the show, which was something I had never even thought of, but was so amazing!
Swift played just about every song on her 1989 album, including one of her bonus tracks, “New Romantics.” As seen on her Twitter and Instagram, the pop star has brought a surprise guest to every single show so far. About halfway through her set list, she mentioned this, making sure to note that these stars come for free and out of their own time. She then backtracked to talk about her start out as a country singer, and how she remembers her roots and likes to keep in touch with them. It wasn’t long before all 55,000 members of the audience burst into screams as Taylor Swift invited Sam Hunt to join her on stage. The two sang “Take Your Time,” as every fan swung their LED lit hand in their air.
As the nation's hottest new country singer left the stage, Swift carried on with her setlist and played several of her older fan favorites, such as “Love Story” (with a pop twist), “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (with a rock and roll twist) and “Mean.” Tears welled up in my friend next to me’s eyes as Swift sang “Mean” (while strumming her acoustic guitar) and cried, “I can’t believe she’s playin this. This song got me through high school.”
Not only did Swift touch audience members’ hearts with her music, she did so with her words. “We all have something in our lives that isn’t right to us...We all have something that isn’t perfect. Even if you woke up this morning worrying about what isn’t right, you got up, got dressed, got out the door, and you came here. You came here and had fun,” the 1989 artist said. As a Taylor Swift fan, I find her lyrics to be incredibly genuine, setting her apart from nearly every other song writer and pop artist. Her words and interaction with all 55,000 people seated in Soldier Field only confirmed my findings in her. She genuinely thanked every single person for being there, and I believed it. From that concert, I believe that she is truly grateful for her success and her fans, as the said they are “everything to her.”1989 in Chicago proved that Taylor Swift really does have it all: talent, as she endured through a 2 and a half hour setlist with multiple costume changes and played several different instruments (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, keyboard, and more); fashion, as her costume changes were high fashion yet appropriate to all ages; and heart, as she took several moments out of her concert to thank everyone for being there and supporting her in her passion for music.
*Note: This review is written based on Sunday night's performance*
