On August 7, Taylor Swift performed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, as part of “The Eras Tour.”
HAIM and Gracie Abrams served as her musical acts at this show, and they warmed up the stage for her.
‘Lover’
Swift kicked off her show with a condensed version of “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” and it was followed by “Cruel Summer” and “The Man.” Judging from the fan response, “Cruel Summer” is the gift that keeps on giving.
She also trimmed down the carefree “You Need to Calm Down” and expressed her gratitude to her opening acts during “Lover.”
‘Fearless’
The “Fearless” portion of the show featured some of the fan favorite songs of the night, such as the ubiquitous tunes “You Belong With Me,” “Love Story,” and “Fearless,” where everybody was clapping along with her. Even the male security guards in the audience were singing along with Swift on these pop hits.
“All right, LA,” she exclaimed, and she moved from each side of the stage so that the audience around the venue had an equal chance to see her.
“Are you ready to party with us?” Taylor Swift asked, and the Los Angeles crowd went nuts.
‘Evermore’
After a video montage played, Swift underwent an outfit change, and evergreen trees were added to the stage’s backdrop.
The songs from her “Evermore” era displayed her sultry side. HAIM joined her on “no body, no crime,” and “willow,” which was crisp and resonant.
Speaking of “willow,” the lyrics were pure poetry and her vocals were lilting and resonant. Blue lights dimmed from the stage, and it had an “Into The Woods” vibe to it.
“Musically speaking, we have a lot to catch up on,” Swift told her audience, and she noted that doing a 3.5 hour show is the best way to do that. “This tour has meant so much to me. It has meant more than I could ever explain to yo. Thank you so much for hanging out.”
“I missed you a lot, and the connection that we have when we sing and dance together,” she admitted to her fans. “We thrive on that. I decided to keep that connection going, which has been so special in my life, and I was going to make and release as many albums as humanly possible,” she said, and went on to introduce some “new members of her family” that she acknowledged at that point.
With her feet planted firmly on the ground, Swift delivered a harking version of marjorie” and the piano-laden “champagne problems.” Following the warm reception of the latter tune, she took a moment to take the warm response in.
She acted out “tolerate it” on stage, which had a somewhat “Bridgerton” vibe to it, and that should be taken as a compliment. The 3-D video board was a true spectacle during this performance.
Swift described “Evermore” as her “second pandemic album.”
‘Reputation’
In the “Reputation,” she showed some attitude and rebellion with such bombastic hits as the slithering “Ready for It?” where she and her female dancers came in with their high heels, and that album’s lead single “Look What You Made Me Do.”
During “Delicate,” blue lights dimmed from the stage and it has reverb on the chorus. In “Don’t Blame Me,” she showed her ability to hit the high notes, while two of her guitar players slayed the guitar solos towards the end.
“You guys are really cool and amazing tonight,” Swift said. “You are a very, very generous group of people and I am lucky to be hanging out with you.”
‘Speak Now’
“Speak Now” showcases the songstress’ whimsical side with “Enchanted,” where she wore a puffy purple dress, and “Long Live,” where she accompanied herself on a blue acoustic guitar, and eight of her band members joined her on stage during this performance.
‘Red’
Ironically enough, “22” was the 22nd song of the evening, and it was nostalgic and a great deal of fun. Her male dancers joined her on stage during this youthful performance, which featured Slovenian dancer and choreographer Jan Ravnik, where the viewer could recall Zac Efron in “High School Musical.”
The “Red” chapter of the show included such anthemic tunes as “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and a lengthy version of “All Too Well,” where she was able to sustain the audience’s attention for its entire duration.
“Can you put the lights on so that I can see you all,” Swift told the venue staff.
‘Folklore’
She spoke about the significance of her “Folklore” album, which she started writing during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was able to channel her inner Joan Baez during this portion of the show.
“Folklore” showcased her acoustic singer-songwriter side with such songs as “the 1,” which had a retro vibe to it, “betty,” “the last great american dynasty,” and it closed with “cardigan,” where she waltzed onto the stage in a true Stevie Nicks “Bella Donna” fashion.
I feel grateful that you guys embraced this album the way you did,” she said. “With this album, I created imaginary friends, an imaginary world, and I was able to create characters.”
‘1989’
The music from “1989” was another fun era, which she began with “Style,” no pun intended.
She underwent yet another outfit change, and picked up the pace with “Style” as the got the audience back on their feet (after giving them a sitting break to enjoy the songs from “Folklore”).
Swift immediately broke into “Blank Space,” which featured four glow in the dark bicycles, as well as the liberating “Shake It Off.”
She closed the “1989” era with two fan favorites “Wildest Dreams” and “Bad Blood,” the latter of which was an anthem of female empowerment; however, both of these songs were condensed renditions, and this journalist would have wished both of these tunes were longer, especially since the original recordings stand out melodically, lyrically, and vocally.
The pyro canyons for the ending of “Bad Blood” were quite the spectacle.
Surprise acoustic songs
“When I did the ‘Eras Tour,’ I assigned the acoustic set as a place where I would challenge myself to play songs that I don’t normally play live or songs that I haven’t played live in a long time or songs that I wouldn’t have done live in an acoustic way,” she elaborated.
“This portion of the show is equally exhilarating and terrifying because I do two different acoustic songs each night,” she said.
Changing into a yellow dress, Swift treated the audience to “Dress,” which marked her first time doing this song on tour acoustically, as well as exile,” which saw its tour debut with Swift playing it on the piano.
‘Midnights’
After “Lavender Haze,” “Anti-Hero” became the theme song of the evening, where the crowd was reciting the lyrics verbatim. She closed her extended set with “Bejeweled” and “Mastermind,” coupled with the outro of “Karma.”
The only downside is that she didn’t do some of her biggest hits, such as “Should’ve Said No,” “Red,” “Mean,” “White Horse,” “Back to December,” “Today Was a Fairytale,” “Ours,” or her breakthrough single “Tim McGraw,” but with 45 songs, one can really not complain. Perhaps she could save these aforementioned tour for an upcoming “Greatest Hits” tour should she ever choose to have that theme.
Also, this journalist could have wished that Swift balanced out her “Speak Now” and “Fearless” sets with more songs there (and reduce a few songs from the “Folklore” portion of the show.
The Verdict
Overall, Taylor Swift proved to be one dynamic performer and storyteller, who played over 45 songs for her dedicated fans at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
It was an unprecedented, positive, elaborate, and immersive concert experience, coupled by a lavish production that featured the latest technology, art and set designs.
Her opening acts, HAIM and Gracie Abrams, were noteworthy in their own right. Her entire band featured some gifted musicians, background vocalists, and some extremely talented dancers, including Jan Ravnik.
Swift played for fans of all age groups and she was able to craft an unforgettable experience for all of them. She was able to provide an escape for her audience, as well as push the envelope and set the standard high for all contemporary artists out there.
Despite being arguably the biggest name in pop music in the world, she appeared humble, grounded, and expressed her appreciation for her fans, who have been a vital part of her musical journey. It was evident that Swift is a fan of her actual fans, which are affectionately known as Swifties.
Swift was not afraid to be raw and vulnerable and her vulnerability was her audience’s reward. Her live set garnered an A rating.
