A more self-assured and less awkward than the one bolstered by over-the-top production numbers enthralled the sold-out crowd with her second night at the on Sunday for the “1989” tour, and if her increased confidence is whatap driving her desire to mentor young girls from the stage, well, awesome.
Of the 16 songs she offered the bordering-on-hysteria audience — which was a people-watching smorgasbord of teens and tweens dressed in puff-paint-covered T-shirts pledging their allegiance to their Tay Tay, similarly attired frat boys and an alarming number of slutty moms dressed in too-short skirts and heels — 11 were from her latest effort, “1989,” a bold move for the Princess of Pop, whose older songs have become anthems for women of all ages.
By most accounts — and there were quite a few people in the crowd who were there both nights — the second night was the same as , with one notable exception: she played “You Belong With Me” halfway through instead of “Fifteen.” “This is the moment in the show where itap just me and you,” she said before strumming her guitar. “I just decided 17 seconds ago which song I was going to play.”
The rest of the set, of course, followed the carefully choreographed script. But unlike on the last tour, Swift let the music stand on its own much more, to powerful effect. Instead of racing through 15 costume changes that often went with elaborately conceived, story-driven dance numbers, this bolder Swift kept things relatively simple, relying on her dozen dancers to accentuate rather than steal the show.
Her outfits were glittery and pretty and mostly tastefully sexy, although the slutty moms probably felt vindicated when she appeared in thigh-high boots held to her shorts with garter straps. A pink ensemble with crop-top and flouncy skirt — donned for the only truly elaborate production, a “Singing in the Rain”-style number for a rousing rendition of “How You Get the Girl” — was covered in lights that strobed in time to the beat with the silicone LED wristbands everyone received, which changed color and made for an inclusive feel throughout the show.
Musical highlights included the extended guitar session that followed “How You Get the Girl,” as well as a lovely, melodic mash-up of “Enchanted” and “Wildest Dreams,” and the spectacular and fitting finale, “Shake It Off.” Her vocal timbre was strong and forceful, especially during “Love Story” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and it was hard not to feel her energy and appealingly fierce pluck as she sashayed back and forth, comfortable in her own skin, complete with head tosses and relaxed hip gyrations as she swung those endless legs up and down a succession of rotating and rising stages that better connected Swift to her people.
It was fun, too, to hear what some of her BFFs — Lena Dunham, Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Jaime King, Lily Aldridge and the Haim sisters — had to say about their beloved via video; each was dressed in a snazzy little-black-something sort of outfit, and their lavish praise was interspersed with humorous video of Swift semi-successfully trying to hold onto her cats, Dr. Meredith Grey and Detective Olivia Benson.
Awkward Tay Tay appeared only when she delivered a (too) lengthy girl-power speech that included admonishments to young ladies about how mistakes make you stronger and only you can see your scars, etc. It seemed to be heartfelt, though, and the crowd went wild as she finished and then launched into “Clean.” Overall, this is a stronger, savvier Taylor Swift who nonetheless has backed away from seeming so commercially calculating. “I look at your Instagram photos to see what you’re going through,” she said. “I love all your pictures, and I want you to know I understand.”
If I had anything negative to say — and that would not go along with the positive vibe here, I know — it would be that someone should tell Swift that “Denver” doesn’t always have to have the word “Colorado” attached to it. Saying excessively, “Itap so good to be here in Denver, Colorado” and “Denver, Colorado, how are you?” could not have sounded more disingenuous.
The other thing was that, after all the hype on this tour about , Denver, Colorado, seems to have gotten a little ripped off, because it didn’t happen either night, and it was a hot topic as folks streamed out of the arena. At the very least, she could have brought out talented, silky-voiced opener Vance Joy — who does the infectious “Riptide” and is just the kind of affable, gentle man candy this crowd could appreciate — for a duet.
Minor quibbles. Denver, Colorado, was clearly happy to have so much Swift to themselves, and — as in the case of the inconsolable little girl who promptly burst into tears the second the show was over (and I’m sure she wasn’t the only one) — sad to see her go.
Setlist
Welcome to New York
New Romantics
Blank Space
I Knew You Were Trouble
I Wish You Would
How You Get the Girl
I Know Places
You Belong With Me
Clean
Love Story
Style
Bad Blood
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Enchanted/Wildest Dreams
Out of the Woods
Shake It Off
