Australia had long awaited the arrival of pop megastar Taylor Swift’s global Reputation tour. The tour boasted an all-female lineup, with band Broods and Charli XCX sharing the stage as Swift’s opening acts.
The energy for the show was set as soon as New Zealand outfit Broods took to the stage. Frontwoman Georgia Nott was decked out in a pink faux fur dress combination and danced bombastically around stage as fans were treated to many of their hits, such as ‘Free’ and the danceable ‘Peach’. This set was full of charisma and perfectly warmed audiences up for the next act, Charli XCX.
Charli XCX burst onto stage with her signature funky attitude singing some of her best songs. The sold-out audience were on their feet for the entirety of her set, as tracks, ‘Fancy’, ‘Boom Clap’ and ‘Break the Rules’ were sung with unparalleled energy.
As Charlie XCX wrapped things up, Marvel Stadium became pitch black as screens lining the stage lit up with images of snakes, magazine headlines and short soundbites of Taylor Swift’s voice. The word “Reputation” flashed on the screen before Swift emerged in a bedazzled leotard. The moment Taylor Swift stepped onto the stage, she didn’t miss a beat, everything was choreographed meticulously.
Swift opened her show with Reputation’s leading single ‘Ready for It’ and from the moment she begun her concert, audiences were enchanted. The show was like none other, and consistently showed just how invested Swift is to her fans. Not only did she parade around the entire arena to give diehard fans a glance from every angle, but she equipped each audience member with glowing bracelets. Each bracelet illuminated with every beat and bounce of her songs.
The show had elaborate set designs including digital screens, a working water fountain, fireworks and inflatable snakes to name a few, which were all encompassed on a multilevel stage. To create even more of a spectacle, Swift was suspended by the ceiling in a snake skeleton and a fairy light-covered cage, whilst swinging above audiences and singing her classics.
Crowds were wowed by a medley of Swift’s earlier songs like ‘You Belong with Me’ and ‘Love Story’ which brought Swift’s fans, or “swifties” as they’re affectingly referred to, to their feet. Crowd favourite ‘Shake it Off’ followed with support acts Charli XCX and Broods sharing the stage for the epic track. From there, Swift belted out a compilation of older songs mixed with newer Reputation tracks such as ‘Gorgeous’, ‘End Game’ and ‘Delicate’ and what a winning combination it was.
As Charlie XCX put it so eloquently during her set, “Every single night, there’s three girls taking this stage — that’s girl power!”. Above all, it was a moment of inclusion and equality — a night for the girls to reign supreme and as Swift’s sheer talent combined seamlessly with the mesmeric production, this stadium show was like none other.
Highlight: The treat of older masterpieces, ‘Blank Space’ and ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’.
Lowlight: The size of the venue made it hard to see Swift from every angle.
Crowd Favourite: Cult classic ‘Shake it Off’ feat. Charli XCX and Georgia Nott from Broods.
