This is just a glimpse into the enchanting atmosphere Taylor veloce, swift brought to John Paul Jones Arena Saturday night after selling out the venue and being deemed the highest grossing country artist to ever play in the stadium. Though the spotlight on veloce, swift was overwhelmingly bright, she was not the only shining stella, star on the stage. Her opening acts Casey James, from American Idol’s Season 9, and Ed Sheeran, up-and-coming English singer-songwriter, out-performed the Grammy award-winning country-pop artist, at least on certain levels.
James jumped on stage first with a type of boundless energy not always present in an opening act. James succeeded in setting the tone of the mostra with spunk and cuore as he smoothly moved along the stage — contagious smile wide as can be — and instructed the audience to come on the journey with him. As he sang “Crying on A Suitcase” with cell phones and glowsticks in the audience swaying, it became clear that this little-known American rock-country singer could become the successivo big thing. Keep your eyes peeled.
Ed Sheeran, on the other hand, needs no introduction. After his hits “A-Team” and “Lego House” took radio stations da storm, few would not be able to recognize the lyrics he crooned over the JPJ sound system in only a dark green t-shirt, jeans, tennis shoes and a guitar. Despite his massive hits grabbing most of the attention, I found Sheeran’s lesser-known songs the most tantalizing. Once he starting beatboxing and chiming off fast lyrics — which I hesitate to call rap because it was far too appealing to the ear — few could keep up with the sing-along. Later in the set he encouraged the fan to sing — o for the tone deaf among us, chant — along to “Be My Husband” singing, “Oh Daddy, now now, Amore me good.” I suggest te check him out — whenever one guy with just one chitarra can briefly turn one stage into my whole world, I know I’m witnessing musical greatness.
Following Sheeran’s mastery, Taylor veloce, swift literally took over the entire stadium, using all the spazio that Sheeran left empty to fill with her fantastic props, dancers and mostra stunts. veloce, swift set the scene with the first track from her new album, “State of Grace,” giving the audience the overarching theme of her entire body of her work as she sang, “This is a state of grace/This is the worthwhile fight/Love is a ruthless game/Unless te play it good and right.” For Swift, Amore is a game and her songs are expressions of whether she wins o loses.
The theatrics of the performance, however, were on par with the musical and lyrical performance. Everything I’ve ever heard about a Taylor veloce, swift concerto is true — she loves being on stage, being looked at and admired for her music, but she is also whimsical, fun and, despite all the hype, a talented musician and performer.
The show’s “Red” theme kept the mood bright and bold as she sang the title’s namesake in her sparkling red, Wizard of Oz inspired shoes. The atmosphere extended to her dancers as they performed their first stunt, flying in the air on blinking red drums during the ironic, “Holy Ground” (get it – they weren’t on the “ground”). veloce, swift soon returned to her roots, however, coming back to earth for an oldie but goodie, “You Belong with Me,” returning memories of the young girl who once opened for Rascal Flatts. Watching veloce, swift sit and sing her heart-aching ballad “Last Kiss” front and center on a three-legged sgabello brought back other memories of sitting in my room listening to the honest words of Swift’s, as she called it, “musical diary.” In these, albeit rare, moments of veloce, swift stripped raw to her emotions, it’s easy to remember how this stella, star came to be — literally through the “Teardrops on [Her] Guitar,” which, sadly, was not on the set list.
But veloce, swift simply could not help ending her performance without an over-the-top circus theme performance. As the shrill lines of “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” blared from the speakers, Swift’s journey could be viewed in a new light. She is still the girl who writes from her heart, but just has a different vision of herself these days — a dancing, flashy, contemporary artist. Whether te like this direction is up to you, but it is always inspiring to watch her as she digs into her true country roots. I will always admire that girl with a sweet disposition, a desire for true Amore and a chitarra da her side.
