There’s no denying Taylor Swift knows how to put on a show.
The 28-year-old US pop star kicked off the Australian leg of her Reputation Tour in epic style at Optus Stadium last night.
In front of a reportedly sold-out 50,000-strong crowd the singer whipped out every bell and whistle an entertainer could think of and then some.
There were confetti cannons, pyrotechnics, incredible sets, massive 33-metre screens, multiple costume changes and choreographed routines with a horde of sassy dancers and backing singers; all spread across six acts.
And snakes, there were lots of snakes. Swift (whose social media accounts were flooded with snake emojis following a very public spat with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian) wore viper jewellery, serpents adorned her microphone, she flew above the crowd in a snake skeleton carriage and giant inflatable cobras hovered over her stages, seeming to bop in time to the music.
Once the squeaky-clean country pop star with a swag of earnest hits to her name, Swift has morphed into a sexy pop diva and the serpent is now her spirit animal.
To the fuzzy, industrial pop intro of … Are You Ready For It? the 10-time Grammy Award winner appeared on stage with her hood up, like a boxer ready to duke it out in the ring.
I Did Something Bad and Gorgeous, also from her latest album 2017’s Reputation, followed before her adoring fans, or Swifties, were treated to a medley of Style/Love Story/You Belong With Me.
Only the second major act to play the venue after her former touring buddy Ed Sheeran christened the stadium across a two-night run in March, Swift managed to command the cavernous space with the ease of a seasoned veteran.
Her enormous stage and screens meant even those in the nosebleed sections felt part of the action, and she also performed on two secondary stages in the middle of the stadium.
However, time delays and acoustic issues did cause some problems as the sound bounced around the huge space.
Swift, whose US leg of the tour broke attendance and venue records and was the highest grossing tour by a female artist in North America proudly announced: “This is the first time a female artist has headlined this stadium. We are so happy to be here with you.”
Visually the show was an unparalleled spectacle with jaw-dropping sets and amazing routines.
Look What You Made Me Do, End Game and King Of My Heart came to life on a lavish, Gatsby-style deco set. It was mesmerising.
The singer remained true to her current set list which is dominated by tracks from Reputation, arguably her most divisive record to date.
All but one of the album’s 15 tracks were performed. And while the bombastic electro pop of … Are You Ready For It? and End Game might suit the stadium environment, they are emotionally redundant and revenge-driven, straying too far from Swift’s confessional style of song-writing.
Perth skipped a step in the evolution of Swift when we were left off the itinerary of 2015’s 1989 tour. And a lot has changed in the five years since 2013’s Red tour when the then 23-year-old whipped out a banjo to sing about high school bullies on Mean.
Now Swift voices her vitriol about her now high-profile enemies while strutting around the stage in a skin-tight black sequined leotard and thigh high boots. But her focus on reclaiming her reputation and getting her own back has come across as abrasive and mean-spirited for many.
Relying so heavily Reputation also came at the detriment of more deserving songs from her back catalogue. While Shake It Off was performed in full, other favourites were reworked into shortened versions or medleys.
Swift was gushing in her admiration of Perth, our new stadium and her Australian fans: “you set the bar for how crazy fans can be”, but ultimately what her loyal Swifties really want is for her to sing the songs that mean the most to them. And most of those songs aren’t from Reputation.
When rain started to fall slowly Swift announced: “I’m not going anywhere no matter what”. Instead she boarded a light-strewn carriage for a trip through the drizzle to her second stage, all while singing Delicate.
Once there she knocked out her biggest hit, the aforementioned Shake It Off, from her career-best 1989 album.
Upon entering the venue each audience member was given a wristband that lit up in time with the music. They flashed furiously during the singalong song which ended with a confetti finale.
It was followed by a patchy but sincere acoustic rendition of Dancing With Our Hands Tied and the Red hit I Knew You Were Trouble.
The Bad Blood/Should’ve Said No medley was a stand-out performed on a multi-level, red cubic backdrop.
A stunning gospel reworking of Reputation's Don’t Blame Me - complete with a full stage of band members, dancers and singers and fireworks - was possibly the most impressive performance of the night.
At times Swift seemed to want to show that the “old Taylor” isn’t really dead, she’s just shed a skin.
In those moments, she was able to connect with her fans in a more authentic way. In particular a beautifully blended piano performance of Long Live/New Year’s Day had hard-core fans swaying and singing along.
The finale of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together/This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things played out like a theatrical, old school musical number as Swift and her dancers frolicked in a fountain. It was loads of fun and totally over-the-top.
While you’d be hard-pressed to find a better pop concert production than Reputation, it feels like somewhere along the way Swift has lost a little of what connected her so closely to her fans.
However, the pop singer loves a challenge and no doubt she will reinvent herself and surprise us all again next time.
But first she’s got to put those snakes to bed.
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