Taylor Swift August 24th at Staples Center Los Angeles
Taylor Swift hit the Staples Center for a record 5 sold out nights during her 1989 Tour. Possibly one of the most hyped series of concerts in most recent memory, I was psyched to be lucky enough to attend. I swear one of my friends would have poisoned me for my ticket. Luckily, I made it to the venue and basically the capital of SwiftLand in one piece.
Happily I arrived in time to catch Haim, who I’ve seen before and are amazing. These sisters are always on point with an epic performance mixing catchy lyrics and rock anthems. Their energy was high and they surely won over a few new fans touring with Taylor. They’re from the LA area so this performance was especially poignant for the trio.
Finally, Taylor hit the stage. Members of the audience each received a bracelet which was controlled to synchronize with Taylor’s performances. Not being a huge Swiftie, I was shocked by how many songs I knew from the set. It’s hard to believe Taylor’s been around for 10 years. Her energy electrified the audience and continued throughout the show. She changed many tracks to be performed in a different style than on her albums and made a point to interact with the audience almost constantly.
And of course, we were all psyched to see who Taylor would bring out at this show. I’d been holding my breath every night before hoping for something epic to be left when we got to Monday night. Luckily, she didn’t disappoint. Her first guest was Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks to sing a karaoke classic “Goodbye Earl”. Then during “Style” she brought out the delightful Ellen Degeneres to dance alongside her.
After her first few surprises, Taylor kept the energy of the show up bouncing between classics and flying above the audience. The full-length catwalk leading into the audience lifted allowing Taylor to soar above us all and give everyone in the audience a chance to feel as if they were in the first row.
For her third guest, Taylor brought out one of the best surprises of the tour. All of our 90s nostalgia hit when she brought the queen of break-up songs Alanis Morisette on stage to sing a duet of the wildly inappropriate for children “You Oughta Know”.
As the night winded down, Taylor performed some slower songs with only her guitar or keyboard, proving she’s more than just a fantastic performer, she’s also got the vocals to back it up.
I have to admit that by the end of the show I was a much bigger Swiftie than before. I picked up a t-shirt for myself and an 8-year-old friend who loved Taylor long before I did. Overall, the concert was fantastic and I’d see her again in a second.
Featured Image Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times