If you’re a working mom like me, then I am not sure how much you are paying attention to popular culture. And if so – are you tracking the public feuds between musician artists? Do you even know what I’m talking about? Are you aware that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have a very public beef with Taylor Swift?
Do you care? Probably not. I don’t either.
However, I do have a couple of Swift’s songs downloaded. Some of them have even made their way onto my running play list.
Why? Because they’re catchy as hell.
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So why am I writing about Swift? Because unless you have been living under a rock – you would know that as of January 1st, her special called Reputation has been available on Netflix.
I originally thought this was going to be a documentary of Swift’s Reputation World Tour, where cameras would follow her around and capture a behind the scenes view. Most online blog posts that I follow made it sound like this.
That is not what it was. Reputation focussed on her last show of her latest tour that ended in Dallas.
These blog posts also claimed that after watching Reputation, viewers would realize how harsh media as well as society in general have been toward Swift. And that any viewer watching the special would become a fan of hers.
Stadium concerts have a really different feel compared to normal concerts. Due to this larger-than-life venue, you don’t get a lot of raw intimate moments with the artists. And all of Swift’s concerts within this tour were strictly stadium shows. This meant she had to sell a lot of tickets. And because she is Taylor Swift – she had no problem doing so.
My first impression of this well-rehearsed and choreographed show was the elaborate set and the fact that the back-up dancers all looked like Olympic athletes. These dancers went non-stop, keeping up an incredible pace for two hours straight.
Reputation opened with soundbites of Swift being covered in the media, which then moved into her song Ready For It, followed by I Did Something Bad and then Gorgeous.
Her costumes didn’t really vary. Throughout the show, Swift wore a variety of sequin leotards and sequin dresses – the more sequins, the better. Some leotards were black, some were multi colored but they were all shiny. She wore several different pairs of black boots with low heels. Standing at 5’10”, Swift certainly doesn’t need the extra height and the humble heels allowed her the necessary comfort to strut around for two hours. In my opinion, she actually dresses modestly for a pop star.
The stage set was okay, but I expected more. There were a lot of gold accents and some huge giant metal snakes – gold cobras, I think. It was odd.
During the concert, while the camera panned the audience (which it does often), you see as expected, mostly teenage girls. One thing that I thought was funny – toward the beginning you also clearly see a bunch of dads there. They were all on their phones.
Several songs into the set, Swift played Style and it was the first song that I recognized. Apparently, there were only four released singles from the current album featured, which is why I didn’t recognize a lot of the songs.
The next few songs I also knew: You Belong with Me, Look What You Made Me Do, End Game and King of My Heart – all were pretty good. The show included 14 of the 15 songs from the Reputation album, and the total number of songs performed was 22. If you haven’t already pieced it together, it was a long concert.
While performing You Belong with Me, Swift was clearly out of breath. It was apparent to her audience that she does sing live, with only the backup tracks playing in the background.
The highlight of the entire concert was the appearance of her two friends Camila Cabello and Charlie XCX (I have no idea who this is). They both joined her on stage to sing Shake It Off together.
Overall, this was a very well-produced and choreographed stadium concert. But nothing earth shattering by any means – no surprises or big reveals. Which was why all the internet hubbub surrounding the show had me stumped.
Swift’s concert was about what I’d expected. It wasn’t bad, but the camera close-ups of her eye rolls, facial expressions, and statements to the fans were all pretty predictable and didn’t impress me that much.
But I’m guessing I’m not her target demo either.
Candace Jerome is Working Mom X. She is a blogger that is helping Moms (and herself) find balance between work and family. Ok, & maybe a bit of clothes, hair, and makeup too. Check out her blog at workingmomx.com.
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Hi Nicole,
I’m glad you enjoyed my guest post!
Have a great day,
Candace
What an honest and detailed review, thank you! I think I might give Reputation a miss (although I enjoy the album, and respect Taylor Swift’s feminist credentials, she is fab!) I’m probably not the target demographic either though as I’m 44 and I’ve always thought the Kardashians were those bumpy aliens from Star Trek Voyager, but they’re not apparently?
I’m glad you liked my guest post. I’ve never really understood watching televised concerts or live performances on TV. I think they are still best experienced in person.
Thank you for this! I was curious about it and am now glad I have not wasted my time with it. I’m not a fan of secular music, but I enjoyed Taylor’s beginnings and her more innocent songs that were part of country music. I haven’t kept up much since then just because I mainly listen to contemporary Christian music.
I always enjoy your reviews!