Nearly two years ago I walked into the American Airlines Center to see Taylor Swift perform for her Fearless tour and came out an even more diehard fan. Now, after a new CD and a few public relationships, Taylor Swift still leaves me breathless after seeing her perform.
Stopping in Dallas, (one of her many pit stops in Texas) Taylor drew in fifty-five thousand fans to the Cowboys Stadium Oct. 8 to sing from her album, Speak Now, along with a few from her previous albums. Taylor started off the concert singing Mine as she came up from the bottom of the stage, her usual sparkling dress and guitar perfectly visible through the stage smoke that enveloped the rest of her. Like her last concert, Taylor talked to the audience, who, myself included, screamed at the top of our lungs every chance we could between songs. What still astounds me about such a worldwide phenomenon of a singer is that Taylor had moments during the concert where she just stared out into the audience, speechless. Her genuine appreciation for her fans and joy were written all over her face as she illuminated over the jumbo-tron screen.
Throughout the concert Taylor Swift put on a one of a kind performance, including fireworks during Dear John, playing the piano as glitter fell from the ceiling for Back to December and walking through the crowd before she sat down to play several songs under an iridescent tree. Although, these performances were amazing, my favorite performance followed after Dear John. Because of the fireworks, the entire stadium became cloudy with smoke, and it turned into the perfect setting for my favorite song, Enchanted. As she sang her haunting yet mystical song, the green stage lights mixed with the smoke and created a – there’s no other word to describe it – enchanting atmosphere for the audience. Thousands of other people and I became immediately transfixed as the only thing in our sight became Taylor and the glow that she carried.
Of course I can’t forget to mention the moment the entire stadium had been waiting for – finding out who Taylor’s special guest was going to be. For her Speak Now tour, it had been said that Taylor would invite a fellow musician from the town she was performing in to join her on stage and sing one of their songs. This time, Taylor accompanied B.O.B as they sang his hit song Airplanes. Of course, the song was harmonized and utterly “Swiftified.” The crowd ate up the duet and sang along word for word to Airplanes just as they had done with every song before it.
Taylor closed the concert with a song that my friends and I hold dear to our hearts, Long Live. Following the song, she left the stage and “the crowds in the stands went wild.” As we continued to scream for her the stadium remained dark and all fifty-five thousand people waited anxiously for our adored singer to come back on stage. Of course, Taylor Swift isn’t the type to let down. Once again she made an appearance in an extravagant ball gown, which was later replaced by a personalized jersey given to her by the Cowboys as she sang Ours and Fifteen on an old couch. Then she got up and a familiar song filled the stadium. Love Story started up, and Taylor flew around the stadium in a balcony as she sang her final sweet and romantic song.
Knowing that the concert was coming to a close, I took in every second that I could and became intoxicated by the memories of the night. I continued to sing word for word and focused on how flawless the night had been. I lingered on every lyric and let the music that meant so much to me flow through my body. The night was perfect, and I had once again been wonderfully enchanted by Taylor Swift.
