Guest Review: Taylor Swift’s Red Tour

Submitted by: Ashley Dorf

Taylor Swift, the songwriting, boyfriend-bashing diva, has taken the world of country-pop music by a storm. She recently visited Wichita August 6^th at INTRUST Bank Arena, playing a sold-out show for 11,000 fans as part of her Red Tour, based on the 2012 album of the same name.

Taylor gets the crowd on its feet

I was certainly eager to see what everybody was saying, about her more “mature” album and tour. Me, along with tens of thousands of other fans, had been waiting since the October announcement of the tour (an ABC special) to see the progress in Swift’s music with “Red” compared to “Speak Now” (2010). There has been a three-year gap since Taylor has visited the Air Capital. In 2010, she performed with Kellie Pickler on her Fearless Tour, but she did not stop in Wichita for the Speak Now World Tour. All of the dates in the North American leg of the Red Tour have sold out, so a full house was no surprise.

I arrived at INTRUST Bank Arena to the sight of fans, or “swifties”, flooding the entrances with red everything. Red tutus, heart glasses (made famous in Swift’s 22 music video) homemade Red Tour shirts, and a red sea of light-up posters using battery powered lights. One sign said, “Taylor, Let’s Paint Wichita Red”, while a few others had “RED” or “22”. Radio stations had karaoke contests to entertain guests, and Diet Coke (a sponsor of Swift) had a “Red Tour Photobooth”. In the concourse, banners of Taylor advertisements were common, accompanied by booths; some for Keds shoes, others for her most recent fragrances, Wonderstruck Enchanted and Taylor by Taylor Swift. The atmosphere felt positive. Everyone around me seemed to be in a upbeat mood, probably anxious for what would happen that night.

Casey James was the first act to take the stage. A third-place finish in season nine of the hit FOX reality show “American Idol” helped start his career. I found Casey to be quite enjoyable. A combination of his impressive guitar solos and soft-sounding vocals made his set quite interesting. I really do think Casey has the potential to be a big artist someday, with a little more experience and work. He performed a few songs from his 2012 self-titled album, including “Let’s Don’t Call it a Night” and “Crying on a Suitcase.”

After a brief intermission, Ed Sheeran, a singer-songwriter from the UK, walked out onstage to start his set, beginning with the hit “Give Me Love.” Throughout the songs, there was some insane guitar strumming. Some UNBELIEVABLE strumming occurred. He interacted with the audience, asking them to sing, dance, and even shout, “hell yeah!” To commemorate his time in Wichita, Ed snapped a picture of the  crowd and posted it on his Instagram page. Along with his single “Lego House”, Ed intertwined Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ #1 smash hit “Thrift Shop” with his “You Need Me I Don’t Need You.” That truly had the girls shrieking, “ED! WE LOVE YOU!” To end his list, he sang his first US single, “The A Team”. The arena suddenly transformed into a field of glowing lights like a starry night.

Before I knew it, Taylor would be on soon. People around the arena started to light up their signs and crack their glow/light sticks to show their support for Taylor. People were starting to change into their “singing mode” as behind-the-scenes clips and ads ran on the screens.

What really had the audience singing was the smash international success hit, “I Love It” by Swedish band Icona Pop. The audience danced and yelled the words as the “Red Tour Fancam” showed fans waving their outfits and signs. Following that, the lights dimmed and playing was Lenny Kravitz’s “American Woman”, noting the start of the show.

A huge stage-wide screen displayed “RED” and gradually rose while a drum beat pounded and fans shouted. The drum solo of “State of Grace” started to play, and right before the first verse, Taylor’s shadow appeared from behind the red curtain. The curtain dropped to reveal a large stage with red bridges, a main staircase, and various band members. The audience shrilled in approval and excitement. Taylor talked to the audience several times throughout the show, initially welcoming us to the Red Tour. She talked about her feelings, and that certain colors represent her emotions. This conversation lead into the title song, “Red”, with a sparkly red guitar and red flags being waved around the stage. “ You Belong With Me,” an old hit from Fearless, was recomposed into a 50’s style, jazzy arrangement. She also played “Mean” and gave a speech about how bullying does not end when you become an adult. “22” showed every year of Taylor’s life, and she was carried through the audience to a so-called “B Stage.”

While I was there, Taylor’s mom, Andrea, was nice enough to invite me to stand with her inside the gated area around the stage! Taylor played her one surprise song, Tim McGraw, Ed and Taylor joined together on the moving and spinning platform for “Everything Has Changed,” and Begin Again was acoustic. Taylor “flew” back to the main stage singing “Sparks Fly.”

When she returned, I was amazed to see the pyrotechnics of “I Knew You Were Trouble.” It was almost a laser light show. She even did a VERY quick costume change in the middle of the song. Taylor played “Love Story” like she always does and wore a ballerina-like dress for “Treacherous”.

The finale of the show was the forever incredible “We Are      Never Ever Getting Back Together.” The stage and the costumes were circus-themed, with Taylor’s wardrobe of a large, sparkly red coat, black shorts, and a cane. A piece of the stage came out and swung over the audience as heart-shaped confetti fell from above. Taylor took a bow, and walked up to the top of the stairs. The screen came down and displayed “Thank you! J.”

Overall, I thought the show was quite incredible. It was entertaining to watch and Taylor’s vocals have definitely improved since I saw her in 2009. I wonder what her next tour will bring to the stage (if there will be one at all), but I know this show has definitely set the bar and gone in one of my top 3 concerts ever. Like, ever. J

• August 8, 2013
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