The much-awaited Speak Now World Tour finally came to St. Louis this weekend. Having completely sold out, the Scottrade Center was filled to the brim with screaming fans awaiting the arrival of Taylor Swift to the stage.
The wait, however, was entirely too long. The concert started at 7 p.m. with the warm-up bands, but Swift wasn’t on the stage until at least 8:30.
We didn’t arrive early enough to see the first band play, but we definitely saw enough of Need to Breathe (about an hour and a half’s worth).
You could scarcely hear the lead singer over the sound of the guitars, but when you could, it sounded more like screaming than singing. That, paired with the marginal skill of the rest of the band, made for a painful wait for the main event.
When Swift finally came on the stage, the atmosphere completely changed. Everyone stood and cheered, and she began to play Sparks Fly. When it got to the chorus, sparks really did fly, as people dressed in all black on cables were lowered carrying sparklers.
She proceeded to perform many of her other songs from Speak Now and Fearless, but only performed Our Song from her self-titled debut album.
Although she played almost every song from Speak Now, I was slightly disappointed that she left out Innocent and Never Grow Up. I understand that these are slower songs, and might have changed the pace a little bit, but they are necessary parts of the overall feel of the new album.
Instead of playing these, she opted to do a couple of covers, such as Just a Dream, by Nelly, Apologize, by One Republic and I’m Yours, Jason Mraz to name a few. Personally, I would have much rather heard more of her songs, instead of other famous songs, sung by her.
During Our Song, and Mean, she shed her pop star role in order to opt for a more country feel. Wearing a banjo and a vintage dress, she and her band, “The Agency” stood on a porch in the middle of the stage They even included a fake goat to complete the country look.
I was surprised by the wide range of instruments Swift picked up and played throughout the night– and played well. She was a surprisingly good banjo player, very apt at playing Back to December on the piano and many times throughout the night, she played the guitar very well. She showcased her talent, not only for singing, but for musical instruments as well, which definitely made the show much more fun to watch.
Throughout the night, there was no shortage of people, dancers, and other attractions such as those duirng Sparks Fly in the background to occupy even the most easily distracted audience member. Considering many of the 14,000 viewers were very young, this added a lot to the show, and kept the concert interesting.
Along the back half of the stage was an elaborate bridge and staircase setup that was changed periodically to fit the song. Although Swift turned out to be a fantastic performer– definitely better live than on CD– her concert was very obviously scripted. When she introduced herself, she spend about two minutes just smiling at the audience with obviously scripted surprise at the roaring crowd.
In another obviously rehearsed part, Swift would turn just her head at the audience, the lights would dim, and she would exit after practically every song,. There must have been five or so such dramatic exits, definitely detracting from the “real” feel of the concert and lending itself more to a rehearsed spectacle.
Overall, though, the concert was a success. She showed her talent, sang well, and performed spectacularly. Fans left proud to be a Taylor Swift fan, and got the show they came to see.
