An epic start to Taylor Swift’s Singapore run of concerts

MAKE no mistake, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is no ordinary concert – it’s an experience.

Just ask the 50,000 Swifties who descended on the National Stadium on Saturday (Mar 2) to attend the first of six sell-out shows in Singapore.

Many fans spend months planning what Swift-inspired outfit to wear to her performances – from her floral 2021 Grammys dress to the pastels that defined her Lover era and everything else in between.

Strangers become fast friends after exchanging homemade bracelets at the venue, and rings suddenly pop out as surprise wedding proposals take place in the stands the moment Swift launches into one of her biggest hits, Love Story.

This sort of fandom is almost unheard of, and for this to happen, you have to be a force of nature.

Swift is that phenomenon. The 34-year-old doesn’t just sell out stadiums – flights and hotels also get booked out when fans fly to other cities to catch her shows.

“Swiftonomics” extends to mom-and-pop businesses, too. Last week, there were reports of a shortage of beads and sequins when fans snapped them up to make their outfits and bracelets at the last minute.

Even the show itself is a monster. Swift performs 45 songs from her entire back catalogue each night, and the entire affair clocks in at just under three-and-a-half hours.

Then again, the current tour is her first in five years. During that time, she released not one or two but four albums (Lover, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights).

SEE ALSO

Ed Sheeran spoils Singapore concert fans with special guest JJ Lin

Hence, there are plenty of songs to get through. It’s a marathon for the American pop star, but for her fans, too – if not for the pure spectacle that is the show.

Production value is top-notch, with LED screens forming a gigantic backdrop as well as bringing the entire stage surface to life. As Swift moves through her different “eras”, the fully immersive set changes like it’s a musical rather than a concert. 

There is plenty of storytelling – autobiographical and otherwise – in her songs as well.

And the theatrical, goth-inspired Folklore segment alone is almost worthy of its own Broadway show.

But what really makes the Eras Tour arguably the greatest show on earth is that we are witnessing a star at her peak – one who also looks like she has plenty left to give.

During the acoustic segment of the show where Swift plays two “surprise” songs (or four, because each is a mash-up – on the opening night, we got Mine and Starlight on guitar, followed by I Don’t Wanna Live Forever and Dress on piano) on her own, she remains just as magnetic a performer as when she’s prancing around with her army of backup dancers.

It’s an epic moment and it doesn’t take a Swiftie to recognise that.