On July 18 and 19, Taylor Swift brought her 1989 World Tour to sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago. I was lucky enough to attend the first night, and it was incredible beyond words. Chi-town, as Taylor affectionately nicknamed the city, was overflowing with fangirls. Teenage girls in rompers donning red lipstick walked Michigan Avenue, as well as young girls and their mothers. I got to the stadium a little after 4 o'clock, bought my tour shirt, and simply people-watched. Fans waited patiently in line all day to be let into Soldier Field, and when the gates opened at 5 p.m., it was Swiftie madness. Taylor has partnerships with Diet Coke and Keds, both of which had large booths located inside Soldier Field.
Taylor has built a dynasty called Taylor Nation, whose booth was most popular by far. Ask any Taylor Swift fan, they will know about Taylor Nation. Taylor Nation are magical individuals who take time out of their day to get to know fans, whether it be in-person or on Tumblr and Twitter. They, and Taylor of course, are the people who put together the 1989 Secret Sessions; listening parties that Taylor threw for her fans in each of her houses before 1989 was released. Anyways, long story short, Taylor Nation are generous individuals who, on occasion, will upgrade you to front row and/or give you the opportunity to meet Taylor. The concert-goers lined up to meet Taylor Nation were decked out in homemade costumes and carried gigantic signs with strings of Christmas lights. While I did not wait in line to meet Taylor Nation, I loved walking around the area to look at everyone's costumes.
The concert started promptly at 7 p.m. with Shawn Mendes being the first of three opening acts. It was just Shawn and his acoustic guitar on stage, but he put on a great set. Next was Vance Joy, who I'm a big fan of, and he was entertaining and adorable. Haim was on right before Taylor, and they're a sister band that happens to be best friends with Taylor. They jammed out on their instruments throughout the whole set, and delivered a spectacular performance.
Taylor finally took the stage a little after 9 p.m., kicking the show off with none other "Welcome To New York". From that point on, her set list consisted of almost entirely songs off her latest album "1989." She played some classics from older albums such as "I Knew You Were Trouble," "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," and "Love Story." In typical Taylor fashion, she surprised the audience with a special guest; Andy Grammar joined her on stage and they sang his song "Honey I'm Good." Taylor then surprised the crowd again by singing a song she hasn't sang on tour for years. She sang "Fifteen," off her Fearless album, basically the anthem of any girl during their freshman year of high school. Taylor closed out the show with her massive hit "Shake It Off," with fireworks and a spinning catwalk. Taylor Swift put on a theatrical show amazing beyond words and I feel blessed to be in attendance at #1989TourChicago!
