Kicking off the start of the 1989 in Tokyo, Taylor Swift began her worldwide tour on May 5th. The always phenomenal performance has everything you'd expect from a Taylor Swift concert. With lots of screaming fans, many costume changes, a lift over the crowd and a finale including fireworks, she never disappoints.
Now, as Taylor's about a third of the way through her tour, she has had a wide array of guest appearances. A few of the expected guests include HAIM, Vance Joy, and Shawn Mendes as her opening acts. But these are not the only famous faces we've seen through these past two months of touring. Taylor Swift has been known as the queen of celebrity friendships, as was first demonstrated in her music video for "Bad Blood".
But with over 20 guests appearing on the 1989 stage this summer, Taylor's concert is no longer just about Taylor and the music she's written. Suddenly, her concert has turned into a popularity contest to show the fans who her closest celebrity friends are. Some of her most recent guests include Lily Aldridge, Hailee Steinfeld, Nick Jonas, The Weeknd and Jason DeRulo.
Although I'm a huge lover of the experience Taylor puts on at her concerts, I've begun to question what has happened to concerts being only about the music. As Taylor releases a new album, it begins solely with the music, yet she adds on music videos and after that comes the tour. As fans, we initially fall in love with the music and everything else comes extra, so we should be happy as long as we're experiencing a live performance of music by Taylor herself.
All these extra guests become additional and a tad unnecessary, considering the amount of money fans have paid to watch Taylor perform for two hours. With less celebrities and theatrics, there would be more time for an intimate experience spotlighting Taylor and the music she's created.
Being able to appreciate the music without all the extras is what makes live music such an amazing experience. It's sad to think that many people are unable to attend Taylor's concerts due to the ticket price, according to TiqIQ, "the average secondary price for Taylor Swift tickets over her five-month 1989 Tour through North America is $315.41". This is quite the pretty penny for Taylor's high school and college age fans. If Taylor stripped away all of the extra tricks and celebrities, and focused on what made all of us love her right from the start, the atmosphere in the stadium would be electric.
So although it's wonderful to have unexpected celebrities appear on Taylor's tour, don't forget that a true Swiftie loves Taylor for the lyrics she has so beautifully crafted. All of her songs have the ability to connect to her fans on a truly personal level. And just think, what if Taylor's live performances also gave way to feeling as though her performance is solely for you, instead of trying to put on a show for thousands of others every night. That is what would make Taylor even more of a super star then she already is.
