Taylor Swift's 1989 tour made a stop at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 10 and 11. Both shows sold out to over 60,000 people. (Come on, did you really expect them not to?) My little sister and I snagged two pretty great seats, front and center, to see my all-time favorite performer live.
We arrived at MetLife around 6:30 p.m., after fighting through two hours of the typical Jersey rush hour (be grateful if you don't have to deal with that.) The first opening act, Sean Mendez, an extremely adorable rising star, took stage at 7 p.m. sharp. He was then followed by Riptide singer Vance Joy and special guest HAIM, all of whom put on a great set.
Swift graced the stage at 9:30 p.m., and the energy throughout the stadium was electric. As she opened with none other than "Welcome to New York," the light up bracelets, which every concert goer was given, lit the stadium. "Welcome to New York" was followed by "New Romantics" and "Blank Space," and by the end of these songs, it was obvious that this was going to be her best concert yet.
She sang a total of 19 songs, including all but one song from the 1989 album, four throwbacks ("I Knew You Were Trouble," "Love Story," "We Are Never Getting Back Together," and "Enchanted"), and a special duet with The Weeknd. For every song she sang, Swift performed an elaborate dance sequence to go with it. Her routines are elaborate, planned out, and very well executed. From strutting down a lifted catwalk to being flipped off a glass table, Swift hit every note, impeccably I may add, and didn't miss a single beat.
In the beginning of the concert, Swift told us that she had many "special surprises" for us, and boy, did she. Our first surprise came right after "All You Had To Do Was Stay," when she called on The Weeknd to perform his hit "Can't Feel My Face." After they slayed that duet, Taylor brought out Heidi Klum and the Women's U.S. soccer team during "Style." Now as if I weren't freaking out enough already, she recreated the "Bad Blood" music video by bringing out Hailee Steinfield, Lena Dunham, Lily Aldrige, and Gigi Hadid.
In between belting out her songs and sharing her famous friends with us, Swift took many breaks to speak to her fans, something that she does often. She had many speeches including ones before "All You Had To Do Was Stay" and "Clean," my favorite being the latter of the two. From an elevated catwalk, Swift stood in front of 60,000 people and delivered an incredible monologue, saying, "You are not damaged goods if you've made mistakes in your life." Taylor has a special way of connecting with her fans and making them feel like she completely understands them. This speech was empowering and uplifting in every possible way. As I stood there, nearly in tears (I know, I'm embarrassing), I felt like Taylor was talking directly to me (even though she totally has no idea who I am.)
The concert ended a little after midnight. She was on the stage for around three hours. She performed her hit song "Shake It Off," which I danced my heart out to while watching the stadium fill with finale fireworks.
All in all, Taylor pulled out all the stops for this one, and it sure paid off. I danced non-stop, sang along to every song, fangirl-ed way too hard, and had an unforgettable night.
Also, she told us that we were all her friends. So if that's not enough reason to go, then I don't know what is.























