| TAYLOR SWIFT's 'FEARLESS' tour - Sydney & Melbourne |
| Written by Shahlin Graves | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monday, 15 February 2010 15:46 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Two hours of waterworks, heart-shaped confetti, cheerleaders, video montage intervals - and more sparkles than any normal person could fit into eight costume changes... proved that at only twenty years old, TAYLOR SWIFT and the similarly-aged contemporaries of today's music world - hello Florence + The Machine, Rihanna, 'Nothing Rhymes With Circus'-aged Panic! At The Disco and Miley Cyrus circa Hannah Montana - have revolutionised their headlining tours into shows beyond the wildest dreams of any of their musical elders. Green Day and Muse, you are exempt, but Swift brings the rest of you all to shame. (Taylor's mother Andrea Swift, even handpicks around ten fans at tour dates - judged by their outstanding audience participation - to be personally upgraded with a V.I.P. concert and meet & hug experience.) Complete with a seven-piece backing band, six back-up dancers, swift swaps between four different guitars and a grand piano; it seemed that there was nothing out of Taylor's capabilities, with a fairytale castle (of course!), words projected onto a waterfall and an epic drum battle - as sweet, sweet icing, atop the perfect petit gâteau.
Swift kicked off a seventeen-song set (ten 'Fearless', five from her self-titled album, plus one cover and one new song each), with her twee-tastic anthem for hearts of all sizes, shapes and colours; 'You Belong With Me'. Outfitted in a marching band uniform along with her backing musicians, Swift took to the stage flanked by a mini army of cheerleaders - tossing her hair like the eighth Wonder of the World, while skipping up and down the stage's catwalk. Although 'You Belong With Me' was visually an impressive opener, I would've preferred the single as a pick-me-up later on in her set. Now armed with an acoustic guitar studded with rhinestones (yes, a Taylor Guitar - originally black), Swift dived into 'Our Song' from her self-titled debut. Surprisingly all throughout, it was the songs from the 'Taylor Swift' album, that garnered the loudest screams of the night. Thank goodness, I remembered ear plugs. Every sentence that Swift spoke or sung, was punctuated with the appreciative ripostes of her captive audience. From scintillating gems such as - "Taylor! MARRY ME!" - to the more highbrow - "TAYLOR I LOVE YOU!!!!!" - Swift accepted the non-stop proposals with gracious ear-to-ear beams. Not one to let any traces of doubt linger, Swift returned the sentiments with constant thanks in between songs, when not reminiscing over past loves and those that dared to scorn her. As the video presentations screened during costume change intervals reiterated; to scorn a Taylor Swift - is to unleash a wrath of autobiographical songwriting fury.
As expected, 'Forever & Always' exacted gasps from the unexpecting, thanks to a Joe Jonas look-a-like-from-behind seated up-stage - while Taylor lyrically berated the poor sucker. Concluding the performance on her knees at the end of the built-in catwalk; Swift held hands with a fan, her forehead to the ground, breathing deeply in and out to great effect, for a camera close-up. Only granting her red sequined dress one song of stage-time, Swift disappeared to change for the second act of her show, as the main stage's curtain was drawn. The opening bars of 'Hey Stephen' could be heard... Swift's humming floated through the air... but alas, there was no Swift to be seen on-stage in front of the still-drawn curtain. The thunderous screams of the clued-in to our far left, alerted the rest of the arena to a distant spotlight - with the roving camera crew filming for the arena's screens, subsequently revealing that Taylor had transported herself to the top of a seated aisle - from where she proceeded to hug every nearest person, as she bounced down the steps, in between verses and choruses. Did I mention that Swift had added bracelets to her wrists during the interval? All of which she gifted to fans in the lucky aisle as she passed by to her intended destination, a make-shift stage at the back of the arena's ground-floor.
 Concert-goers who traditionally had the worst seats in the house, had their fortunes reversed as Swift treated them to acoustic renditions of 'White Horse' and 'Fifteen', while seated on a mini revolving stage. Amidst all the confusion and hullabaloo, security had roped off a walkway for Swift to hug her way back to the stage during the end of 'Tim McGraw' and finale of Act II. Prospective Romeo's tried to hustle themselves a meeting of lips as Swift adventured past, a Melbourne-ite managing to plant one only centimetres away from his desired bull's-eye. Shameless, shameless!
Act III opened with 'Love Story'. Needless to say - Swift was well aware of the expectations of her fans - and thus, amply prepared to continue making the dreams of like-minded teenage girls, come true. A four turret castle was finally unveiled on-stage, alongside Swift's dancers costumed in medieval-styled ball-gowns and brocade blazers. As Swift herself, rose to view from a trapdoor, further sounds of joyous appreciation complimented Taylor's fairytale ball-gown - which would be soon ripped off by her dancers during an elaborate dance of bows and curtsies - to reveal a white Princess dress. Swift ended the song by crowning a fan at the head of the catwalk, with the custom ban.do tiara/headband from atop her very own blonde mane. 
Taylor enacted 'That's The Way I Loved You', in an on-stage love triangle between tuxedo-clad dancer Jonathan, and brooding guy-linered guitarist Grant Mickelson. Swift, then snuck up-stage to a grand piano for 'You're Not Sorry', before slyly slipping in a cover of Justin Timberlake's 'What Goes Around.../...Comes Around' in the lead-up to 'Picture To Burn'.
Substituting 'Change' and 'I'm Only Me When I'm With You' from the 2009 'Fearless' tour setlist, with new single and the Valentine Day's film theme - 'Today Was A Fairytale' - instead, meant that American support band Gloriana lost their opportunity to join Swift on-stage. Could you not have kept 'I'm Only Me When I'm With You', dear Taylor? 'Twilight' fans may like to note that Taylor Lautner and Swift 'Valentine's Day' scenes were screened, followed by heart-shaped confetti down-pouring overhead. 
Encore song 'Should've Said No', is the one that attendees will continue to buzz over, all year. Highlights of the closer include Swift waging a drumming war against violinist and back-up singer Caitlin Evanson (with Taylor winning - duh!), and the concluding emotional roller-coaster of a waterfall raining down lyrics from 'Should've Said No' onto Swift herself. I repeat: actual words projected onto the water streaming down onto Taylor!
Other warm fuzzies worthy of mention include the number '13' inscribed on Taylor's hand at the Sydney show, the opening video presentation which featured 'Fearless' messages from Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, banjo-playing, a guest video appearance from Tyler Hilton, the happy sight of many, many parents, accompanying their tween-aged daughters... and every reassurance, that Taylor Swift can, and does - sing her heart out live.
You Belong With Me Our Song Tell Me Why Teardrops On My Guitar Fearless Forever & Always Hey Stephen Fifteen Tim McGraw White Horse Love Story The Way I Loved You You're Not Sorry What Goes Around.../...Comes Around [ Justin Timberlake cover ] Picture To Burn Today Was A Fairytale Should've Said No  Click HERE for our full TAYLOR SWIFT 'FEARLESS' tour gallery - Sydney photos still to come!
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