Taylor Swift review – as all-powerful as a pop star can be

After Cruel Summer comes to an end, Taylor Swift glances at the crowd and is taken aback. She holds her hand against her chest and shakes her head in amazement. The audience cheers even louder. "I'm overwhelmed!" she proclaims, seeming to be astonished by the sheer enthusiasm of their response.

Naturally, this is nonsense - she most likely utters a comparable phrase nightly. However, there is some skepticism surrounding the Eras Tour.

The UK has been filled with crazy headlines about Taylor Swift. In Aberfeldy, the famous Loch Tay has been renamed Loch Tay-Tay in her honor. Liverpool also wanted to join in on the fun, but they couldn't think of a pun, so they settled on rebranding themselves as Taylor Town. Another radio station in London has been created that only plays Taylor Swift songs. There was even an article in the newspaper stating that it's impossible to avoid hearing her name mentioned. This is quite impressive in a time where everyone's entertainment is specific to their tastes, as seen with the confusion surrounding SZA's popularity at Glastonbury.

The Eras Tour has received a lot of attention and scrutiny. It seems almost unnecessary to review it after so much has already been said about it. Fans have analyzed each detail, including the surprise songs that Taylor Swift performs at each show. In this one, she sang "Would've Could've Should've," from her 2022 album Midnights, and a mashup of "Tis the Damn Season" from Evermore and "Daylight" from Lover. The concert experience is rich with visual symbols and customs that make fans feel like they are part of a larger community, similar to the Grateful Dead's fans, except without the drugs and more of a penchant for sequins.

However, the show is truly remarkable. It manages to transition seamlessly between an assorted mix of genres, including dubstep-influenced somber pop music, rustic folk-style tunes, massive-chanting anthems, and acoustic guitar-driven melodies that showcase her Nashville roots. These diverse styles are unified by Swift's exceptional sense of melody and her talent for transforming songs about her well-known past relationships and public rivalries into relatable stories that anyone can identify with.

The writer is saying that Taylor Swift's performance doesn't need all the fancy things like dry ice, flames, or costume changes. Even though there are some special effects, the focus of her show is on her ability to connect with the audience through the cameras that follow her every move. She's a great performer, and the screens behind her show her expressions and interactions with the crowd, making it feel like everyone is in on the performance together.

The tunes in her latest record, The Tortured Poets Department, are received with the same enthusiasm as her popular hits from 1989 or Red. However, it raises the question of what the woman behind it will do in the future. It's not pessimistic to say that this level of popularity and prosperity may not last forever. It's intriguing to ask if she'll even make an effort to go beyond this point. Maybe, similar to Macavity, a character from the film Cats that Swift crooned about, she'll vanish- an aspect of her work that isn't showcased tonight.

Currently, Taylor Swift appears to be incredibly influential and powerful. In fact, she is able to take risks during her performances, such as playing her lengthy song "All Too Well" despite time constraints, and leaving a powerful emotional impact on her audience. Additionally, when she performs "Champagne Problems," a slow and emotional piano ballad, the audience response is overwhelmingly positive and loud, leaving Taylor Swift feeling overcome with emotions. This reaction seems genuine and not just part of a staged performance.

Taylor Swift will be performing in Edinburgh on June 8th and 9th, followed by some more shows on her tour.