A couple months ago, I stumbled across a podcast created by a favorite YouTuber of mine, Hannah Hart, and her other co-host, Hannah Gelb. Charmingly named “Hannah-lyze This,” it’s two friends who talk all about sex, love, and self-help. The show is available for streaming on radio.net, Spotify, iTunes, and other podcast streaming sites if you’re looking for a good listen.
But, I was inspired by this for a different reason.
If you didn’t already know, my name is ALSO Hannah! And as a writer for Her Campus Winona State, I’m always in search of article themes that can make a recurrence in my portfolio. That is exactly why I gave credit to previously mentioned Hannahs, both Hart and Gelb, for the ingenious title that brought this concept into my life!
Whenever I see fit, whether it be once a week, a month, a semester, I’ll Hannah-LYZE an idea, an event, or something of the sort. The first thing I want to talk about is the incredible, iconic, Taylor Swift reputation Tour.
I have been a Taylor Swift fan forever. I am a devoted #swiftie. For me, there is a perfect Taylor Swift song for any occasion. Her musical stylings span the whole human spectrum of emotion. She’s incredible, okay? The first time I saw her live was the Speak Now tour in 2011. Needless to say, at this concert seven years later, Swift’s live performance had both evolved and elevated.
Before the main event, there were two openers: Charli XCX and Camila Cabello. Charli XCX played her bop “Boom Clap” and her latest single, “Boys.” She was clad in a cotton candy-colored holographic two-piece set; can’t you picture it? Camila Cabello, shocker, was also great. Donning a Vikings jersey, only fitting because the concert was held at US Bank Stadium (which is the home turf for the team), she belted out a few of her hits like “Never Be the Same” and “Havana”… oh na na.
To make this easier to understand, I’m going to talk about each song from the setlist according to which act it came from.
Act 1
When I tell you that tears streamed down my face as Taylor began to play her first song, “…Are You Ready for It?” the answer to that question was DEFINITELY not. I was not prepared for how incredible this show was going to be, yet all too excited to find out. She segued into “I Did Something Bad,” and the bracelets that were worn by the whole audience were glowing bright red (Taylor talked about the bracelet idea later and explained that it was her way of being able to see and appreciate all her devoted fans, whether they were front row or in the nosebleeds).
Guys, I don’t know if you’ve seen photos of Taylor lately, but she’s actually a goddess. However, she turned the tables and started talking to the crowd saying, “Wow, there are so many beautiful fans in the audience. You guys are…” to which everyone screamed out the next song, “Gorgeous” in response to her paused sentence. Incredible. Start counting how many times I use that word (right now the count stands at three).
Next, Taylor went into her first three-song mashup of the night with “Style” / “Love Story” / “You Belong with Me.” This mashup was so interesting to me because “Style” came from her Red album, while “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me” came from Fearless. Bestie Jess was in attendance with me, so of course we belted out the lyrics, “Oh, I remember you drivin’ to my house in the middle of the night / I’m the one who makes you laugh / When you know you’re about to cry / And I know your favorite songs / And you tell me about your dreams / I think I know where you belong / I think I know it’s with me” because it encapsulates us and our thirteen-year friendship (coincidentally, that is also T Swift’s FAMOUS favorite number)!
I mean, what a way to start this rollercoaster of emotions. Yes, Taylor!
Act 2
Act 2 began with a little song called “Look What You Made Me Do,” which was the first single released off her reputation album (although it has never been one of my favorites, it was still… incredible). “End Game” came next and the fan’s wristbands were gleaming gold.
I had a liiiiittle inkling, a small hope, that Ed Sheeran would come do his part of the song with her. But, alas, it was still so fun dancing along to that and swaying along to the song lyrics, “Big reputation, big reputation / Ooh you and me we got big reputations, ah / And you heard about me, ooh / I got some big enemies”. SO. MUCH. SASS.
“King of My Heart” had many cool graphics of castles and headlines about Taylor Swift running all throughout the screens behind her. Her black and gold bodysuit was also killer, especially with the snake motif running heavily throughout the show.
It’s official, I am still head over heels in love with her.
Act 3
“Delicate” started off Act 3, shortly followed by a stadium-stomping performance of “Shake It Off” on one of the two side stages that she had flown in the air to get to; openers Charli XCX and Camila Cabello danced their hearts out alongside Swift. Talk about girl power.
Then homegirl decided to slow it down a little by playing the acoustic version of “Dancing With Our Hands Tied,” which is my favorite song off reputation. I still get chills thinking about it. Taylor talked about how during each show she likes to play a slower, throwback song that differs from every other night on tour (because duh, she’s got such a wide selection of brilliant ballads). The beginning notes from “Begin Again” were played, and the stadium simultaneously re-fell in love with her like she talks about in the song, “Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end / But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again”.
I’ve lost all feeling in my feet at this point, but it’s okay because all feelings in my heart need to be on deck with this dynamite performance.
Act 4
How can someone not love the bubbly bop that is “Blank Space”? Taylor transitioned from this fan-favorite song into amazement at the audience’s incredible fan costumes and outfits that were worn. She pays homage to the girls and guys who came dressed like the different eras of her career, crimped hair Taylor and all, and says she better “Dress” it up to match the occasion.
She’s a vision in this long black and sparkly gown overlay, and while she sings, “Only bought this dress so you could take it off”, that’s the last thing I wanted because this dress, lemme tell ya, was STUNNING.
Next came the second mashup of the concert with “Bad Blood”/ “Shoulda Said No.” It was such a great reminder that Taylor’s music, and her personality as a whole, may have “changed” over the years. But the change has always been more of an evolution to her sound rather than abandoning her roots completely in search of the next big thing. Taylor is ceaselessly dedicated to producing the best songs she can, both for the love of writing and the love of her fans. And her fans, myself included, have always been loyal to her artistic freedoms she’s found and had so much fun with throughout the years.
I am still awestruck at the talent Taylor has. Incredible.
Act 5
Okay, “Don’t Blame Me” but I feel like I’m running out of adjectives to describe this night. And just like she sings, “Don’t blame me, love made me crazy / If it doesn’t, you ain’t doin’ it right”, my love was apparent by going C-R-A-Z-Y during this song.
The next mashup was between “Long Live” / “New Years Day.” For the duration of my time as a Taylor Swift superfan, “Long Live” has reigned supreme as my all-time favorite song. During the concert, she talked about how when she sings, “Long live all the mountains we moved / I had the time of my life / Fighting dragons with you,” it’s in reference to her team that works with her and her devoted fans. Writing this, it still brings tears to my eyes.
Being there with Jess, holding hands and harmonizing the whole time, made it so special because she will always be the one I want to fight dragons with and someone that I think of every time I hear the lyrics, “Can you take a moment / Promise me this / That you’ll stand by me forever.”
The second half of that mashup was “New Year’s Day,” which is, again, such a beautiful ballad and a perfect way to tie songs from the old and the new together.
I am a weepy mess. I have a reputation to be this way.
Act 6
At this point, I knew the concert was drawing to a close. It was time to think about how to get home, perhaps in a “Getaway Car.” Really at this point, this girl can do no wrong. She’s beaming ear-to-ear as the crowd is belting out every word. My voice will be nonexistent tomorrow. I have accepted it.
In the second to last song of the night, she sang “Call It What You Want.” It’s a simple song, and it’s honest. She’s looking at her old life that has fallen away, and she is so ready to confidently surge into the future in search of new stories to tell, new loves, and new opportunities. It’s just what we needed before the end of the show.
Who could forget “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”? Paired up with “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” this was the perfect culmination to the concert.
In the last verse of “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” she chirps, “Nice things, honey (they don’t care about that he said, she said) / Did you think I wouldn’t hear all the things you said about me? / This is why we can’t have nice things.” She’s amazing in the way she addresses her reputation that she’s always had as an artist. She sings about all the backlash and the haters who give her practice in how to gracefully “Shake It Off.” One thing’s for sure, she will “Long Live” as a pop icon in my book.
It’s over. I am not okay. I don’t know how to process what just happened, but I will always remember.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I will always be one of Taylor Swift’s biggest Swifties. I think she’s beautiful, bold, a poet of epic proportions, and a hopeless romantic. She’s a cat-lover and a songbird for so many girls just like her, like me. She’s relatable, she’s current. And those are just some of her reputations…
I hope by reading how I Hannah-LYZED this concert, you got a glimpse into this night of my life that will always be so special. And I hope you look forward to other things in my life that could be looked at with this type of lens.
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