Tour kicks off in Paris
Taylor Swift: The goddess starts her European tour
She is probably the biggest star on the planet at the moment, is breaking all sales records and is coming to Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium for three "Krone" concerts in August. On Thursday, Taylor Swift kicked off her long-awaited European tour in front of almost 45,000 fans in Paris. The "Krone" was there live at the show of the year.
It fits together and somehow doesn't come as a surprise - when the world's biggest pop star Taylor Swift starts the European leg of her world record-breaking "Eras" tour in Paris, the French naturally celebrate a double holiday (May 8 and 9 - thanks to fate). Pupils, students and "hardcore swifties" were able to prepare themselves accordingly for the four concerts in the La Défense Arena. For days, the camping tents were scattered around the site and the location, and the sunny weather did its bit to ensure that the biggest fans showed no signs of fatigue even under the most severe hardship. Before Taylor Swift comes to Vienna's Happel Stadium for her first three gigs in August, she is already pushing the boundaries of normality in numerous other cities - Paris being the first.
Winning points for the Olympic Games
Preparations for the mega-shows on the Seine are already in full swing. Swift's entourage is on the road in 80 trucks, with around 200 people buzzing around the superstar herself, ensuring her safety and making her every wish come true. The - in direct comparison - low prices in Europe are responsible for the fact that hordes of American "Swifties" also flock to the European concerts - the proportion of US visitors in Paris is said to be around 20 percent per evening. The carbon footprint that Swift squeezes out of her disciples may not be the best, but on an economic or tourist level, the appearance of this figure of God incarnate is of immense value to many. But even Taylor Swift can't compete with the Olympic Games, because the preparations for them in the summer are the reason why she is not performing in the lavish Stade de France, but - as the only location on the entire tour - indoors in the La Défense Arena.
The organizers have set up twice as many merchandise stands as usual for the brutal rush of fans. Around 700 people actively work locally and nationally every evening to ensure that the show, which lasts over three hours, runs perfectly, even apart from the live glitz. If this is madness, there is a method to it, one could quote the great Shakespeare here, because as intergalactic and intangible as the global hype surrounding Swift is, it is by and large explainable. The 34-year-old is the first star ever to move light-footedly in the public triad of music, media and (social) politics. She seems like a star you can touch and yet she is not. In her songs, she talks bluntly about her life and all the highs and lows and is like a big sister to legions of (mainly female) fans.
Everything once, please
She doesn't hold back with her opinion on political trends and still doesn't offend anyone. Taylor Swift is a mixture of the earthly and the orbital. You feel directly connected to her and her thoughts, but everything rolls off this superhuman figure like Teflon. Swift makes the content and aim of the "Eras" tour clear in an announcement to the audience early in the evening. "I haven't been with you in Europe for a long time, but that's why this tour is one that includes all the others. I can't thank you enough for being here tonight." After Paramore had convinced the audience as a warm-up act and making-of Swift videos beamed from the oversized screen during the stage set-up, the queen took the stage and invited them to the first of the ten (!) chapters of the show, which reflected all eras and phases of her career. Songs such as "Cruel Summer" and "The Man", which is enhanced with an office setting, already shine in "Lover", before she grabs the guitar for the first time in "Lover" and delivers the first highlight of the evening amidst howling screams.
The stage bridge almost reaches to the seats at the back and takes up a good two thirds of the entire hall. Swift's band unobtrusively flanks the big screen, while the boss moves across the lush stage with a powerful voice and repeatedly gets up close and personal with the fans. After each section, Swift disappears into the stage floor to change her clothes and start again. Depending on the sound and taste, these are skin-tight bodysuits, skimpy dresses or even elegant gowns, such as for the songs from "Speak Now" or the brand new album "The Tortured Poets Department", which celebrate their live world premiere here. "Down Bad", "Fortnight" or "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived", dedicated to The 1975 singer and ex-lover Matt Healy with a mental hospitalization scene, fit perfectly into the rest of the set of classics.
No detail goes unnoticed
In contrast to the previous North American and Asian concerts, Swift has not only tweaked the setlist considerably. New choreography and clothes are commonplace, and the impressive video recordings have also been adapted. For example, the snake design in the powerful "Reputation" part is black and no longer white. The "Swifties", who explore and scan their heroine down to the last detail, have plenty of time to keep a close eye on these little details alongside loud screams and emotional tears. It's also noticeable, for example, that during the pulsating "Red" part, she wears a shirt with the words "This Is Not Taylor's Version" on it for the first time, while giving a hat and a hug to a very young and all the more enthusiastic fan. Estimated market value: not affordable.
The quietest passage in the set can be considered the highlight. The two works created during the pandemic, "Folklore" and "Evermore", sister albums according to the singer, are combined live for the first time in Paris and, supported by impressive and fairytale-like visuals, result in a journey through the four seasons, in which all pieces are played. She sings the fabulous "Cardigan" and "Betty" on the roof of a romantic forest hut and when she grabs the strings of a moss-covered piano for one of her personal favorite songs, "Champagne Problems", all dams break. Minutes of standing ovations filled the auditorium, and a visibly moved artist shed a tear or two. Genuine emotions in an otherwise perfectly timed show, which nevertheless never gives the feeling of ignoring closeness or tangibility.
Criticism devoid of any logic
Swift has her audience absolutely under control, knowing with every facial expression, every gesture and every little action or reaction where the journey is heading. One secret of her exuberant success is certainly that she not only takes her songs and shows seriously, but also her fans. The "Eras" tour is a wave pool of feelings, where all emotions erupt at least once. Hardly any star's love life book is as open and accessible as that of the passionate musician. These texts appeal to her fans and are downright absorbed. As much as representatives of the feuilleton defend themselves against Swift's success and popularity with misogynistic swerves, these mostly argumentless criticisms fizzle out into nirvana. Just as Bob Dylan's lyrics used to be seen as unofficial quotations from the Bible, so Swift's are for kids and young people. There are far worse role models ...
With normal concentration, it's impossible to take in all the visual impressions and follow the super-fast show with an incredible 46 songs. After the leisurely forest rattling part, Swift unleashes her pop gems from "1989" with songs like "Blank Space" or "Shake It Off", for "The Tortured Poets Department" she has come up with a kind of variety musical concept that works as a self-contained work with perfect choreography and an expertly performed silent film aesthetic. "Paris" and "lmol" celebrate their live premieres, while at the end she stirs the synthpop can once again with eight songs from the successful chart album "Midnights". After a hand-stopped three hours and 15 minutes and a pulsating "Karma", fireworks and confetti cannons are set off and, despite all the well-arranged songs, memorable hits and visual impressions, the condition has long since taken its toll.
No end in sight
The La Défense Arena could have been sold out 14 times instead of four, a co-organizer announced in a French daily newspaper. Despite all these superlatives, the secret of Swift's success remains her girl-next-door style, which unites all generations. Sexy, but not wicked. Opinionated, but not demanding. Influential on all lines, but never for obvious advantage. A career spanning 18 years between country, bubblegum pop, rock leanings or singer/songwriter acoustics testifies to a borderline syndrome in a positive sense. Austria's fans will be able to see the pop show of the year for themselves at the sold-out Ernst Happel Stadium concerts on August 8, 9 and 10. With performances like this, there is certainly no end in sight to Taylor Swift's hype ...
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