Taylor Swift – May 25th – Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Photos by Ty Hyten

If ticket prices, traffic, and general fanfare were any indication, the arrival of Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour in Denver on Friday night was a really big deal. Taylor had opted to play one giant night at Denver’s Mile High Stadium, rather than two back-to-back shows at the Pepsi Center as she did on her 1989 World Tour, and the size and spectacle of the whole thing felt more like the Super Bowl on Christmas morning than a concert. There were tons of groups of friends, wearing costumes based on variations of Taylor’s lyrics. There were “cool dads” sipping Bud Light Limes, enjoying themselves more than talking about lawnmowers.  Then there were whole family costumes – hell, I guess when tickets cost a million dollars, might as well roll Halloween into it too – There were also a lot of people wearing the artist’s merch, a taboo move at just about any other show.   

I’ll admit, for the second time in three years, it was a big deal for me, too. As a guy still trying to reconcile the entirety of the rest of his music collection with his Taylor Swift deluxe albums, I flew like a moth to a flame at the announcement of this show all the way back in November of last year. Admittedly, that flame may be a bit misplaced, because despite my constant frustration and fatigue with current pop music, I haven’t somehow found myself at Claire’s picking out earrings and bitching about my mom to my closest friends. I haven’t given up my incessant pursuit of new independent music in exchange for the mumble rap of Lil’ “who-gives-a-shit” nor whichever Disney star is now totally sexy and 25 years old, nor have I sold my soul to the toxic banality of current country music. In short, Taylor’s music hasn’t killed me. I just went to a pop stadium show for a night and lost myself in the magic, and you should shut up and let a girl have some fun.

Inside, the stage was bigger than Grave Digger – That’s a monster truck reference and I should not have included it – The huge 110 foot stage sat at the south end zone and two secondary stages sat at the opposite end of the field. Two massive, concave screens played behind-the-scenes videos followed by bad-bitch tunes, like Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed” and Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation,” until Taylor emerged after an audio montage of clickbait media personalities gossiping about her. Flying in the face of criticism seems to be a common theme for Swift, and it was evident in her banter and the ubiquitous snake theme of the show.

Rabid anticipation was cut short with Swift cutting into “Let The Games Begin” punctuated with blasts of smoke from canons on stage. Throughout the night a talented collection of dancers chased Taylor around the massive network of stages and catwalks. The second song, “I Did Something Bad,” introduced the blasts of fire and fireworks, the former being so large they sent a palpable blast of heat through the crowd of nearly 58,000 people, melting the ice right off my damn Bud Light Lime.

The crowd was completely lost in the experience throughout the night. Just as with the 1989 World Tour, fans wore light-up bracelets that changed color in unison all the way up to the top of the stadium, which created an immersive, almost galactic scene, no comparison to a collection of lighters, which are the things people used to light tobacco products before vapes. I shouldn’t condescend because, after Taylor Swift mentioned her 1989 album, a dad next to me leaned in to tell me that he was actually alive in 1989.  Like I wasn’t and he knows SO much more about VCRs.  Asshole…I get it.

The theatrics didn’t end with fireballs and fireworks. Taylor ziplined across the audience on a golden snake-wrapped basket during “Delicate,” landing on one of the second stages  where she played to the opposite end of the stadium. From this stage she was close enough to draw me from my seat into the aisle, like the bad boy I am, as she launched into her hit “Shake If Off,” which was accompanied by more explosions and a downpour of confetti. At this point she played into more intimate moments like an acoustic “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” and “Teardrops on My Guitar,” explaining “these are how these songs were written.”

After another quick transition to the adjacent stage at the back of the stadium, Taylor played hits “Blank Space” and “Dress” – a song that probably made for a few awkward pre-show chats with mom for many of the younger fans in attendance. As “Bad Blood” began, Taylor zipped across another wire in the same golden basket towards the mainstage, sending fans along the western edge of the stadium into a frenzy of cellphone video. Upon landing back on the mainstage, the show appeared to end with a tender piano medley of “Long Live” into “New Year’s Day.”  After briefly disappearing, Swift returned with a large water fountain, for a three and a half song encore ending the night with “Getaway Car,” “Call It What You Want,” and a medley of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “This Is Why We Can’t have Nice Things.”

Somewhere between Bud Light Lime fueled thoughts like “damn, this is right where Peyton Manning used connect with Demaryius Thomas” to “holy shit, this is concert is really amazing, and Taylor Swift is right there!” I realized aside from the overwhelming theatrics of the show, even including the giant inflatable snakes and explosions, Taylor Swift was a top notch dancer, singer, and entertainer, who has crafted a brand and a solid live experience that will certainly keep this unlikely fan coming back, tour after tour.