Taylor Swift Speaks Now at the Staples Center

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Written by Paul Lyons

Monday, 29 August 2011 23:35

On Sunday evening, Andrea Gardner strolled down the aisle at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show hadn’t even begun, yet the crowd was going wild for Andrea. With “13” signs posted everywhere; Andrea headed for the 13th row in the orchestra and (probably) sat down in seat 13. To many, this is all made sense. After all…Andrea’s daughter, Taylor Swift, has done very well by the number 13.

Taylor Swift was born on December 13 1989. She turned 13 on Friday the 13th, and her first album went gold in 13 weeks. Her first number one song had a 13-second intro, and whenever she wins an award, its usually when she’s in seat, section, or row 13. So to, on Sunday night’s Staples Concert, Taylor swift had the number 13 painted on her right hand. Her left arm was decorated as well, with something else entirely.

Throughout Taylor Swift’s four sold out shows at the 20,000 capacity Staples Center, Swift had chosen to write song lyrics all down her left arm. No, these weren’t meant to help her remember words, nor were the decorated lyrics ever songs of her own. Instead, Swift choose to cover her arm with lyrics that inspired her on a given night. No two nights are the same. One evening she had lyrics from the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby.” Another evening she had words from Joni Mitchell’s “California.” Those of us at Sunday evening’s Staples Center show bore witness to an arm which had written on it: “I wish I could have this moment for life”…lyrics from rapper Nicki Minaj’s “Moment 4 Life.” Little did the audience know that the inspiration was two-fold, yet more on that later.

Who could blame Taylor Swift for wishing to retain her “moment”? At 21 years old, Swift is in the prime of her life…having sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and now performing in front of sold out audiences in Europe, Asia, and North America. Taylor Swift is a bona fide phenomenon…a true sensation. So to, her concerts are nothing short of sensational.

Sunday night’s two-hour plus, 20-song set was by no means a simple concert by a pop star princess. No, Taylor Swift aimed to deliver the goods to a wildly enthusiastic crowd that stunned her with the sheer joy and love they have for her.   In return, Swift presented a grand spectacle…a highly theatric stage show that made great use of the gigantic size of the Staples Center.

Sparks actually flew not long after Taylor Swift floated up to the stage (via a lift) for the first song of the night, “Sparks Fly”…one of twelve tracks performed that evening from her 2010 hit album SPEAK NOW. This was soon followed by another SPEAK NOW track “Mine.”

Swift was clearly moved by the wild cheering, and jumping and screaming of the crowd. Before playing SPEAK NOW’S “The Story of Us”, she stood still in the spotlight for a beat, soaking up the moment.   “Hello Los Angeles. I’m Taylor,” she announced to the explosive crowd. “I can’t believe you guys. I’ve fallen in love with you in about six minutes.”

For 2006’s “Our Song,” a man came on stage alone and pretended to sweep. After a bit of mime and tap dancing shtick…the man walked over to a wall over levers. He pulled one lever and out popped Taylor Swift like a jack-in-the-box. He pulled another lever and Ellen DeGeneres rose up on the stage. Ellen DeGeneres? Yes, Ellen DeGeneres joined Taylor Swift on stage to thunderous applause. A porch was set up, for DeGeneres, Swift, and her band to hang out on, and play. DeGeneres tried a few instruments during “Our Song”…maracas, washboard, and eventually…a triangle. The audience loved seeing DeGeneres (who claimed to have gotten lost while looking for the bathroom). After Ellen DeGeneres left the stage, Swift and her band stayed on the porch set to perform another SPEAK NOW track…”Mean.”

Snow fell on the band and the audience as the stage set changed to accompany a huge bridge, which held eight violinists for “Back to December.” Then a church was set up with pews for a wedding, as a beautiful bride and groom exchanged vows (while Taylor Swift looked on) during “Better Than Revenge.” Swift stole the groom after “Speak Now” and journeyed out into the audience to travel all the way to the very back of the arena.

In a move I’ve never seen before, Swift climbed up by herself on a mini stage with a lit up tree on it, and performed 4 ½ songs to the BACK of the arena floor. Middle of the arena sure, yet I’ve never seen an act play a set to the back section. It was terrific. Swift sat alone with a guitar or ukulele and sang one song after another, with her band backing her on the other side of the arena. In this setting, she played the title track of her 2008 album FEARLESS, as well as SPEAK NOW’s “Last Kiss.” Before the later song, Swift admitted she was a hopeless romantic, and said that “love is my favorite thing to write about, because I think that when we’re falling in love or losing it…that’s when we turn to music, because we need help understanding what’s going on.” Swift is certainly wise beyond her years.

As a tribute to her friend Colbie Caillat (a singer songwriter who has collaborated with Taylor Swift in the past), Swift performed an elegant version of Caillat’s 2007 song “Realize.” Staying in tribute mode, Swift gave out a shout to another one of her heroes…Gwen Stefani, and performed the title track of Stefani’s 2006 album THE GREAT ESCAPE.

“You Belong With Me” was a huge Taylor Swift hit when it was released as a single in 2009. At Sunday’s Staples Center show, Swift performed half of the song at the back of the arena, then walked through the crowd to the main stage to perform the rest of the song.   Along the way, Swift greeted friends and fans alike, shaking peoples hands, and giving them hugs.   To the delight of the crowd, Swifts friends included Reese Witherspoon…and none other than TWILIGHT star (and ex-flame) Taylor Lautner, whose mere presence brought huge screams to the crowd.

After playing “Dear John”, the screams rose up again as rapper (and inspiration for Taylor Swift’s arm) Nicki Minaj joined Swift on stage to play an exciting version of Minaj’s “Super Bass”…a fun track from her 2010 PINK FRIDAY album. The two singers seemed to have a good time performing together.

To close the show, Swift played three more tracks from SPEAK NOW: “Enchanted,” “Haunted:” and “Long Live.” Each song had its own set, its own costumes, its own mood, its own high definition projection displayed on the giant screen behind the band. Yet this wasn’t just spectacle, this was music as well…music that thousands of people cherished, and loved. The crowd could not help but sing along to every song all night. This was their music.

For the encore, Swift and her band came out to perform two songs from 2008’s FEARLESS album. “Fifteen” brought huge cheers from the crowd, and they sang every word with glee. Fittingly, “Love Story” closed out the night.   Why fittingly? Well, Sunday night’s Staples Center concert was all about love…Taylor Swift’s fans love her dearly, and she loves them right back. In fact she loves her fans so much, that Swift got into a floating balcony, and rode high in the air across the entire arena…saying goodbye to everyone in the upper and lower sections. It was a grand gesture; one made by an artist who truly loves what she does, and genuinely appreciates the people who love her for it.