Can't get enough of Taylor Swift concert last Saturday at Araneta Coliseum.?
Here’s a review of the concert from Philippine Daily Inquirer!
MANILA, Philippines—Traffic on roads leading to Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, moved at a snail’s pace on Saturday night, as people were swept by anxiety on their way to country-pop superstar Taylor Swift’s concert.
For two hours starting at 6 p.m., the scene outside the coliseum recalled the glory days of the old Crispa-Toyota basketball matches, or, in recent times, the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry, where long lines of spectators eagerly awaited entry to the venue. But this time, the mood was more frenzied.
Kids, a lot of them female adolescents, scurried about with excitement. There were worried looks from those queuing to buy SRO tickets; perhaps they were afraid that tickets would run out again. Tempers flared in some instances, caused by confusion regarding production passes.
Scalpers milled around, offering to buy even the production passes. The lines leading to the coliseum gates snaked like a slow-mo dragon dance during Chinese New Year.
Inside the Big Dome, a festive air prevailed. Fathers and mothers, persuaded to be there mainly by their young daughters, were busy taking snapshots. School buddies, both male and female, cracked jokes or engaged in small talk. Older women with their boyfriends walked hand in hand. Swift is one performer who has brought together everyone in the family.
Ear-splitting shrieks erupted as soon as the houselights went out, signaling the show’s start. The screams got so loud a young mom had to cup the ears of her 2-year-old who had started crying. Taylormania was in progress.
Opening with “Sparks Fly,” a track from her latest album “Speak Now”—which is also the focus of her current world tour—it was not difficult to see why teenagers go crazy over the American singer-songwriter. More than being an attractive young woman who sings in a sweet, earnest voice, Swift knows how to write good songs.
Compared with less talented or lazy composers, there is a big difference in the way she describes the nervous prospects of romance. The first two lines alone in “Sparks Fly” throb with action: “The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm/And I’m a house of cards.”
She candidly admits that her songs are autobiographical, like diaries set to music.
Combining the basic rhythms of country music and mid-tempo rock ‘n’ roll, it’s a very accessible sound that has captured legions of fans around the globe.
Swift is one of the reasons the record industry has not completely collapsed. She has sold over 19 million albums and 33 millions singles worldwide. Last year, Forbes magazine ranked her as the 12th most powerful celebrity with earnings of $45 million.
“I write about life, love and heartbreak,” she said after her second number, “First Time.” [TSPH Edit: Her second song was entitled Mine, not First Time.] And then she added: “But it’s mostly about love and heartbreak, before launching into “Story of Us”—a love tune with a sad ending.
The sad songs, however, have an empowering element that encourages the lovelorn to move on and survive.
Visually, some of Swift’s songs are a joy to listen to. Her latest album’s title track, for instance, was performed à la Motown girl group with two backup singers.
Swift demonstrated her musicianship by playing the ukulele in “Jump Then Fall,” [TSPH Edit: It was Fearless, not Jump Then Fall.] whose reggae-flavored beat moved her to segue momentarily to Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”
Earlier in the show, she slipped into OneRepublic’s “Apologize” while singing one of her originals.
In another instance, she shifted from playing acoustic guitar to piano. Her desire to be a consummate musician should inspire the local artists who were in the audience.
“The hardest lessons are the ones you have to keep learning over and over,” she said by way of introducing “Fifteen”—one of her early hits from the “Fearless” album. The crowd screamed again in fits of ecstasy.
A group of three girls stood behind us, waving a homemade poster of Swift’s cutout photos. “Why do you like Taylor’s songs?” we asked one of the girls. “Because her songs teach me how to be brave and face the consequences of my actions.” The girl is 13.
When Swift requested these girls to sing along to “You Belong with Me,” they did so like they treasure the lyrics with deep affection.
Whether they’re aware or not, Swift’s lyrics here are so simple and yet illustrate a good story line: “She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts/She’s a cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers.”
We don’t know how long she’ll keep on writing stories in songs of that sort. She’s now 21 and has, in fact, gotten into high-profile relationships that have ended just like in her sad tunes.
But in the meantime, it’s great to see that she has made thousands of people that night, whether at the front rows or way up at the bleachers, very happy.
Source: PDI Showbiz and Style section
