ICYMI: Taylor Swift started her ‘Reputation’ stadium tour last night in Glendale, Arizona, and it was absolutely huge. Joined by support acts Charli XCX and Camila Cabello, breathtaking production and tons of surprises, fans had an absolute whale of a time. If you haven’t managed to get tickets for a show, or you just want to know what to expect for when she hits the UK next month, here’s everything that went down.
1Squad goals
Taylor and her support acts Camila Cabello and Charli XCX found the time to snap a quick photo before the show started.
2Breaking the rules
During her first support slot of the tour Charli XCX debuted a brand new song, ‘5 in the Morning’, telling the crowd “I’ve never played it before, ever!”
3She’s not working from home any more
Ex-Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello is also joining Taylor on tour, bringing a slice of her summery pop to stadiums around the world.
4Snake it off
And of course, a Taylor set wouldn’t be complete without a snake or two. For the ‘Reputation’ tour Swift has decked her stage out with what’s become one of the iconic pieces of imagery for her latest album. Speaking to the crowd, Taylor explained: “A couple of years ago, someone called me a snake on social media and it caught on,” adding “I guess with the snakes, I wanted to send a message to you guys that if someone uses name-calling to bully you… it doesn’t have to defeat you. It can strengthen you instead.”
5Stripping it back
Taking a break from the rousing performances of tracks like ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, Taylor stripped be back and took a seat at the piano for a beautiful rendition of ‘Long Live’.
7He’s so gorgeous
At the end ‘Gorgeous’ eagle-eyed fans noticed that Taylor pointed to her boyfriend Joe Alwyn, who it’s been rumoured the song is about.
8Getting mashed
Not content with just giving the audience the usual versions of songs, Taylor performed an excellent mash up of ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Should’ve Said No’.
9The old Taylor can’t come to the phone anymore
During ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ the screens around the stadium showed a video of actor and comedienne Tiffany Haddish quoting the now infamous line “because she’s dead”.
10All good things must come to an end
Accompanied by scores of dancers and with a ton of costume changes, this is the most ambitious tour Taylor’s ever embarked on; but show one has proved that the hardwork was all worth it, with thousands of happy Swifties singing Taylor’s praises across social media after the show. But it wouldn’t be a Swift show without a parting message, so at the end of the gig “and in the death of her Reputation, she felt truly alive” flashed up on the screen. Iconic.