1989 World Tour Review

Last night I went to Manchester Arena to see Taylor Swift perform new album 1989 in her tour of the same name. The experience was unlike anything I had been to before. It was a concert-cum-feminist rally, rather than anything else.

There is no denying just how much Taylor has grown up since her previous albums, in every sense of the word. Musically, she writes with a new found articulation of maturity that means that her album packs more punch than ever. Gone are the days of teardrops on her guitar. One only has to listen to the first verse of 'This Love' to be converted to this regenerated, ultra-powerful version of Taylor Swift. "Clear blue waters, high tide came and brought you in / And I could go on and on, on and on and I will / Skies grew darker, current swept you out again / And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone". Her lyrics have an experienced, darker, poetic edge that can't be found in her other albums.

But even her older songs have been given an 80s make-over. The stripped back version of ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ was almost unrecognisable. With little to no accompaniment and a new, slower rhythm, the song has obtained a much deeper, field-holler resonance, a far-cry from the original 2014 pop-song version.

Not only are her songs well written, but clearly she clearly has a talent for set-design too. Or at least, a talent for picking people who have a talent for set-design...
Each song was staged differently, each style original but what was really impressive about last night was just how remarkably good Taylor Swift's voice is live. The only bum-note was a finger slip on a keyboard, balanced on the end of a rotating platform high up in the arena.

But that’s enough about the music (as much as I love it). I’ve realised recently that this blog has become less ‘How To Be a Teenager’ and more ‘How To Be a Feminist’ – but I’m okay with that. I really wanted this blog post to be about the feminist message Taylor is trying to convey to the legions of fans, who endearingly refer to themselves as, the Taylornation.

Taylor took a good ten minutes out of last night's concert to give her fans a couple of life lessons. She explains that, as much as she loves the internet, there are some pit-falls when it comes to our mental health. She explained to the audience that it's easy to see the "highlight reel" of other people's lives because of social media. It's easy to see somebody enjoying themselves on a great trip or going to an amazing party. But that's not the whole story, she says. You don't get to see what goes on behind the closed doors of their life. You don't get to see the moments they can't get out of bed and face the day. You can't see "behind the scenes" of their life, like you do in yours. Taylor Swift wants you to know that everybody has those days. Even her, she says, as she sweeps her blonde locks across her face on stage to demonstrate the 'bad hair day' scenario. "Let me tell you what you are not" she states forcefully. "You are not somebody else's opinion of you. You are not damaged goods just because you've made mistakes. And you are not going nowhere because you're not exactly where you wanna be in your life right now."

For 12 and 13 year olds everywhere, this is an incredibly healthy message that can only be achieved due to Taylor’s personal connection to her fans. One finds oneself genuinely believing that someone as famous and beautiful as Taylor Swift understands how hard-going it is to be a young girl (or boy) living in 2015.

I was going to put in a little disclaimer, and apologise for being presumptuous and paraphrasing Taylor's speech – but then I realised. I don't have to. This is exactly what she intends to do at her concerts: give all of her fans something with which to identify, and allow each of them to take what they need from it.

The message I want to convey, from Taylor Swift to everyone who couldn't be there last night, is this.

You can be whoever you damn well want to be. The person you end up with should and will love you because of all your mistakes and all of your life lessons learnt the hard way. They will love you for the person you are now and the person you will be with them. That's love. And yes it was clichéd and a more than a little bit cheesy. But hey, a cliché becomes a cliché for a reason. In this case, it's because we all need reminding sometimes about what we have to go through to find love, and how it should feel when we find it. Taylor Swift teaches the Taylornation a feminist message on an unparalleled scale - a message of self-respect, compassion and empathy. Yes, love is important and to deny that would be silly - the vast majority of people want to find someone to spend their life with, no matter their gender. But Taylor makes it clear to her vulnerable teenage fan base that it is never okay to stay with someone who doesn't treat you well as well as you deserve.

All in all, the concert was a great success. I think it paves the way for a new era of concert in some ways. A ‘higher truth’ of concerts, if you will, which not only includes music and song writing of the highest standard, but also a guiding hand for fans. She is in a position of enormous influence and power, and she’s not about to shirk her responsibilities. Everybody could learn a thing or two from the, somewhat unlikely, prophet of our times – because Taylor Swift is not just a musician: she’s a role model, and a friend.

P.S. One couldn't write an article about Taylor in the last week without a shout-out to her taking on Apple. Underestimate Taylor Swift at your peril - very few artists would have stood up to a corporate giant to fight for the rights of budding musicians. Even fewer would have won.