Thursday, July 21, 2011

Taylor Swift's Speak Now Tour Brings Honky Tonk To NJ

Newark, New Jersey, arena treated to aerialists, Broadway stage setup.
By Jocelyn Vena


Taylor Swift (file)
Photo: Getty Images

NEWARK, New Jersey — A little bit of Music City took over Newark on Tuesday night when Taylor Swift stormed the stage at the Prudential Center to an excited crowd of female devotees for the latest stop on her Speak Now Tour.

Sparks flew as Swift took the stage in a glittering gold dress to open the show with the aptly titled "Sparks Fly." As she previously promised, the theatrics were kicked up a few notches since her Fearless tour, thanks to aerialists, a huge Broadway stage setup and stop-motion animation. Swift played many instruments throughout the two-hour set, including guitar, banjo and piano.

The show included a wide range of oldies and newbies, such as the Speak Now hits "Mine" and "The Story of Us." "When you're on tour, you mark down in your head the crowds that are the craziest," she told the room. "I don't know what it is about you ... but you come together and you form the super crowd."

For "Our Song" and "Mean," Taylor took from the theme of her "Mean" video and put together a honky tonk vibe right there in New Jersey.

One of the most moving moments of the night came next. Sitting at a white grand piano in an ice-blue gown, Swift slowed things down for "Back to December" as glittering confetti fell from the ceiling.

Amid a whirlwind of costume and set changes, she played a number of other songs including "Better Than Revenge," and then, in a very theatrical moment during "Speak Now," Swift acted out crashing a wedding. She eventually stole the groom away, as she sings in the song, and the pair ran through the crowd together. From a smaller stage mid-arena, Taylor performed "Fearless" with a ukulele and followed it with the breakup tune "Last Kiss."

The night was all about the highs and lows of love, but it was also about the state she would be playing in that night and for the next three nights. She performed a mini ode to Jersey, as she called it, as she transitioned from Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" into "You Belong With Me." This marked the perfect time for her to make her way back to the stage, where she finished the song.

During the haunting "Dear John," the pyro matched her vocal fireworks.

She closed out the main part of her set with ballerinas during "Enchanted," more aerialists during "See You Again" and a big thank you to her fans for "Long Live."

For the encore, she played two fan favorites, capping off her epic show with "Fifteen" and "Love Story," during which she flew over the crowd in a balcony. Like any good stage production, the show ended with everyone in the cast taking their final bows alongside Nashville's most-glittering show woman.

Have you seen Taylor Swift on tour? Share your review in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667555/taylor-swifts-speak-now-tour-brings-honky-tonk-nj.jhtml

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