TAYLOR SWIFT: ATLANTA, GA
Taylor Swift with support from Beabadoobee & Gracie Abrams
at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA
words by Christian Tucker; Photos by Terence Rushin/Getty Images for TAS
Everyone who has seen or heard of a Taylor Swift show knows that her fans are absolutely obsessed with everything that she does: what she wears, the lyrics that she writes, the lifestyle she leads, and the shows that she puts on for her fanbase. Atlanta, GA on April 29th was no exception. Pulling into the city, there were fans dressed as the different eras of Taylors career literally everywhere you looked. It was as if the artist had completely taken over the entire city of Atlanta in the best way possible!
The lines for the entrance gates wrapped around the stadium and down the city streets. Thousands of people were standing around screaming Taylor songs at the top of their lungs before the gates were even opened. It was like a theme park themed to Taylor Swift. Once the doors were opened, it was a free for all to see who could be the first into the arena and in the merch booth lines.
Gracie Abrams opened the show. She had a genuine spirit about her and felt like the perfect start to a perfect night. She expressed multiple times how thankful she was to be a part of the show and the tour. You could feel her “down to earth” spirit the entire set, and it was rubbing off on the entire crowd. People sang and cheered at the top of our lungs, and you could see on Gracie’s face that she was thrilled to be living in the moment. Though the stadium was not filled for her set, she put on a show that felt as though it was.
Beabadoobee was the next band on the lineup after Gracie Abrams. They came out with an electrifying spirit that erupted the entire room. The instruments were thundering and the vocals were incredibly smooth. In between songs, the vocalist would talk to the crowd. Rather than having a commanding presence, it felt as though she was literally just chatting with you in the best way possible. Just like Gracie, Beabadoobee had a genuine spirit about themselves. They continued to thank Taylor for allowing them the opportunity to be a part of the show and the tour, and you could see it all over their faces that they meant every single word of that statement. They were the perfect direct support for Taylor, who was clearly about to blow the roof off of the stadium.
The legend herself, Taylor Swift, was up next. To set off the crowd, she set a countdown on the LED screen on stage to hype up everyone…and it worked! Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs in anticipation for the journey that they were about to be taken on. The countdown ends, the lights go dark, and the LED screen comes on with beautiful visuals. Her opening was gorgeous. Dancers wearing what I can only describe as giant flower petals came out from the stage, dancing around and setting off the set with glorious beauty. They eventually reveal in the middle of the stage, Taylor, who has emerged from the floor. The crowd booms with a roar and Taylors first song ‘Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince’ begins playing. Obviously, every single person in the crowd knows the words and is screaming them back to her.
Her first era is for her album Lover. She plays through a few of the tracks before moving onto the next era and then the next. By the end of the night, Taylor had sang 44 songs. In all of my years of attending concerts, I have never seen an artist pull off that many songs in a night. It was impressive to say the least, and Taylor sounded absolutely phenomenal the entire night. The show was amazing. The vibe of the crowd was immaculate and everyone was absolutely bought into the moment. Any production element that you can think of, Taylor had it, making it one of the most memorable concerts that I have ever attended. Taylor was so kind to her crowd. You could tell she was genuinely so excited to be there playing music for us, and it made us feel so good that she was happy. She talked to the crowd like every single person in the room was best friends and had been for years. It was such a unique experience in the best way and something I won’t forget anytime soon!
