Last weekend, I made my way to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour at the Arrowhead stadium in Kansas City, despite cries that the tour is marked by witchcraft promotion and problematic political antics. It was a sold-out show but still easy to enter and exit the stadium. Some concerts are known to be wild and dangerous, but this one was full of courteous fans just happy to be seeing one of the most famous artists in the world (just last year she occupied the entire Top Ten on Billboard Hot 100) perform.
Taylor Swift had released her version of her album Speak Now the night before, and she treated the crowd to a surprise performance of “Long Live,” a longtime fan-favorite song. The total lineup included 44 songs from ten of her albums.
Two of these songs in particular have led to controversy in conservative circles. The song “Willow” has in the past led to some uneasiness among Christians for the cult-like dance imagery in its music video. But to my rosary-swinging, Bible-toting self, the music video and the song’s performance in the tour appeared fairly innocuous. The dance from the video has figures holding glowing sun orbs moving around in various patterns. But this was not Taylor being sinister. Like many people, she was just interested in fantasy imagery and wanted a chance to wear a cool hooded cloak (don’t we all?). The other song in question, “You Need to Calm Down,” barely registered on my political radar, and no overtly political theatrics accompanied it at this show.
Regardless, I do not care to take my political advice from Taylor Swift. The best an artist can do is create art that speaks for itself and brings its audience closer to the good, the true, and the beautiful. This is where Swift thrives. There is something beautiful about standing in the nosebleeds in a stadium with 70,000 people, singing the lyrics to the same songs we grew up with. It was not about Swift; it was about her art. Her songs, while often based on her own experiences, resonate universally.
Taylor Swift is an artist, and a good one. Lines such as “I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you” and “pacing the rocks staring out at the midnight sea” have a poetic quality. Her performances are famous not just because of her, but also because of the songs themselves and the tremendous work put into bringing them to life on stage. Indeed, the technical aspects of the tour were mind-boggling. Coordinating bracelets made with infrared technology lit up the stadium in different patterns and colors, the stage floor was a screen that was perfectly timed to enhance each song, and the singer was adorned in detailed costumes. With songs and shows like this, Taylor Swift is not going out of style anytime soon.