Taylor Swift Kicks Off ‘Reputation’ Tour With Record-Breaking Phoenix Show

Kimberly Carrillo – Taylor Swift
Kicks off her tour in Phoenix

Taylor Swift kicked off her “Reputation” tour at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on May 8 and the end game was she broke the venue’s attendance record.

Sparks flew as the 59,157 fans took in a healthy dose of her reputation album, including the kickoff song, the apropos “Ready for It?”

“I’m grateful to see all 60,000 of you tonight,” she said. “I think I’ve done 14 shows in Arizona, starting with outdoor malls. You guys decided to break the all-time record for attendance tonight.”

Over the past 36 months, according to Pollstar Boxoffice Reports, Swift has had 81 headline shows with an average of 41,805 tickets sold per city. With this tour, however, Swift promises to far surpass that number.

Here in Phoenix, the show featured a massive 172-feet by 40-feet video screen that gave the audience a close-up look at Swift, who donned black go-go boots and a shiny black bodysuit to match. 

Accompanied by an army of dancers, she whipped through the two-hour show in six acts, all of which featured costume changes ranging from glittery dresses to simple, more demure outfits. 

Per usual, Swift took the time to offer her support to the women in the crowd to latched onto every word. 

During “Gorgeous,” she introduced the female members of her backup dancers, and ended the song with a wink. 

During the first act, the massive screen raised to reveal a riser with her band, who joined her on stage for a medley of “Style/Love Story/You Belong With Me.”

After a video interlude, Swift reappeared on stage for “Look What You Made Me Do.” 

Just as the crowd started singing along, Tiffany Haddish quickly appeared via video, and Swift returned to singing the song without missing a beat. 

The special effects during the show channeled the Rolling Stones, with oversized snakes and tentacles, just as the Brit legends accomplished with honkytonk women.

Besides the special effects, the highlight of the show was “Shake It Off,” performed on a secondary stage with openers Camila Cabello and Charli XCX. It was more than a performance, it was a party, complete with confetti and a troupe of dancers.

When they left the stage, Swift grabbed her guitar and played an acoustic set featuring “Dancing with Our Hands Tied” and “All Too Well.” She traveled to a third stage for “Blank Space.”

Once again, the crowd sang along with Swift for “Bad Blood,” a breakthrough pop hit, and then continued as such with “Don’t Blame Me” “Getaway Car”—a hit that prompted young fans to dress with cardboard car costumes—and “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

She wrapped the extravaganza with “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” But with the elaborate set, beautiful costumes and singalong lyrics, it was clear that everyone dubbed her debut performance far beyond just “nice.”