Reviews: Taylor Swift, Arcade Fire, Sam Smith & More

Rick Scuteri / Invision / AP – Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift kicks off her “Reputation Stadium Tour” with a sold-out show at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., May 8.

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from Taylor Swift in Dublin; Arcade Fire in Bucharest, Romania; Sam Smith in Montreal; Kesha/Macklemore in Denver; Slayer in Dallas; and Greta Van Fleet in London.

Taylor Swift @ Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, June 16 – “Swift has grown up as a performer, and there were signs of that throughout her two-hour set, which includes fireworks, Broadway-caliber dancers and props.” – Ramin Setoodeh / Variety

Arcade Fire @ Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania, June 20 – “The wildest cheers were reserved for the instant when Butler told the crowd he had seen people out in the streets protesting, and called them “an inspiration to the rest of the world,” before adding, between expletives, that, although there’s “a lot of s**t to take care of” he hoped that one day “we can get these f*****g criminals out,” pointing that the US has a problem of their own.” – Georgeta Gheorghe / Romania Business Review

Sam Smith @ Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, June 19 – “Smith’s warmth ensured that he sang to everyone at all times, even though the innovative stage design meant he had his back to a good chunk of the audience at any given point.” – Jordan Zivitz / Montreal Gazette

– The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore

Kesha/Macklemore @ Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., June 18 – “Kesha treated her performance as if she was a kid on a playground having the time of her life.”

“It’s one thing for an artist to interact with a crowd during a set, and it’s another thing to chuck hotdogs across the arena or upgrade two fans with “golden tickets” so they can sit on stage and watch the performance from Macklemore’s perspective or even bring two fans on stage to have an actual dance off while the rapper performed ‘Dance Off.'” – Michael Tritsch / 303 Magazine

Slayer @ Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas, June 19 – “[Tom] Araya stopped and chatted with the audience a few times. He looked like the godfather of thrash metal with his white beard and silver lining his long, dark hair. He’s had issues with his hearing for a several years, but he performed as if he were his 20-year-old self stepping out of the garage for the first time.” – Dallas Observer / Christian Mcphate

Greta Van Fleet @ Electric Ballroom in London, England, June 11 – “They’re obviously an immensely talented band who perform with the aptitudes of musicians beyond their years. It’s completely irrelevant to dwell on the fact that they’re carbon copies of Zeppelin. It needs to be spoken of that they have the opportunity and the potential to completely influence the course of the modern rock genre to a similar form of the gritty, blues-based music of the 60’s and 70’s.” – Nicole Kitchens / College Media Network