TAYLOR SWIFT AT NRG STADIUM IN HOUSTON, TX
On the night of September 29, over 53,000 enthusiastic Swifties filled NRG Stadium in Houston, TX for a night they’ll always remember. Taylor Swift’s massive first-ever all-stadium Reputation Tour kicked off in Glendale, AZ back in May and was coming to a close soon with Houston as the second-to-last tour stop.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been hearing from my mom about this magical place called Houston, Texas where she grew up” Swift said, “This is the place where you can find some of the loudest crowds you can see or hear in the entire world."
Swift opened the show with “…Ready For It?” shortly followed by flames and fireworks. The new reputation album era consisted of snakes and the show did not lack of it. Her signature snakes were integrated in ways such as her costume (snake skin print), production, and we cannot forget the fans’ costumes.
Mid show, Taylor said, “As singers, everyone single one of us has wanted to do this [stadium tour] since we were kids and I know on my part, even the coolest daydreams as a kid, did not look this cool. My team walks around backstage gushing and thinking ‘How is this our job?’”
The superstar graciously thanked the fans several times for coming out along with the crew of about three hundred people that go into making this tour and show possible. She thanked her all-female tour roster of Charli XCX and Camila Cabello for being a part of the production as well.
Swift spent some time on the main stage but she did not forget the people on the other side of the venue. She zoomed (so elegantly!) across the stadium in two different chariots to her other two stages where Charli XCX and Camila Cabello joined for “Shake It Off” followed by a stripped-down version of "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" with her guitar. Fans in the back of the floor rushed over to get a close look. What amazed me was that I did not take my eyes off her of during this transition but somehow she had the quickest costume change?!
This show was particularly important to me as Taylor Swift’s Speak Now tour many years ago was my concert ever. It has been amazing to see her growth as an artist but also her fans grow larger and larger. It has been surreal to even cover her show as never in this lifetime did I think it’d be possible to photograph Taylor Swift but truly feel like anything is possible if hard work is put behind it.
From the amazing high-energy performance, the full-out production with the stunning visuals (my favorite!), to the fans using every bit of Taylor Swift facts or lyrics to generate their own unique costume - it’s an adventure everyone has to experience for themselves. I believe the fans really make the atmosphere truly unique and remain amazed at each and every creative costume I walked by throughout the night. Although it was one of the largest shows I’ve attended, it felt like one big family.