Taylor Swift returns to Miami for the second time this year
November 13, 2011
BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL
Written by Kate Dingle
Taylor Swift is one of those artists that no one seems to hate. When it comes to her music, age, sex, race, and religion seem to not matter. Everyone can relate in one way or another to her songs of love and heartache.
Sunday night, Swift brought her “Speak Now” tour back to the Sunshine State for one final night of enchantment.
As 12,500 fans packed themselves into the American Airlines Arena in Miami, the country cross-over cutie did what she does best. She told her stories. And although Taylor’s stories were the main act of the night, also front and center were the hundreds of homemade t-shirts and handwritten signs with the number 13 and “T Swizzle” written on them. Throughout the two hour set, fans sung along with every word the 21-year-old singer sang; often times drowning out the very artist they paid to see.
Regardless, it was quite clear that fans are at the top of the list for Miss Swift. Cameras were constantly pointed at the screaming fans to display their images on the huge video screen onstage, and at one point, the mega-star exited the stage and walked through the crowd. She seemed to stop and say “hi” to everyone who stuck their hands out to get a piece of her.
Now, when superstars of Swift’s magnitude are presented with unexpected situations it can very quickly become clear what kind of person they truly are. Well, during her walk through the crowd an unexpected situation occurred: one of the barricades keeping fans at a safe distance gave way from the amount of weight on it when she walked by. In an instant, her security team surrounded her and tried to shield her from whatever was going to come her way. Instead of rushing away to the next portion of the set, the only thing that was happening was Taylor Swift repeatedly asking fans “Are you OK?” In that moment, Taylor Swift the celebrity gave way to Taylor Swift the human being. Well done.
Highlights of the set included: “Sparks Fly”, “Mean”, “Back To December/Apologize” (OneRepublic cover), “Better Than Revenge”, “Haunted”, “Ours”, “Love Story”, and “Right Round” (including Flo Rida himself joining her onstage).
Although it was a night of lots of screaming fans and, at times, absolute chaos, it was also a night for moms and dads to give the experience of a lifetime to their children. Throughout the night, plenty of parents were seen sporting “Taylor Swift” T-shirts and singing along and dancing with the younger crowd.
And even though everything about Taylor Swift is sweet and fun and innocent and fairytales, the fact that she could call anyone “mean” just seems like it would sting a little more.
Photos by Christina Mendenhall
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