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The Eras Tour: The Intricate World-Building Behind Taylor Swift’s Most Ambitious Sets Ever

By Katherine McLaughlin

There’s a joke circling the internet following the opening weekend of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour: look at any random collection of photos taken throughout the night—some even snapped mere minutes apart—and you’d never know they all came from the same show. What starts in a hazy pink, cotton candy dreamscape ends in a sultry, sparkling twilight—with plenty of undulating stops in the middle, from ethereal fairytale woods to the energetic skyscrapers of the concrete jungle. “[The stage] changed for almost every song, which is crazy to think about considering most artists have the same stage for their entire set list,” Maya Minocha, a fan who was at the opening weekend in Glendale, Arizona, tells  AD.  

Following the COVID-19-induced cancellation of Swift’s sixth headline tour, Lover Fest, in 2020, The Eras Tour is her triumphant return to live music. Three new albums and two rerecorded records later, the three-hour 44-song show recaps every era of her 17-year career in her most ambitious performance to date. “The sets absolutely made this possible,” Ginnie Low, who also attended the shows and runs the TikTok account The Thrifty Swiftie , says. “I didn’t move from my tiny little seat area the whole concert, but was transported to 10 different worlds.” Ariel Miranda , another concert-goer agrees. “It was such an immersive experience,” she says. With a distinct focus on world building,  AD takes a look at the incredible set design that helps bring her music to life throughout the 52-date sold-out tour. 

The Lover Era 

Swift during the opening number of The Eras Tour

Swift opened the show with tracks off of her seventh studio album,  Lover. “It was as if she picked up right from where she left off,” Miranda says. Having characterized the album with yellow, pink, and blue pastels, Swift—outfitted in a shimmering leotard—belted songs like “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince” and “Cruel Summer” while dancers wielding billowing tapestries performed beneath a rosy glow.

Taylor Swift performs in front of the Lover House during The Eras Tour. 

At one point in the  Lover set, a familiar dollhouse-like home appeared behind Swift, which many fans recognize from the “Lover” music video. “The screen began flashing images that eventually would piece together to become the Lover House, which was a huge Easter egg,” Miranda adds. In the video, Swift and costar Christian Owens move through various colored rooms  within a house in a snow globe. When the music video first dropped, fans theorized that each room represented one of her existing albums, and with the release of three new albums, many believe the home is now complete . 

During “The Man,” Swift uses scaffolding and office props to emulate a corporate environment. 

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Other notable scenes from the Lover section of the show include a full-scale office cosplay moment during “The Man,” where Swift sings about the sexism she’s faced throughout her career. 

The Fearless Era

Projects and stage lights provide a golden glow during the Fearless era. 

Next up in the night, Swift performed three songs from her second album,  Fearless, for which she won album of the year in 2010 at the Grammys (the youngest artist to ever win the accolade). Though she was certainly popular in country circles following her self-titled debut album, it was this second record that established her mainstream success. And not only did the singer bring back some classic circa 2009  dance moves , she also brought back a dazzling gold motif that she employed when promoting the album over a decade ago. 

Taylor Swift with her bejeweled guitar

Outfitted in soft curls and sequins, Swift was often portrayed as the girl next door and an American sweetheart during this period. Though she did, at times, lean into this persona, fans remember her determination to be bold, strong, and, yes, fearless. The sparkles and shine acted as visual representation of this.

For fans, perhaps the most exciting Easter egg was a nod to the bedazzled guitar that she toured with during her  Fearless era. In an Instagram story, Swift revealed that it was her parents who artfully stuck the shimmering crystals onto her acoustic guitar just days before The Eras Tour kicked off. 

The Evermore Era

Taylor Swift performs songs from her ninth album, Evermore, at The Eras Tour. 

“The most striking moment was as she transitioned from Fearless to Evermore ,” Low opines. “The woods grew out of the stage.” A sister album to her 2020  Folklore,  Swift’s ninth album, Evermore, was positioned as a deeper exploration of the “folklorian woods,” a fictional, cottagecore-inspired place used to direct her first foray into indie folk music. Throughout this portion of the night, massive oak-like trees took center stage while Swift crooned behind a moss-covered piano. 

Swift uses a moss-covered piano for songs during this set. 

“I loved the Evermore era setup, particularly during her performance of ‘Willow,’” Miranda says. “It really made you feel like someone literally just picked you up and dropped you straight into this particular Taylor Swift album.” Sonically, Evermore was understood as a more gothic album compared to  Folkore. The bare trees and snow covered woods represent that, and they also show Swift’s desire to strip back layers and portray innately raw, natural storytelling. 

The Reputation Era

Swift stands atop a raised stage during the Reputation era of the concert. 

Spawned from Swift’s 2016 public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West,  Reputation represented the singer’s reflection on fame and public perception and an opportunity to rewrite the “good girl” narrative she’d carried around for years. Though the album is often billed as defensive and reactive, it remains one of her most misunderstood collections: It’s also full of love songs and sweet moments. The dark stadium and blood red risers certainly support the most common perception of the album; however, it’s hard to miss the lit candles just below her. After all, it’s no coincidence burning is just as frequently used to describe rage and anger as it is passion and love.

The backup dancers pay homage to Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” music video. 

During “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift’s backup dancers perform in doll boxes dressed in outfits inspired by previous looks she’s worn. The moment was a direct nod to the song’s  music video , in which Swift reenacts various moments throughout her time in the public eye in an eruptive, Easter egg-filled video. 

The Speak Now Era 

Swift sings “Enchanted” during the Speak Now set. 

Though Swift only performed one song from her third album,  Speak Now —much to the disappointment of some fans—she made sure to make it count. The color purple defined the album’s aesthetic, and, though the shade is often associated with royalty, it can also symbolize ambition, power, and independence. Following her historic win at the Grammys for  Fearless,   Speak Now was a pivotal moment in her career. Could she keep up the pace or was she another teen star who lost momentum as they reached young adulthood? Not only did Swift deliver, she proved she could do it on her own: Speak Now was the first album she wrote entirely solo. 

The Red Era

Taylor Swift wears an outfit nearly identical to one she wore in the “22” music video. 

The original  Red tour, which took place between 2013 and 2014, was her biggest at the time. It included a seven-piece band, fifteen dancers, multiple costume changes, as well as jumbotrons and multilevel stages. Though The Eras set certainly honored some of these larger-than-life moments from the first  Red tour, it also showed considerable restraint. 

Swift wears a sparkling red coat during an acoustic set. 

During one particularly emotional moment, Swift sang the 10-minute version of her critically acclaimed “All Too Well” with just her acoustic guitar. However, this doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. “Even some of her slower songs like “All Too Well,” where it was just her and a guitar, had insane stage effects that you wouldn’t expect, like snow confetti falling across the stadium and the stage rising when she started singing a high note,” Minocha explains. 

The Folklore Era

Taylor Swift on an A-frame during the Folklore set

“I was so obsessed with the  Folklore set because it seemed like Taylor was living her best life in a little remote forest cabin even though some 60,000 people were watching her,” Minocha says of the A-frame cabin Swift brought on stage. (A version of this home was first seen in her  2021 Grammy’s performance .) 

Swift wears an Alberta Ferretti dress during the Folklore set. 

Thematically,  Folklore explored a fictional woodland world Swift dreamed up during quarantine, and while a cabin certainly captures that aura, the choice of an A-frame specifically is notable. Because they were relatively cheap and easy to build, the style of home grew in popularity in the United States following World War II as vacation properties—an appropriate connection given the album is centered around an escapist fantasy. 

A-frames also represented a unique moment for architects who, with little financial consequences at stake, were able to test out their more speculative creative ideations. In many ways, with lockdowns, limited promotion, and no obvious answer for how or if the music would be performed live, this is what Swift’s  Folklore era represented too: the opportunity to explore,  uninhibited . “I love that album and she really created this whole world for it,” Low adds, “Building the folklore cabin and bringing us all into that world with her was just so cool.” 

The 1989 Era

The 1989 set of Swift’s Eras Tour

“Another thing that I loved about the stage design in general was how there were basically three different parts of it that all connected together: the main stage, the diamond stage, and the catwalk that led to the end of the stage,” Miranda says. “She really utilized each and every one of these sections of the stage at different times during the night.” 

Swift and dancers wield golf clubs during “Blank Space.”  

Though examples are abundant, a particularly creative use came during Swift’s  1989 set, a record which won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2016. While performing “Blank Space” on the central diamond, the raised portion displayed a Shelby Cobra, which Swift and backup dancers “hit” with light-up golf clubs in a live reenactment of an iconic scene from the song’s music video. 

The Midnights Era 

During the final set of the show, Swift performs songs from her newest album, Midnights.  

The non-stop show ended with cuts from Swift’s most recent album,  Midnights,  with the stage cast in dark light, representative of both the title of the album and the end of the concert. Standing firmly in the present,  Midnights still has its roots in the past, since the album tells “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life,” Swift explained in a  Instagram post . It’s easy to follow the way the previous two-plus hours of sonic reflection—aided through the incredible set design—brought her to where she is now. As Minocha summarizes, “I’ve been to almost all of Taylor’s past tours and the stage and production has always been above and beyond, but because this one explores all the eras of her career, everything is just next level.”

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Taylor Swift 1989 World Tour

McLaren Engineering Group provided engineering services for The 1989 World Tour, Taylor Swift’s fourth world concert tour, which visited four continents and promoted her “1989” album. Work included mainstage deck elements, band risers and self-climbing lifts – as well as rigging for lighting, video and sound for both indoor and outdoor venues.

Propeller Stage Element

McLaren engineered a “propeller” stage unit, a 100-foot-long truss designed to be semi-modular, allowing it to be installed in large and small venues. In addition to a tilting axis, the propeller was equipped with a central bearing and a dedicated motor, allowing it to rotate about its center at a maximum rate of 1.5 RPM—a 7.8 foot-per-second speed at the extreme ends.

The entertainment engineering design accounted for both strength and serviceability concerns including weight, lifting capacity, touring load in/out capabilities, deflection and natural frequency issues, and both public and performer safety. The design of such a complex machine required constant communication with the technical team at TAIT to ensure its capacity, safety and reliability. The final product was a safe and reliable machine capable of touring internationally with consistent performance.

Additional Services

Additional engineering services McLaren Engineering Group provided include structural analysis, fabrication and installation inspection, mobile stage structures design, static and dynamic analysis, range of motion study, and staging structures design.

Photo Credit: Images 1 & 3 Tait Towers

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The 1989 World Tour

• View history
• 1 Xfinity Takes You to 1989
• 2.1 Promotional posters
• 4 Concert synopsis
• 6 Surprise songs
• 8 Tour dates

Xfinity Takes You to 1989 [ ]

Many videos surrounding The 1989 World Tour were released through Xfinity, and many sweepstakes for pit tickets during the tour. They released a behind the scenes video as well.

Behind the Scenes of The 1989 World Tour

Concert film [ ]

The 1989 World Tour Live is a concert film by Taylor Swift. It was released on December 20, 2015, exclusively via Apple Music. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the film follows the Sydney stop of Swift's fourth headlining concert tour, The 1989 World Tour. The show, which was attended by 75,980 fans, remains Swift's most attended concert to date.

Signs were displayed at the sold out Sydney concert on November 28, 2015, at ANZ Stadium which said "Today's events are being recorded and filmed for global streaming, and may also form part of a television program... for commercial and promotional purposes." Although there was no further information about what the filming was for at the time, there was speculation that it would form a DVD of the 1989 World Tour to be released once the tour concluded its run in Melbourne in late 2015. Later speculation involved an Apple Music Video launch, which was proved to be correct. Coincidentally, " All You Had to Do Was Stay " and " This Love " were added back into the show after having been left off the set list for several months. This makes the Sydney setlist identical to that of Tokyo when the tour premiered.

Taylor Swift - 1989 World Tour (Live 2015)

On December 13, 2015 — Swift's 26th birthday—she announced she had partnered with Apple Music to release a concert film entitled The 1989 World Tour Live in one weeks' time. It contains over two hours of concert, interview, and never-before seen backstage and rehearsal footage with some of the musical and surprise guests from previous shows. Celebrities making appearances in the film include Mick Jagger, Jason Derulo, Idina Menzel, Justin Timberlake, Wiz Khalifa, and Alanis Morissette. It was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. Clips from the film were later compiled for the music video for the seventh and final single from the album, " New Romantics ".

Promotional posters [ ]

The custom stage built for the 1989 Tour is one-of-a-kind. It was a classic catwalk shape that's 100 ft long but the center part could detach from the main catwalk. It a was semi-modular type design able to rise up and do a 360° turn, it permitted to get closer to fans, the technology was like a propeller system.

Concert synopsis [ ]

Set list [ ].

This set list is representative of the show on May 5, 2015, in Tokyo. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour.

• " Welcome to New York "
• " New Romantics "
• " Blank Space "
• " I Knew You Were Trouble "
• " I Wish You Would "
• " How You Get the Girl "
• " I Know Places "
• " All You Had to Do Was Stay "
• Surprise song
• " Love Story "
• " This Love "
• " Bad Blood "
• " We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together "
• " Enchanted " / " Wildest Dreams "
• " Out of the Woods "
• " Shake It Off "

Surprise songs [ ]

The following songs were performed by Swift after "All You Had To Do Was Stay". The song changed each night.

• " You Are In Love " - Tokyo, Sydney
• " Wonderland " - Las Vegas, Bossier City, Pittsburgh, Cologne
• " Holy Ground " - Dublin night two
• " You Belong With Me " - Second shows in East Rutherford, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Denver, Shanghai, Columbus and first shows in Singapore and Foxborough
• " Fifteen " - Chicago night one , Edmonton, Denver, St. Paul, Tampa, & Arlington, second shows in Toronto, Foxborough and Melbourne, third show in Los Angeles, and in Atlanta
• " Mean " - Chicago night two , Seattle, Los Angeles night five , Houston, St. Paul night two
• " Sparks Fly " - Vancouver
• " Fearless " - During the second show in Edmonton, the show in San Diego and the second show in Omaha
• " Should've Said No " - Santa Clara night one
• " Never Grow Up " - Santa Clara night two
• " Ronan " - Glendale night one
• " All Too Well " - Los Angeles night one
• " Red " - Columbus night one
• " Mine " - Brisbane
• " Long Live " - Melbourne night three

Gallery [ ]

Tour dates [ ].

• 1 List of Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriends
• 2 The Tortured Poets Department photoshoot
• 3 The Tortured Poets Department

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18 things we learned from Taylor Swift's '1989 World Tour' documentary

Taylor Swift’s giddy cries of “Please welcome to the stage…” are still ringing in our ears, but the time has come: After 85 shows and seemingly endless special guests, the 1989 World Tour is finally over.

It won’t soon be forgotten, though, in part because The 1989 World Tour (Live) documentary is now available to stream on Apple Music, giving broke Swifties who didn’t attend the tour a chance to experience the magic. But even if you did catch the tail of this comet, you still might learn something new from the documentary, which intersperses full, sparkling, neon-tinged footage from Swift’s Sydney, Australia stop with commentary from the star, and clips from other cities’ shows.

For those who don’t have Apple Music (or the 2 hours and 11 minutes required to watch the full documentary), here are 18 things we learned from The 1989 World Tour (Live) , in no particular order:

1. “Blank Space” is Swift’s favorite moment of every show

She loves playing the seductive serial dater who becomes obsessed with her boyfriends and then goes crazy. “When I wrote ‘Blank Space,’ I just thought, all right, if [the media] want[s] me to play this character … this whole image of the jet-setting, tragic mess, cool,” Swift said. “I’ll write a song from that perspective and see how you like it.” As we’ve known since 1989 came out in 2014, the song hit its mark: “It ended up being the biggest song I’ve ever had,” she said.

2. She didn’t bring special guests on stage just to brag about her squad — it was essentially a tactic to combat spoilers and keep an element of surprise every night

“Every person in the audience probably knows what costumes I’m going to wear,” Swift explained. “They could know the set list if they really wanted to, so I decided to start inviting special guests out.”

3. The remixed version of “I Knew You Were Trouble” she played on tour was phenomenal.

Okay, this is a personal opinion, but watching this funky, piano-heavy version of “Trouble” really might make you wish you’d gotten tickets to this tour, if you missed it. At least we have it on video …

4. She has Mick Jagger’s cell phone number (and uses it)

When Swift was on a hike in Nashville before that city’s concert, her dad called her. “I pick up the phone and Dad’s like, ‘My friend swears he was sitting next to Mick Jagger at lunch yesterday,’ ” Swift said. “So I text Mick, and I said, ‘Hey, are you in town? I’m playing a show tomorrow. Do you want to come out and sing “Satisfaction?””‘ He just writes back, ‘What will I wear?’ “

(We’re going to start slipping that line into every story from now on. “So I text Mick …”)

5. Losing the 2014 Grammy for Album of the Year to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories inspired her to write 1989

“I ended up going home thinking a lot about everything,” Swift said of that 2014 evening. “[I was] thinking about where I was going, what I’d been doing. … I needed to change something. I went to bed, and I woke up at 4 in the morning and I knew what the next album needed to be: ‘I need to completely switch gears, it needs to be called 1989 … everything has to be different.’ “

6. Swift is the one who suggested Alanis Morissette “slap” her in the face while the two performed the line, “It was a slap in the face / How quickly I was replaced”

Her rationale? “Bruises heal, but the moment lasts forever.”

7. She pulled out all the stops for her special guests — including changing the color of the audience.

“We can program the bracelets to be absolutely any color,” Swift said. “So the first thing I ask them is, ‘What color do you want the audience to be?’ ” She’d be a great concierge in Panem’s Capitol, right? “Pyro is another option we provided for many of the guests,” she said.

8. She loves huggging Wiz Khalifa

“At the end of our performance, there was a hug that lasted for like four years,” Swift said. “I remember thinking, ‘I just don’t want this hug to end!’ “

9. Swift used beach towels and nail polish to explain the tour’s runway to her model friends

And Karlie Kloss secretly filmed the whole thing — including the excitement backstage.

10. Swift calls professional athletes “sports players”

“If an actor or a sports player wanted to come to the show, I’d invite them up on stage, because why not?” she said.

11. Her band can learn a song in less than an hour

And, given the fact that most of Swift’s artist guests got to perform their own songs with her, that’s a lot of different genres Swift’s band had to perfect. Kudos to them.

12. Justin Timberlake was slightly worried about the pyrotechnics

“Don’t you burn me, Taylor,” he warned.

13. Also, Swift thinks Timberlake is “our generation’s Frank Sinatra”

Hey, he does have blue eyes!

14. John Legend’s appearance happened at the very last minute

“John Legend happened to be coming to the concert just to watch it,” Swift said, “but in my head I’m like, ‘I know this show starts in 40 minutes, but I want John Legend to sing.’ ” And he did.

15. It was Swift’s idea for Miranda Lambert to emerge atop “a throne made of men”

“I was half expecting her to be like, ‘I’m not doing that,’ ” Swift said, “but she was so down.” Uh, yeah.

16. Swift got to be the sixth member of Fifth Harmony — just for a night

She had the girls teach her the choreography to “Worth It” in their dressing room, then borrowed one of Camila Cabello’s extra costumes to perform the song with the group onstage. “Camila says, ‘I have an extra costume. Do you want to dress like one of us?’ ” Swift said. “And I said, ‘Obviously.’ “

17. Mary J. Blige’s song “Doubt” really speaks to Swift

“It really hit me because I’m so doubtful of myself constantly,” Swift confessed. “No matter what I achieve … That song really struck a chord with me, and I remember thinking it would be amazing if I could ever sing that with her.” Reader, she did.

18. The end of the 1989 World Tour was extra emotional for Swift and her team because they hadn’t gotten sick of it yet

“We didn’t drag it out,” she said. “We didn’t wait til we got sick of it. We’re still in love with it.” And so, it seems, are we.

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Review: On Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Tour, the Underdog Emerges as Cool Kid

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By Jon Caramanica

• May 21, 2015

BOSSIER CITY, La. — Toward the end of Taylor Swift ’s concert at the CenturyLink Center here on Wednesday night, she strapped on an electric guitar for the first time of the night and began playing some tart riffs while singing hungry little fillips. She was setting the stage for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” the 2012 song that became her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped turn her inexorably away from country and toward pop megastardom.

In the song, she’s lashing out at a dunderheaded ex: “You would hide away and find your peace of mind/ With some indie record that’s much cooler than mine.”

On the album, she delivers that self-referential line with an eye roll, but when she sang it here, she turned it into a defiant shout. Suddenly, the song wasn’t about fretting over someone’s opinion; it was about knowing you’ve been the cool one all along, and finally owning it.

Whatever underdog anxieties Ms. Swift might have had earlier in her career are mostly gone. With the release in the fall of “ 1989 ” (Big Machine), her fifth album, Ms. Swift neatly ascended to the top of the pop hierarchy, largely by bypassing and ignoring most of her peers. She used the same blend of guilelessness and savvy that made her a radical figure in country music, and applied it to 1980s-influenced sounds that made her one of the most conservative figures in pop.

So she’s still a kind of underdog, but a big dog, too. The “1989” album has gone platinum four times over, and this show was the first stand-alone date of the American leg of her “1989” world tour, which will mainly play stadiums. (This arena was far smaller, holding about 13,000 people.)

The album “1989” is what got her here, and “1989” is what she largely stuck to — newly grown-up songs about letdown, regret and letting go. “Out of the Woods” was booming and “Shake It Off” was cheeky and breezy. Even songs that felt like outliers on “1989” were here both integral and enrapturing, like “Clean,” which lost its spaciness; and “I Know Places,” notionally about hiding from prying eyes in a new relationship, which sounded like an action-movie soundtrack. For that song, her dancers wore drapey, futuristic jackets and shimmering full head masks similar to the ones Kanye West wore on his “Yeezus” tour — spies from the future sent to swarm Ms. Swift, who dodged them easily.

She largely didn’t meddle with the songs from “1989,” but when it came to older material, she bent the music in unexpected ways. She performed “Love Story” in the style of “1989.” On the catty, ecstatic “I Knew You Were Trouble,” she spent part of the song singing in a dusky, Lorde-like tone. And for “Enchanted,” one of her most starry-eyed and least convincing songs, she sat at a Thunderdome-esque piano and sang in a knowing manner, yanking the big notes hard and giving the song new depth.

Ms. Swift has always been comfortable onstage, but as she gets older (she’s 25), she is more willing to make herself awkward when it serves the moment. During “Blank Space,” she acted out that song’s angst, contorting her body and face and, at one point, wielding a golf club with casual menace.

Though her lyrics have gradually begun to acknowledge the sensual, she remains effectively chaste onstage, even when flanked by shirtless dancers on “I Knew You Were Trouble.” But her between-song chatter, always inspirational, now carries the weight of experience. “You are not damaged goods just because you’ve made mistakes,” she said. “You are not someone else’s opinion of you.”

This pep talk was for herself and for the crowd, which consisted mostly of girls, who might have been seeing Ms. Swift for the first time, and young women, who might have been seeing Ms. Swift since they were girls. At various intervals, Ms. Swift disappeared offstage and the huge screen showed clips of some of her well-known friends — Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, Lena Dunham, the sisters of the band Haim, and more — singing her praises. It was a public service announcement for the healing powers of female friendship.

Ms. Swift has been actively cultivating these friendships as part of her retreat from the tabloids in recent years. Rather than be known as a serial dater, she’d prefer to be thought of as a serial befriender. Even in “Bad Blood,” a song from “1989” about an intense rivalry with another female performer (most likely Katy Perry), Ms. Swift has found a way to turn it positive. The video is a feminist superhero fantasy, with oodles of famous guests — proof of the power and depth of Ms. Swift’s Rolodex and her desire to form alliances more than cast aspersions.

In an interview in the June issue of Elle magazine, Ms. Swift briefly alluded to the pop landscape she’s arrived at: “I don’t really have much of a queen complex,” she said. “There’s this feeling in music right now where you have to just stand on this castle turret and not come down and talk to anyone and not be approachable and not be excitable, and you should be sexy and edgy and all these things.”

No names were named — Beyoncé and Rihanna come to mind, though — but the comment highlights just how little Ms. Swift has in common with her new peers: almost as little as she had in common with her old peers. “I stalk you on a daily basis,” she told the crowd; it’s hard to imagine any other multiplatinum star doing that, much less admitting it.

Notably, there wasn’t even a hint of country here, unless you count the very young fans who still wore sundresses and cowboy boots, as Ms. Swift did a decade ago. She played acoustic guitar briefly, on “Wonderland,” a lesser-known song that wasn’t quite ready to be so exposed, but otherwise she’d fully decorated this new home, covering up all the traces of the old. (There were also some opening-night sound issues.)

If she can remake herself so thoroughly in just a couple of years, what changes are yet to come? Will she collaborate with Mr. West, her former adversary, as he has said he’d like to do? Will she go full Joni Mitchell? Could she become a romantic-comedy staple, a millennial Meg Ryan? Or will she stick with her current path, letting the arbiters of cool look at her with a side eye while she trounces them all?

Taylor Swift will perform at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 10 and 11; taylorswift.com/events.

Inside the World of Taylor Swift

A Triumph at the Grammys: Taylor Swift made history  by winning her fourth album of the year at the 2024 edition of the awards, an event that saw women take many of the top awards .

‘The T ortured Poets Department’: Poets reacted to Swift’s new album name , weighing in on the pertinent question: What do the tortured poets think ?  

In the Public Eye: The budding romance between Swift and the football player Travis Kelce created a monocultural vortex that reached its apex  at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Ahead of kickoff, we revisited some key moments in their relationship .

Politics (Taylor’s Version): After months of anticipation, Swift made her first foray into the 2024 election for Super Tuesday with a bipartisan message on Instagram . The singer, who some believe has enough influence  to affect the result of the election , has yet to endorse a presidential candidate.

Conspiracy Theories: In recent months, conspiracy theories about Swift and her relationship with Kelce have proliferated , largely driven by supporters of former President Donald Trump . The pop star's fans are shaking them off .

Taylor Swift’s Star-Packed ‘1989’ Tour: Relive Every Cameo

By Jon Blistein

Jon Blistein

Taylor Swift  has spent the better part of the past five months bringing her masterful 2014 album,  1989 , to the masses. Swift's gigantic pop production — winding down Saturday in Tampa, Florida — has criss-crossed the United States, as well as parts of Europe, but the star has taken pains to distinguish the trek from your run-of-the-mill stadium spectacle, sprinkling her shows with surprise guests from across the musical spectrum.

Swift has paired with everyone from rising stars like the Weeknd, Fetty Wap, Sam Hunt and Rachel Platten, to established peers like Lorde, Nick Jonas and Selena Gomez, and celebrated veterans like Miranda Lambert, Justin Timberlake and Mick Jagger. If previous Swift album cycles were marked by overwrought discussions about which ex a song was calling out,  1989 has been first and foremost about friendship. Swift and her audience are not separate entities, but fellow partygoers: She reacts to the presence of her guests with the same incredulity as the crowd.

Tracking Swift's revolving door of  1989 guests was as much a pastime this summer as baseball or trying to ignore Donald Trump. To date, 35 of Swift's 61 North American shows have featured at least one surprise guest, with some featuring two or three, plus an assortment of friends, who walked a lengthy catwalk alongside Swift during "Style." For those hoping to relive that magic moment — or for fans at guest-less shows still stricken by FOMO —  Rolling Stone has compiled a complete rundown of the cameo-crammed tour.

Dan Reynolds, “Radioactive” in Detroit

Taylor Swift's first North American show in Bossier City, Louisiana, was a guest-less affair. So was night two in Baton Rouge. Eight days — and one quick jaunt to Norwich, England for a spot at Radio 1's Big Weekend festival — later,  Swift served her first  1989 tour surprise: Dan Reynolds, who pumped his fists with Swift as they traded vocals on Imagine Dragons' 2012 track, "Radioactive."

Little Big Town, “Pontoon” in Pittsburgh

Despite a dramatic, all-encompassing turn to pop on 1989 , Swift is always ready for the country: In Pittsburgh, she brought out Alabama outfit Little Big Town for their 2012 Number One, "Pontoon," an ode to on-the-water revelry with a delightfully cheeky hook — "Out here in the open/Mmmmm-motorboatin'." Swift's backup dancers even came out in swim trunks and goggles, and some were wrapped in unicorn inner tubes.

Echosmith, “Cool Kids”; Rachel Platten, “Fight Song” in Philadelphia

Over two nights in Philadelphia, Swift shone the spotlight on the next crop of pop superstars. During her first show, she brought out Echosmith's Sydney Sierota  to perform the group's breakout single, "Cool Kids." And on night two, she was joined by Rachel Platten. The pair belted Platten's empowering, piano-driven smash, "Fight Song," Swift gazing like a proud peer as the rising singer handled the track's stirring bridge on her own.

The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face” in East Rutherford, NJ (Night One)

Swift broke out the big guns for her first show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In addition to a duet with the Weeknd on his summer hit, "Can't Feel My Face," the pop star welcomed the U.S. women's national soccer team to walk the catwalk during "Style" with their World Cup trophy . Topping it all off, Swift assembled a sizable chunk of her girl gang, including Lily Aldridge, Lena Dunham, Gigi Hadid and Hailee Steinfeld to join her for "Bad Blood."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHaHBjGfnRI]

Nick Jonas, “Jealous” in East Rutherford, NJ (Night Two)

Swift didn't disappoint her New York–area fans at her second show at MetLife. "Style" featured another array of friends including Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, Uzo Aduba, Karlie Kloss, Behati Prinsloo and Gigi Hadid; but the night's big guest was Nick Jonas, who lead a bombastic rendition of his soulful pop hit, "Jealous."

Lorde, “Royals”; Jason Derulo, “Want to Want Me” in Washington, D.C.

After her star-packed New York stand, Swift kept things relatively simple in Washington, D.C. On night one, friend and pop prodigy Lorde hit the stage for "Royals," while the following night featured Jason Derulo. The R&B singer dutifully took the reins of the propulsive "Want to Want Me," getting so wrapped up in the heat of the moment his shirt mysteriously vanished by the end of the song.

https://dailymotion.com/video/x2y6asp

Andy Grammer, “Honey, I’m Good”; Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time” in Chicago

On her 2011  Speak Now tour, Swift welcomed burgeoning blue-eyed pop singer Andy Grammer to the stage for a rendition of his breakout single, "Keep Your Head Up." Four years later, she trotted Grammer out again on her first night in Chicago for a performance of his equally infectious 2015 single, "Honey, I'm Good." The next night, Swift gave some shine to rising country crooner Sam Hunt, who parked himself next to Swift for a duet of his fetching, half-rapped ode to slow, simple love, "Take Your Time."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzv2j3Q8Mig]

Walk the Moon, “Shut Up and Dance”; MKTO, “Classic” in Foxborough, MA

With "Fight Song" and "Can't Feel My Face" already under her belt, Swift continued to plow through the various tracks vying for song of the summer 2015. Walk the Moon's slow burner, "Shut Up and Dance" peaked at Number Two on the Hot 100 this July after being released in September, 2014, and Swift and frontman Nicholas Petricca offered an outsized rendition of the ebullient earworm. She replicated that same energy with MKTO the following night during a sizzling performance of the duo's 2014 song-of-the-summer contender, "Classic."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO_U0747BzM]

Nico and Vinz, “Am I Wrong” in Vancouver

The 1989 tour rolled into Canada with Norwegian duo Nico and Vinz joining Swift on stage for their 2014 track "Am I Wrong. The song's thumping percussion and achingly triumphant hook wouldn't sound out of place in Swift's own set list, and the pop star adapted easily to the track, slinking around the stage and smiling widely as she sang with the duo.

Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen” in Seattle

The love song that warmed hearts across the world this summer was given the duet it always deserved when Swift teamed up with Fetty Wap for his beloved breakout, "Trap Queen." Swift kept the romantic vibes going later, when she walked the catwalk during "Style" with the Pacific Northwest's cutest couple, Ciara and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfT3Jr0iMgg]

Fifth Harmony, “Worth It”; Little Mix, “Black Magic” in Santa Clara, CA

Girl groups ruled during Swift's two-night stop in Santa Clara, California. At her first show, Swift welcomed Fifth Harmony for a performance of "Worth It," easily nestling into her role as the sixth harmonizer on the group's silky, bombastic, horn-laced single. The next night, U.K. vocal quartet Little Mix took the stage for a sugar-coated rendition of "Black Magic."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE6BqsMp02k]

Kobe Bryant; OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, “Counting Stars” in Los Angeles (Night One)

The 1989 world tour parked itself at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for a whopping five nights at the end of August, and the run found Swift achieving a notable milestone: Sixteen sold-out shows at the famed venue — a number equal to the NBA Championships banners hung by the Los Angeles Lakers. Fittingly, Lakers star Kobe Bryant was on hand during night one to raise a banner in Swift's honor. The show also featured a musical surprise for good measure, with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder hitting the stage for "Counting Stars."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh-68HBJr1M]

Uzo Aduba, “White Horse”; Mary J. Blige, “Doubt” and “Family Affair” in Los Angeles (Night Two)

While not all of Swift's guests have been musicians, Orange Is the New Black star Uzo Aduba doubled down on her East Rutherford catwalk cameo and coaxed a deep cut out of Swift in Los Angeles. Aduba revealed a set of deep, gorgeous pipes as she took lead on  Fearless  hit "White Horse" while Swift plucked at her acoustic guitar and delivered backup vocals.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Ta9KjSszU]

Later, Swift brought out Mary J. Blige for something old and something new: First, "Doubt," from Blige's 2014 effort, The London Sessions , then the still swinging "Family Affair." Capping it all off, Swift welcomed "Blank Space" video star, Sean O'Pry to the stage for "Style,"  though he also had to share the catwalk with Matt LeBlanc and Chris Rock.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRNb3Upu64A]

Alanis Morissette, “You Oughta Know”; Natalie Maines, “Goodbye Earl” in Los Angeles (Night Three)

Night three in Los Angeles found Swift paying tribute to two Nineties heroes, the Dixie Chicks and Alanis Morissette. First, Swift showed she hadn't lost her country twang, stringing out and punching up her drawl alongside Natalie Maines on the Dixie Chicks' boot-stomping "Goodbye Earl." Later, Swift and Morissette scorched the stadium — and exes everywhere — with a devastating performance of the latter's breakup anthem "You Oughta Know."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J47TiDvxnTg]

Noted Swiftie Ellen DeGeneres closed out the proceedings in characteristically ridiculous fashion, donning a sparkling silver jumpsuit to match Swift's shimmering dress as they walked the catwalk together on "Style."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpjxAPHoW8o]

Beck and St. Vincent, “Dreams”; John Legend, “All of Me” in Los Angeles (Night Four)

Swift cobbled together a delightfully unique collaboration for her fourth night at Staples, welcoming Beck and St. Vincent for a performance of the former's recent single, "Dreams." The driving pop-rock cut marks a significant turn from Beck's mellow Morning Phase  LP, but the musician relished sharing stadium spotlight with Swift as St. Vincent slashed away at the song's crunchy, funked-out guitar riffs. Later, Swift slowed things down with John Legend, who commandeered the pop star's piano and led the way during a stunning duet on his tear-jerking power ballad "All of Me." 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3D5NGDW4lQ]

Selena Gomez, “Good For You”; Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”; Phoebe Buffay, “Smelly Cat” in Los Angeles (Night Five)

The final night of Swift's Los Angeles stand belonged to a little-known coffeeshop singer-songwriter: Phoebe Buffay. Or rather, Lisa Kudrow, who reprised her Friends  role for a performance of Buffay's beloved Central Perk smash, "Smelly Cat."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4gIyPCp9H0]

The night also featured two slightly more well-known musicians: Selena Gomez, who stopped by for a rousing rendition of her tortured slow jam "Good for You," and Justin Timberlake, who took the stage for his devotional paean "Mirrors."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlVVCYOqw48]

Omi, “Cheerleader”; Avril Lavigne, “Complicated” in San Diego

Swift did not slow down after her five-night L.A. takeover. Three days after her final Staples Center gig, and a few hours south on Interstate 5 in San Diego, she brought out Omi for another summer 2015 anthem, "Cheerleader." Swift also invited Avril Lavigne up for a performance of her 2002 breakout hit "Complicated," a still perfectly pained jam that proves the cup of teen angst will never run dry.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YtQZh9Ps8A]

Wiz Khalifa, “See You Again” in Houston

The 1989 tour settled into its fourth month, and the final weeks of summer, in Houston. Swift once again surprised her fans with another recent ubiquitous hit, calling to the stage Wiz Khalifa, who helmed his  Furious 7 hip-hop power ballad, "See You Again." Swift dutifully stood in for the song's co-writer, Charlie Puth, belting the aching, striving chorus he sings on record.

The Band Perry, “If I Die Young” in Indianapolis

Swift offered another nod to her roots in Indianapolis, strapping on a sparkling acoustic guitar and joining the Band Perry for a rousing rendition of their hit "If I Die Young." The song's delicate instrumentals and musings might seem out of place for a massive pop production like the 1989 tour, but Swift and the Band Perry deftly reconstructed the track as a stadium-sized tearjerker.

Echosmith, “Cool Kids” in Columbus, OH

Echosmith singer Sydney Sierota earned the unique distinction of being the only performer to take the stage twice, in two different cities on the  1989 tour (save Uzo Aduba, who performed one night, and strutted the stage during "Style" the other). Sierota re-teamed with Swift in Columbus, Ohio, several months after her initial cameo in Philadelphia, delivering another infectious rendition of Echosmith's breakout hit, "Cool Kids."

Dierks Bentley, “Every Mile a Memory” in Kansas City, MO

Swift kept the country vibes going in Kansas City, welcoming Dierks Bentley to the 1989  party to breeze through his 2006 hit "Every Mile a Memory." Bentley and Swift traded lines and coalesced for harmonies, switching up the lyrics — "Red sun down, over a Kansas City sky," Swift bellowed — for some perfectly acceptable pandering to the hometown crowd.

Steven Tyler, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”; Kelsea Ballerini, “Love Me Like You Mean It”; Alison Krauss, “When You Say Nothing at All” in Nashville (Night One)

With country clearly on her mind, Swift was did not disappoint the Music City crowd at her highly anticipated homecoming concerts in Nashville. On night one, Swift proved she's still tapped into the country world with a rousing duet on "Love Me Like You Mean It" with rising singer Kelsea Ballerini. But she also paid tribute to  vaunted veteran Alison Krauss  with a performance of the musician's 2002 track "When You Say Nothing at All." For good measure, Swift also welcomed recent Nashville transplant Steven Tyler, who helped her belt Aerosmith's endlessly eye-watering Armageddon  anthem, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0xHaJICsDw]

Mick Jagger, “Satisfaction”; Leona Lewis, “Bleeding Love” in Nashville (Night Two)

Swift switched musical directions during her second night in Nashville, but her guests were far from disappointing. The star first welcomed Leona Lewis for a performance of Lewis' devastating 2007 ballad "Bleeding Love." Then Swift served up one of her biggest surprises of the 1989 tour so far: Mick Jagger, who peacocked on stage for "Satisfaction" — much to the delight of one grandma in particular .

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq0fgvavAuA]

Nelly, “The Fix” and “Hot in Herre” in St. Louis

Hometown hero Nelly served up a double shot during his appearance in St. Louis , first pairing with Swift for a duet of his sultry, Marvin Gaye–sampling new single, "The Fix." But the house truly came down during "Hot in Herre," which featured an appearance from Haim, who closed out their run as  1989  tour openers that night. While Nelly breezed through the 2002 hit, the sister act and Swift dished out the indelible hook and some expertly choreographed dance moves.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ-JMWwAZS8]

Keith Urban, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Somebody Like You” in Toronto (Night One)

Keith Urban joined Swift at her first show in Toronto, proving country that clicks both Down Under and up in the Great White North. The pair teamed up for two performances, first kicking out Urban's latest single, "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16," which they followed with the musician's 2002 Number One "Somebody Like You."

Charli XCX, “Boom Clap” in Toronto (Night Two)

Despite canceling some tour dates this summer so she could focus on new music, Charli XCX gladly hopped back onstage with Swift at her second concert in Toronto. The pair took a shot at pure pop perfection and easily hit the mark with a bombastic rendition of XCX's 2014 smash "Boom Clap."

Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do” in Arlington, TX

Swift has enlisted Ellie Goulding   to surprise her audiences on previous tours, so it's no surprise that the British singer eventually took the stage when her path crossed with the 1989 tour. The pair tackled "Love Me Like You Do," Goulding's summer hit from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack , belting its indelible, amorous hook over a chorus of bombastic synths.

Miranda Lambert, “Little Red Wagon” in Greensboro, NC

Swift delivered another country hit in the midst of her pop bonanza, welcoming bona fide badass Miranda Lambert to the stage to perform her killer Platinum  single "Little Red Wagon." Swift looked happy to let Lambert take lead on the fierce track. She jumped in with some of her own backyard swagger but primarily sat back and marveled as one of country's contemporary masters did what she does best.

Tove Lo, “Talking Body” in Atlanta

Swift is well aware of the unique knack Swedes have for making killer pop, having worked extensively in recent years with Stockholm-based mastermind Max Martin. In Atlanta, Swift welcomed another Swedish star in her own right , burgeoning synth-pop singer-songwriter Tove Lo, who had the crowd howling with a performance of her sensual, slow-burning "Talking Body."

Pitbull, “Give Me Everything”; Ricky Martin, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” in Miami

Swift took her talents to South Beach for the penultimate show of her North American trek, doing everything to delight the hometown crowd short of bringing out Will Smith for "Miami." First, NBA star Dwyane Wade presented Swift  with her own Miami Heat jersey — number 13, of course — and soon after, the pop star was joined by Miami native Pitbull for a performance of "Give Me Everything." Saving the best for last, Swift welcomed Ricky Martin, who came out to a frenzied crowd and the still-transcendent opening horn riff of his 1999 hit "Livin' La Vida Loca."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEcm910UDSg]

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Taylor Swift ‘1989’ World Tour: Set list, costumes, the stage, the spectacle

Warning: If you’re one of the Taylor Swift fans planning to see a concert on her highly-hyped “1989” world tour this year and don’t want spoilers, look away.

But if you’re curious about how one of the savviest pop stars of our time puts on a massive concert (expected to gross about $200 million ) here are some scenes from the first tour stop. It kicked off at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Tuesday in front of a 55,000-plus sold out crowd; immediately, details started pouring out on social media.

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There'S nothing like the energy at #1989TourTokyo ! TONIGHT WAS MORE THAN WE COULD HAVE IMAGINED. IT WAS EVERYTHING! pic.twitter.com/njUQLApjFY — Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) May 5, 2015

* The set list:

While Swift’s set list generally stays the same throughout a tour, she’s always one for surprises: As she’s acknowledged, most of her diehard fans — the ones that ensure she’s the only artist who can still sell a million copies of an album these days — have watched  the entire concert on YouTube months before they arrive at the venue.

“Everything we’ve ever done, every decision I’ve made on my last tours, I wanted to flip it and do the opposite for this one,” Swift recently told “Access Hollywood.” “You have to switch it up, cause people get bored — more easily in 2015 than ever before.”

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Judging from the lists that have cropped up on Twitter, Swift plays nearly the entire “1989” album during the two-hour concert. Her Nashville roots are long gone, as are the majority of famous hits from her first albums. Though she does go back in time for “Love Story” (the third-highest selling digital country song of all time); “Enchanted” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

For the record, Swift’s show in Tokyo started at around 6:30 p.m. in Japan, translating to 5:30 a.m. Eastern: But fans were eagerly waking up at all hours to find the details:

 [ ‘1989’ review: A pivot into pop, a misstep into conformity ]

* The stage:

Swift will play many stadiums and arenas on the tour (which arrives in America on May 20 in Bossier City, La.), so expect it to look something like this:

* Costume changes

Swift promised the fashion would be epic this time around.

Taylor's tour outfits! #1989TourTokyo pic.twitter.com/TOj7JhsZ0u — Taylor Swift Updates🧣 (@TSwiftLA) May 5, 2015

* The lighting:

" @swiftsfox : THE BRACELETS AND LIGHTING MAKE FOR A MAGICAL ATMOSPHERE <3 #1989TourTokyo pic.twitter.com/7xNtPQjBiT " — Julia (@hestyltown) May 5, 2015

* The spectacle:

Here's a taste of the show! It's like nothing we've ever see! More coming to http://t.co/3S6eOJUDsa ;) #1989TourTokyo pic.twitter.com/ktJRmHQzve — Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) May 5, 2015

* The opening number:

Looks like Swift, a New York City ambassador , appropriately kicks off with her “Welcome to New York” anthem:

https://instagram.com/p/2TKYKalkB_/

* The Katy Perry song:

Otherwise known as “Bad Blood,” the ultimate burn, and upcoming single.

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* The Harry Styles song:

“Style,” naturally, also known as her current single.

* The show closer:

“Shake It Off,” of course.

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* The after-party:

Similarly to the “T-Party” and “Club Red,” Swift’s team invites the hardcore fans to a meet and greet after the show. Looks like this one is called “Loft 89,” according to @TSwiftOnTour , a fan account that tweets details from every concert.

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Taylor Swift’s ‘The 1989 World Tour’ Documentary: 10 Fascinating Moments

As promised, Taylor Swift released a concert documentary about her landmark 1989 World Tour this holiday season. It's appropriately titled 'The 1989 World Tour' and is currently available on Apple…

By Joe Lynch

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As promised, Taylor Swift released a concert documentary about her hugely successful 1989 World Tour this holiday season. It’s appropriately titled The 1989 World Tour, and is currently streaming on Apple Music exclusively.

Centering around her tour stop in Sydney, Australia, the film is filled with live performances of songs from her blockbuster 1989 album , backstage footage, interviews with her famous friends, and narration from Swift herself. 

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Here are 10 fascinating moments from The 1989 World Tour documentary.

1) In the movie, Swift explains how she recruited that endless parade of special guests for her tour. “Some of the special guest appearances were planned months in advance. I would reach out and I’d say, ‘I love your music. Here’s the schedule, here are the tour dates. Which ever one you want to come to, we’d love to have you.'” Swift notes that after Mick Jagger joined her onstage, people were more likely to say yes.

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2) Not all of the special guests were planned so far in advance, however. In the documentary, Swift reveals she recruited John Legend to join her onstage just 40 minutes prior to showtime after spotting him in the audience.

3) Rehearsing backstage with Alanis Morissette in one scene, we see Swift urging the singer-songwriter to mime hitting her during the lyric, “It was a slap in the face.” Taylor explains her insistence on the slap to Alanis as such: “Bruises heal, but moments last forever.”

4) Anyone who showed up at the 1989 Tour is familiar with the colorful audience bracelets that lit up in synchronization during the show. What they might not know, however, is that Swift let her guests control the bracelet colors during their visiting performances.

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5) In an interview portion of the film, Lena Dunham shares her memory of Taylor playing 1989 for her pre-release date: “I made her play it over and over until she finally said, ‘I don’t want to play it anymore.'”

6) In one scene, Swift explains snagging Mick Jagger for a duet on “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” at her Nashville tour stop. “My dad’s like, ‘My friend swears he was sitting next to Mick Jagger at lunch yesterday.’ So I text Mick and I said, ‘Hey are you in town? I’m playing a show tomorrow night, do you want to come out and sing “Satisfaction”?’ And he just writes back, ‘What will I wear?'”

7) At 1:17:00, Swift’s friends — from Selena Gomez to Haim to Cara Delevingne — share stories on what a “typical hang with Taylor” is like. Hints: Dancing, and lots of cats.

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8) Swift shares she wanted to duet with Mary J. Blige on “Doubt” after hearing the soul queen sing it at a Grammy party. “I’m so doubtful of myself constantly — no matter what I achieve, no matter what happens,” Swift said. “So that song struck a chord with me. I remember thinking, ‘That would be amazing if I could ever sing that with her.'” And in L.A., they did.

9) Swift heaps massive praise on her “Mirrors” duet partner in one scene. “I think Justin Timberlake is the closest thing our generation has to Frank Sinatra ,” she said, comparing one actor-singer to another. “I honestly think he’s one of the greatest musicians of our time.”                                                                 

10) Post credits fun! Taylor shares her plans for 2016, saying, “Maybe I’ll jut eat carbs for the next seven months. I don’t have to wear any crop tops.” She also stands in front of the camera holding her two cats while one of them desperately tries to escape. The film ends with the words, “No cats were harmed in the making of this tour. Just one pop star.”

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Live Performance Reviews

Taylor Swift’s 1989 Tour Review!

Counting down to Taylor made me so anxious. The first time I saw Taylor she was an opening act, then at her Fearless tour. To see her sell out this arena was a full circle moment. 17,999 friends and I screeched of excitement as the music for “Welcome To New York” began to play. Even the security guards sang and danced along.  Before her set began we even had a conversation with security about how well she treats her crew and how kind her mother Andrea is.  Because Taylor is Taylor, she later surprised us with THE BAND PERRY!

Her dancers were also acrobats, actors, and support for Taylor. Most of the show I had no idea where to look, at them, the screen, Taylor, or the band. During “Fifteen” every single person in the crowd was singing along so loud, you can hear the echo and reverb.  But when she started speaking before her song “Clean” you could hear a pin drop. The crowd was so silent and in awe, if she ever decides to quit singing she should definitely start speaking!

What makes Taylor fans different than any other band’s fans is the fact that we’re all supportive of each other. Including to Taylor. There wasn’t an open seat in the arena, even fans sitting behind the stage.  Fans took the time to create elaborate costumes and camp outside for a girl from a Christmas tree farm we all are in awe of.

Having a world superstar like Taylor take moments of just sheer joy and bewilderment staring out into the crowd makes me glad she’s still the same teenager we all fell in love with. Taylor isn’t only a superstar but a storyteller, a supporter of her fans, a daughter, and most of all an inspiration.  I can’t wait to see what she does next and we’ll definitely be there screaming along for her!

Jacklyn is the Editor In Chief of Stage Right Secrets. Jacklyn's photography and articles can also be found on The Recording Academy's GRAMMY.com GRAMMYPro, GRAMMYU, PopCrush, Taste of Country, among other outlets. Besides press Jacklyn is a "Jack of All Trades" working various jobs at local concerts and touring. JacklynKrol.com

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Taylor Swift and Idina Menzel Performing "Let It Go"

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Taylor swift and tove lo performing "talking body".

On October 24, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Taylor swift and miranda lambert performing "little red wagon".

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Taylor Swift and Mick Jagger Performing "Satisfaction"

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With Wiz Khalifa

In Houston on September 9, 2015.

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In San Diego on August 29, 2015.

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Taylor Swift's best surprise guests on her never-ending 1989 tour, ranked

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All year long — and seemingly all our lives — Taylor Swift has been welcoming her friends, idols, and everyone in between to the stage for her 1989 world tour. The guest appearances have been at turns inspired and confusing, ranging from the Weeknd to Imagine Dragons , Justin Timberlake to her "Bad Blood" model crew , girl groups like Little Mix and Fifth Harmony to Chris Rock and Matt LeBlanc . Even Ian McKellen recently revealed that he and best friend Patrick Stewart got an invitation to the 1989 stage, but had to turn it down due to prior commitments.

As Swift said at her show in  Santa Clara on August 15:

"Any artist that you see on the 1989 world tour stage is here because they wanted to be, out of the goodness of their own heart. They wanted to be here to perform for you, and to surprise you. This means they came here for free. This means they could've been doing anything else...but they wanted to be with you. They're here because they love you, and that's such an incredible honor."

Swift's claim that all the 1989 world tour guests wanted to be there "out of the goodness of their own heart" is a lovely sentiment, but I have a feeling that everyone walking the "1989 runway" is less interested in pleasing fans than in absorbing the incredible attention the moment affords them. Swift is one of the biggest pop performers on the planet. Any friend of hers is a friend of millions.

(Thank god Sirs Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart have each other.)

As for Swift, I believe she is thrilled to welcome each and every one of these people to the stage. Every time she introduces a new guest, she throws her hands up like she's on a roller coaster, giddy with some combination of excitement, triumph, and power. Whatever the motivations for the guests — fun, publicity, a "what the hell" lark — one thing is abundantly clear:  Taylor Swift is having the time of her life.

To save you the trouble of going over her dozens of guests, here are the eight most memorable surprise appearances from Taylor Swift's 1989 tour — so far, anyway.

8) Joan Baez and Julia Roberts (Santa Clara, August 15)

Tonight Joan Baez and Julia Roberts danced it out to 'Style'. These two women are my heroes. What an honor. pic.twitter.com/ERFqo1SS8H — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 16, 2015

There are so many questions about this pairing, who went onstage together at Swift's Santa Clara concert to dance along to "Style." Did they know each other beforehand? Is this part of a blood pact neither remembers making in the '90s? How many people in that stadium were appropriately heartbroken to get a Joan Baez appearance instead of a Joan Baez performance ?

So, okay, this isn't one of Swift's "best" surprises, but you can't beat it for the sheer "Why is this happening?" factor. The Baez/Roberts pairing also highlights another important demographic of Taylor Swift's guests of choice, namely the "We're doing this for our kids" quadrant. (See also: the aforementioned Rock and LeBlanc .)

7) Lisa Kudrow (Los Angeles, August 26)

Many give Los Angeles grief for its smog and entertainment-obsessed industries, but the city's best revenge is its proximity to just about every major star. Ergo, and to be upfront: LA is disproportionately represented on this list. (Swift also played there for five nights in a row.)

After confusing everyone by bringing out LeBlanc, she made a more understandable Friends choice the next night with Lisa Kudrow, who appeared (barely) in character as the folk-singing Phoebe Buffay.

Swift was visibly thrilled. She told the stadium with a wink that this guest "has only ever played in coffeehouses" before they strummed acoustic guitars in tandem for a stadium sing-along of Buffay's biggest (and only) hit, "Smelly Cat." The only thing that could have made it more of a trip for Friends fans would be if they did a breakdown à la the recorded version of "Smelly Cat," which was decidedly more pop than its folksy predecessor.

6) Beck and St. Vincent (Los Angeles, August 25)

Getting to play 'Dreams' with @Beck and @st_vincent is something I'll remember forever. I can't even express it. pic.twitter.com/haLQzBxpbg — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 26, 2015

For as much pop star power as Swift wrung out from Los Angeles, she also brought out an act that confused much of her stadium audience. Beck joined Swift to perform his latest single "Dreams," with guitar goddess St. Vincent accompanying. Videos show much of the floor audience blinking in confusion at the runway instead of dancing along.

This is a shame, because Beck and St. Vincent's performance on the Staples Center stage is rock solid. Beck matched the stadium's energy by jumping up and down like an excitable teen at his first concert. St. Vincent (a.k.a. Annie Clark) accompanied him on her angular new Eddie Ball signature guitar . Every so often, Swift noticed that St. Vincent was standing off on her own and went over to lean a friendly elbow on her shoulder. St. Vincent is a documented Swift fan , but she eventually had to shrug her off to strut down the runway and rip her guitar solo to shreds.

St. Vincent casually slaying that guitar solo while pyro goes off in the background. Beck and I having a dance party. I don't know how to process any of the events of tonight. A video posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Aug 26, 2015 at 12:56am PDT

It was glorious.

5) Fetty Wap (Seattle, August 8)

FETTY WAP. TRAP QUEEN. SEATTLE. 60,000 PPL. OH MY GOD. @fettywap thank you so much for coming!! Unreal!! pic.twitter.com/3fFuhZh7Pg — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 9, 2015

Fetty Wap exploded on the radio this summer with his single  "Trap Queen." While he just won the 2015 VMA for Best New Artist, he performed in Swift's stadium like he's been doing it for years. He was totally unconcerned with the crowd as he slid all over the enormous 1989 stage, which fit right in with the straightforward confidence of "Trap Queen."

When recounting the tour night with Fetty Wap on Instagram, Swift claimed that he left her "unable to find [her] chill." After watching videos of the performance, she was absolutely correct. She did her best to keep up, mouthing the words and striding down the runway in her thigh-high boots in her best impression of a model walk. For the most part, though, she just let Fetty do his thing.

4) Mary J. Blige (Los Angeles, August 23)

Blige joined Swift on the stage to sing "Family Affair" and her new power ballad "Doubt." All Swift could hope to do was let her soar. For all her best efforts to join in, Swift probably knew she couldn't match Blige's vocals, and so she largely kept her part to clapping and throwing her hands in the air (a Swift staple ).

Swift and Swift's raised arm and Blige on the 1989 world tour stage.

Blige's energy was infectious. Her belting filled the enormous Staples Center as she sang the song's climactic affirmation:

Now you're looking at a leader Now you're staring at a queen You said I'll never be someone But now I'm pulling all the strings.

Can't imagine why Swift likes this song so much. Still, nice moment.

3) The US women's national soccer team (East Rutherford, New Jersey, July 10)

Taylor Swift and the 2015 Women's World Cup champions. And Heidi Klum.

Taylor Swift's Twitter

The week after winning the World Cup, the US women's soccer team joined Swift for a victory lap. This is one of the most purely fun surprise appearances on the tour, as the team grinned from ear to ear and soaked up the warm reception from the audience of New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. They even managed to upstage supermodel of the world Heidi Klum as she worked the catwalk, which, despite Donald Trump's  best efforts to denigrate Klum's current appeal, will always be a feat.

As for Swift? She got to hold the trophy.

You guys. @taylorswift13 brought @ussoccer_wnt on stage at her show tonight AND LOOK AT THIS PHOTO. pic.twitter.com/HgRmpY3kFN — Erin Sorensen (@erinsorensen) July 11, 2015

2) Natalie Maines (Los Angeles, August 24)

As Swift ascends higher and higher into the glitzy world of pop stardom, it's always a little jarring — in the best way — when she reaches back to her country roots. Swift is so comfortable in the country world that her voice noticeably settles when she allows it to twang. So it's unsurprising her Natalie Maines introduction gushed with praise for the Dixie Chicks frontwoman, whom she cited as a vital influence on her early musical aspirations:

"If not for this woman and her band, I would not have known that you can be quirky, and fun, and yourself, and outspoken, and brave, and real...I wouldn't have dreamed the things that I dreamed, and I wouldn't be on this stage today."

The two women then broke out into the Dixie Chicks' revenge fantasy song "Goodbye Earl," which was also apparently Swift's "go-to talent show song."

This appearance therefore accomplishes two important things: 1) Maines gets to fill a stadium with her astonishing powerhouse of a voice, and 2) we get to imagine a tiny Swift strutting around a fold-out stage while trilling, "Well, it wasn't two weeks after she got married that / Wanda started gettin' abused / She put on dark glasses and long sleeved blouses / And make-up to cover her bruise..."

(Note: "Goodbye Earl" is a very strange choice to sing through a talent show grin.)

1) Alanis Morissette (Los Angeles, August 24)

Swift tends to take her time introducing her guests. She builds up the anticipation, starting from a conspiratorial whisper before revving up to a grand announcement in the bombastic style of a circus ringleader (which, well, she kind of is). To pump up the crowd for Morissette's impending arrival, Swift prowled the stage in a leather catsuit and intoned:

"She inspired a generation of confessional female singer/songwriters, who all of a sudden felt like you could actually say these raw feelings that you had. You could actually sing about your real life, you could put detail into it. You could get really really mad if you wanted to."

This is just a very good summation of Alanis Morissette's appeal. Also, Swift sells the hell out of it. There's no way she could care deeply about every single guest on her tour, but this moment echoes her adoration for Maines in its sincerity. Swift has built her career on confessional songwriting, so it's genuinely touching to see her paying tribute to a woman who both popularized and challenged the genre.

Then Morissette emerged from the floor, singing "You Oughta Know."

Of all the songs off her smash album Jagged Little Pill , "You Oughta Know" is perhaps the most explicitly angry. "You Oughta Know" tells the story of heartbreak through rage-induced tears, a feeling Swift came closest to capturing with "Blank Space." "Raw" is absolutely the right word.

Watching Swift and Morissette belt the song together is startling, then exhilarating. It's exactly what every surprise 1989 world tour appearance should be like — though it will be harder to thrill people when they come to expect something so great every time.

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Taylor Swift's Long List of Onstage Guests, Ranked by Thirst

By Chris Gayomali

On the final night of the Los Angeles leg of her 1989 tour, magical pile of pixiedust Taylor Swift continued her special-guest parade by bringing out Selena Gomez, Justin Timberlake, and Lisa Kudrow—who, in a pure nostalgia play reminiscent of a “Remember the ‘90s?” BuzzFeed quiz, sang “Smelly Cat” onstage with Swift.

There is a strategic element to Swift’s guest choices. Sometimes, it imbues Swift with all-important cultural credibility. Other times it’s a nostalgia play, or just for fun. But there is another element overlooked when Swift brings someone onstage: This element is thirst—the guest’s thirst, specifically, for attention, fame, or just the blessing that is momentarily being in Taylor Swift’s orbit. Here they are, ranked, from least to most thirsty.

45. Joan Baez 44. Beck 43. Chris Rock 42. Cara Delevingne 41. Lorde 40. Serena Williams 39. Justin Timberlake 38. The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team 37. Mary J. Blige 36. St. Vincent 35. Alanis Morissette 34. Uzo Aduba, from Orange Is the New Black 33. Natalie Maines, from the Dixie Chicks 32. Ellen 31. Ciara 30. John Legend 29. Julia Roberts 28. Mariska Hargitay, from SVU 27. Martha Hunt 26. Andreja Pejic 25. Lily Donald 24. Hailee Steinfeld 23. Gigi Hadid 22. The Weeknd 21. Lily Aldridge 20. Lena Dunham 19. Sean O’Pry 18. Karlie Kloss 17. Matt LeBlanc 16. Nico & Vinz 15. Malcolm Kelley and Tony Oller (better known as MKTO) 14. Andy Grammer 13. Selena Gomez 12. Fifth Harmony 11. Walk the Moon 10. Russell Wilson 9. Kendall Jenner 8. Fetty Wap 7. Sam Hunt 6. Shawn Mendes 5. Lisa Kudrow 4. Kobe Bryant 3. Dan Reynolds, the guy from Imagine Dragons 2. Nick Jonas, who kept his shirt on 1. Jason Derulo, who took his shirt off

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Concerts are an experience. They’re about connection. We get completely absorbed into the atmosphere, feeling the music in our bones, the rhythm in our soul and the light in our hearts. Sometimes just the sheer volume of light is enough to immerse you into the set. Other times, the stage design can be so sublime and mesmerizing, where for a few hours we are transcended into a whole other world.’

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Get ready to be fascinated as we take a look at 9 absolutely incredible stage designs that will blow your mind.

The work of Es Devlin is unimaginable. Devlin is a creative mastermind who has designed insane mega tour stages including Lorde’s Coachella and Glastonbury performances. Lorde truly blessed the audience with this extreme set by transcending the average concert experience. This definitely skyrocketed all expectations following.

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Tame Imapala ‘s 2019 tour was absolutely epic due to the production design by Rob Sinclair and WPA. It’s phenomenal, it’s kaleidoscopic, it’s everything you could ask for during a psychedelic Tame show at Coachella. Seriously, have you ever seen such beautiful colours at such a large scale??

The story behind the creation of Bon Iver ’s debut For Emma, Forever Ago is basically a folktale at this point. Although Bon Iver is no longer ‘the heartbroken man in solitude’, for the 10th anniversary of his debut album, the stage design reflects his early years. With what looks like strands of grass or trees, the set mimics the woods that the album was once created in.

Also crafted by Es Devlin, Muse’s Resistance Tour was a sublime spectacle. It’s becoming more and more clear that Devlin is a creative genius, right?

Long live Daft Punk. We will never forget the duo’s iconic 2006-07 Alive tour that brought fans an epic spectacle. The two sat upon a A 24-foot-tall aluminum pyramid that was drenched in screens and hypnotic LED lights.

• Roger Waters

The legend Roger Waters went full out for both The Wall Tour and Us + Them Tour. XL video are multi-winning AV experts that helped The Wall Live concert tour go from great to mind-blowing. Every arena used forty units of Panasonic twenty thousand lumens PT-DZ21KE  projectors to bring the show to life. Roger Waters commented on the designs, “This wide wall stadium show couldn’t have been done 40 years ago. We couldn’t have filled the space in a way that would have been emotionally, musically and theatrically satisfying. Technology has changed. Now we can.” There is also a film where you can now watch the show from home in its entirety.

Andi Watson is the longtime the genius behind Radiohead’s stage designs. The set consisted of a grid of suspended LED cables that projected colour, three-dimensional images such as a wobbling rectangular plane, or morphing swarms of vivacious light. Watson spoke about his work, “My job is to create an environment for the Radiohead songs to exist within the stage. With so many layers to what they do, many different instruments and lots going on, I have to build complex arrangements to represent the songs visually.”

Another exceptional design by Es Devlin was U2’s Innocence & Experience World Tour. Goosebumps must have been surfacing throughout the crowd all night.

• The Rolling Stones

The designer behind this 1989 Rolling Stones set is Mark Fisher. With the help of Mick Jagger, the two were able to capture the essence of the Steel Wheels Tour.

Lead photo courtesy of Visual Endeavors .

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See Over 57 of Taylor Swift's 1989 Tour Guests Take the Stage with Her

Taylor Swift might be a solo artist, but she definitely isn't alone in the friend department. The "Bad Blood" singer proved that she has several buddies in very high places, and she can even get them to join her on the stage no matter what city she's in.

During her 1989 Tour Swift welcomed a bunch of her celebrity pals to share the stage with her. The performances included some of our favorite music artists like Justin Timberlake and Mary J. Blige. Plus, there were also non-singers who took to the stage, such as Ellen DeGeneres and Julia Roberts. There were so many surprise appearances that it was hard to keep up with all of the unforgettable moments. Luckily we've got the history-making performances in one place.

Keep scrolling to see all of Swift's special guests.

May 30, 2015

Victoria's Secret models Gigi Hadid and Martha Hunt struck a fierce pose on stage in Detroit, Michigan.

Swift's gal pal Hadid even danced to the music while on stage in Detroit, Michigan.

Imagine Dragons member, Dan Reynolds, belted out a song with Swift in Detroit, Michigan.

June 6, 2015

The country band Little Big Town took to the stage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

June 12, 2015

Echosmith singer Sydney Sierota graced the stage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Actress Mariska Hargitay and model Cara Delevingne shared the spotlight with Swift in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

June 13, 2015

Encore! Hargitay had a double dose of fun in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Swift.

June 27, 2015

Martha Hunt, Kendall Jenner , Serena Williams , Karlie Kloss , Gigi Hadid, and Cara Delevingne, showed Swift major love in London, England.

July 10, 2015

The U.S. Women's National Soccer team celebrated winning the FIFA World Cup with Heidi Klum and Swift in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Weekend sang a duet with Swift in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Hailee Steinfeld , Lily Aldridge , Gigi Hadid, and Lena Dunham all reunited in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

July 11, 2015

Nick Jonas took fans by surprise as he hit the stage in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In East Rutherford New Jersey Swift showed off her squad with appearances from Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, Uzo Aduba , Karlie Kloss, Behati Prinsloo , and Gigi Hadid.

July 13, 2015

Grammy award winning singer Lorde joined swift during the Washington, D.C. stop.

July 14, 2015

Jason Derulo showed Swift his support during the Washinton, D.C. stop.

July 18, 2015

Andy Grammer hopped on stage during Swift's performance in Chicago, Illinois.

Empire 's Serayah McNeill song along with Swift in Chicago, Illionois.

July 19, 2015

Australian model Andreja Pejic and British model Lily Donaldson took to the stage in Chicago, Illinois.

Sam Hunt serenaded Swift and the crowd in Chicago, Illinois.

July 25, 2015

Swift performed with Malcolm Kelley and Tony Oller, aka MKTO, in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

July 24, 2015

Walk the Moon's Nicholas Petricca had fun on stage in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

August 1, 2015

The duo Nico and Vinz showed up at Swift's Vancouver performance.

August 8, 2015

Fetty Wap made a surprise appearance during the Seattle, Washington leg of the tour.

Singer Ciara and her boyfriend football player Russell Wilson were on stage during the Seattle, Washington show.

August 14, 2015

Fifth Harmony lit up the stage in Santa Clara, California.

August 15, 2015

Julia Roberts and musician Joan Baez united with Swift in Santa Clara, California.

In Santa Clara, California English girl group Little Mix performed with Swift.

August 21, 2015

NBA star Kobe Bryant shocked guests during a Los Angeles, California show.

OneRepublic's frontman Ryan Tedder rocked with Swift in Los Angeles, California.

August 22, 2015

In Los Angeles, California Uzo Aduba had fun on stage with Swift.

Mary J. Blige showed Swift and her fans love in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Chris Rock and Matt LeBlanc teamed up with model Sean O'Pry to surprise concert goers in Los Angeles, California.

August 24, 2015

Swift brought Alanis Morissette to the stage during a performance in Los Angeles, California.

Ellen DeGeneres made everyone laugh while on the stage in Los Angeles, California.

The Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines joined Swift for a duet in Los Angeles, California.

August 25, 2015

Beck and St. Vincent wowed Swift's fans during another surprise in Los Angeles, California.

John Legend surprised Swift's fans during a show in Los Angeles, California.

August 26, 2015

Selena Gomez surprised fans in Los Angeles, California.

Lisa Kudrow sang "Smelly Cat" in Los Angeles, California with Swift.

Justin Timberlake joined Swift during one of her five performance in Los Angeles, California.

August 29, 2015

Singer OMI united with Swift for a surprise performance in San Diego, California.

Avril Lavigne rocked the crowd during Swift's San Diego, California show.

September 9, 2015

Wiz Khalifa brought a lot of energy to Houston when he performed "See You Again" with Swift.

September 16, 2015

In Indianapolis, Indiana, The Band Perry encouraged Swift to join them with her guitar.

September 18, 2015

The sparkles and fringe were doubled when Sydney Sierota hit the stage during the Columbus, Ohio stop.

September 21, 2015

Country music star, Dierks Bentley, united with Swift for the ultimate surprise in Kansas City, Missouri.

September 25, 2015

Steven Tyler brought the house down when he surprised concert goers in Nashville.

September 26, 2015

British singer Leona Lewis joined the party to sing a duet of her hit "Bleeding Love" with Swift.

Steven Tyler came back for another round with T. Swift and fans.

September 29, 2015

Nelly had too much fun with Swift and Haim as they belted out their tunes in St. Louis, Missouri.

October 2, 2015

Keith Urban rocked the stage with Swift in coordinating all black outfits in Toronto, Canada.

October 3, 2015

Charli XCX had too much fun on stage with Swift during a performance in Toronto.

October 17, 2015

Ellie Goulding joined her bff to perform her hit "Love Me Like You Do" in Texas.

October 21, 2015

In Greensboro, North Carolina, Swift channeled her country heritage during a sassy duet of "Little Red Wagon" with Miranda Lambert.

October 27, 2015

Miami Heat's basketball star Dwyane Wade represented during Swift's stop in Miami.

Pitbull, also known as Mr. 305, shocked fans with a Cameo during the Miami show for the 1989 Tour.

October 31, 2015

Concert goers in Tampa, Florida received a very special Halloween surprise when Idina Menzel joined Swift to sing "Let it Go" from Frozen .

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Stephen Edwards obituary

Stephen Edwards, who has died aged 63, was by his own admission a dreadful student at school until a teacher lit his spark for music. By the sixth form he had composed an opera, and a decade later he was working with Sir Peter Hall in the West End and on Broadway.

As Hall’s musical director, Stephen wrote the scores for acclaimed theatre productions such as Orpheus Descending (1989), starring Vanessa Redgrave, and Hamlet (1994), with Stephen Dillane. He also composed the music for Hall’s 1992 TV adaptation of The Camomile Lawn.

Stephen was born in Hornchurch, Essex, one of five children, and the only son, of Irene (nee Morris) and John Edwards, an insurance broker. At the local Billericay school he was a habitual truant before Stan Hewitt, the head of music, encouraged him and other students to make the most of their interest in composition. The result was The Man, Stephen’s first opera, staged at the school, and he then went into a freelance career. In 1988 he was hired to join the newly established Peter Hall Company , and Hall remained a friend until his death in 2017.

After 10 years with the company, Stephen threw himself into the role of composer and co-producer of a musical version of Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Following a successful national tour in 1999, the show played for 10 weeks at the Savoy theatre in London. The Guardian praised Stephen’s music as a highlight.

Stephen then spent two years as artistic director at the New Pavilion theatre, Dublin, before becoming creative director of the Derby Playhouse in 2002. The Guardian described the theatre’s production of Stephen’s Moon Landing (2007), a portrayal of the Apollo space missions, as “musical theatre on its grandest scale”. In 2019, the Museum of Flight in Seattle staged Moon Landing to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo mission.

But although the Playhouse earned rave reviews, it was struggling for survival. After a long-running dispute with Derby city council, it was forced to close in December 2007. Stephen had backed the theatre with his own money in his quest to save it.

He had met my friend Sarah Head, an actor, when she performed in his musical production of Animal Farm at Derby , and they married in 2014. Together they moved from London to Ramsgate, Kent, and Stephen continued his composing career. But in 2019 he was diagnosed with a rare illness, central nervous system vasculitis.

Stephen is survived by Sarah and their son, Harry, his son Alexander, from an earlier relationship, his father, and by his sisters, Annette, Karen, Rita and Verity.

• Other lives
• Peter Hall Company

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