Taylor Swift Visits Dublin: My Review 😊

This past weekend, Taylor Swift took her much-hyped Reputation tour to Dublin (specifically, to Croke Park: a stadium that holds deep historical significance in Ireland).

She was only the fourth female artist to headline a show in the venue, and the first to play for two consecutive nights instead of just one. My partner and I were working in Croke Park on both nights (Friday June 15th and Saturday June 16th), manning stadium turnstiles and scanning people's tickets as they came in. We missed the performances of the support acts Camilla Cabello and Charli XCX, but we were let out of the turnstiles in time to see most of Taylor's set.

I don't like all of Taylor's music, and there are certain behaviours she has displayed over the years that don't sit well with me ... but nevertheless, my excitement level was high as I began to watch the show.

Taylor Swift is a paradoxical figure who seems to inspire deep loathing or unbounded adoration – there doesn't seem to be an in-between area for many people – but I do occupy an in-between area in that regard. I cringed a thousand times when she decided to take Nicki Minaj's point about the lack of recognition afforded to women of colour in the music industry as some kind of personal insult, and made it all about her. I felt somewhat better when she later apologised to Minaj and acknowledged that she had missed the other artist's point ... but then I cringed again when it was revealed that she had not been entirely honest in her infamous war of words with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

My opinion of her rose once more when she won her legal battle against a radio DJ who had sexually assaulted her, and uttered the following words after the verdict had been announced:

I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.

Those words really did speak to my heart when I read them. To me, they hinted at a deep, thoughtful person, with an understanding of the world that extended far beyond the petty squabbles in which she seemed to be constantly embroiled. I appreciate it when an artist shows that level of introspection and self-awareness – when they look at the world around them and demonstrate a mature understanding of their power and their place within it – and reading Taylor's words made me want to see more of that side of her.

Soon after that, Look What You Made Me Do (a rant about everyone in the celebrity world who had ever done Taylor wrong), was released. My immediate reaction was:

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Basically, I have mixed opinions about Taylor Swift – bearing in the mind that I have, of course, never met the girl, I have no idea what she is like beyond her public persona, no one can ever be perfect, and I'm well aware that the celebrity gossip machine is a highly artificial game: in all likelihood, Taylor is best friends with Kim / Kanye / Katy Perry / whoever else she's fighting with this week, and they're laughing over the amount of money and publicity that their alleged feuds have helped them to reel in – but I digress. There are a number of things Taylor has said and done over the years that have caused me to raise an eyebrow, but at the end of the day, whenever I'm in the mood for some pure guilty-pleasure pop, one of the first songs I turn to is Shake It Off. What better way to lament the behaviour of the liars and the dirty, dirty cheaters of the world?

To me, Taylor's Reputation show did live up to its hype. As a performer, she is highly talented, energetic, passionate and eager to engage with her fans. More than once during the show, she commented on how honoured she felt to be connecting with them. The staging of the concert was something to behold: there were pyrotechnics, elaborate graphics and gargantuan snakes everywhere.

So many snakes.

Taylor's Reputation material featured predominantly throughout the show, of course, but I was thrilled that many of her old hits – Love Story, You Belong With Me, Style and Blank Space, to name a few – were given an airing. Style was powerfully delivered, with Taylor in total command of the vast stage area throughout. Charli XCX and Camilla Cabello were invited on stage to sing Shake It Off with her, and at that point, the upbeat atmosphere in the stadium was absolutely incredible. There was nothing for it but to dance our socks off!

One part of the show that really stood out to me was when Taylor performed Delicate whilst being lifted above the audience on a glowing golden platform.

My favourite moment of all was the finale: an exhilarating mash-up of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things.

The enthusiasm and positivity of her show was infectious. As we left, I was especially struck by the excitement on the faces of the many kids and teenagers who were there. They were absolutely overjoyed to have seen their idol perform live at long last. Taylor is a contradictory figure in some ways – no doubt about it – but as the crowds began to pour out of Croke Park this past weekend, I had an enormous smile on my face and I couldn't stop singing. It was a truly amazing experience.