A stadium-filling “Reputation” revamp from the unstoppable Taylor Swift

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Ready for it or not, Taylor Swift brought her revamped “Reputation” to the massive Soldier Field for a sold out opener of a two-night stand (continuing Saturday, June 2), and while it wasn’t quite like “1989” or the “Red” treks that came to the same stadium before it, the boundary-shattering singer/songwriter’s reinvention never came at the expense of alienation. Sure it was immediately apparent this was the edgier and sassier Swift, who was clad in a silver-speckled bodysuit and black leather boots for the thumping, strobe-enhanced “…Ready For It?,” but she was just as entertaining and relatable as she’s always been throughout the journey to full-fledged superstardom.

Taylor Swift reached yet another pinnacle with the “Reputation” Stadium Tour and could now easily be counted amongst Cher, Madonna or Beyoncé as an artist who operates solely on her own terms and controls where the bar is set for so many others to follow.

If there’s a message behind the current season of Swift’s genre-jumping career, it’s to never let cynics get in the way of anyone’s ambition, and while the 28-year-old had more than her fair share of fellow artists and cyber bullies trying to beat her down, she refuses to be silenced. Instead, the perpetual A-lister channeled those challenges into writing with biting wit, embracing quasi-gothic fashions and serpent-filled imagery, giving everything from “I Did Something Bad” to “Look What You Made Me Do” an angle of cheeky revenge, and ultimately, a sense of empowerment to put detractors in their place.

In between, the performer who’s now just as comfortable surrounded by a fleet of dancers as she is strumming an acoustic guitar or playing piano gave Swifties a glimpse of her several other sides, including the gentler bounce of “Gorgeous” all the way back to her pop-meets-country mash-up of “Style,” “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” By the time “Shake It Off” rolled around with some lively assists from openers Camila Cabello and Charli XCX, hardly a person wasn’t dancing, or at the very least, letting their troubles fall by the wayside.

As the six-act extravaganza rolled on, it was obvious just how many hits Swift racked up throughout the last decade and change, from the vocoder-adorned “Delicate” to blockbusters “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood,” the spunky southern slant of “Should’ve Said No,” the beautiful ballad “New Year’s Day” and the synth-popper “Call It What You Want.” And while the highest quantity of cuts came from the “Reputation” record, this show actually dived deeper into her past than the previous visit, ensuring something for every portion of her wide-ranging fan base.

Towards the end of the two-hour performance, Swift bridged the best of all worlds with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” accompanied by a visual depiction of a mansion with a fully-working fountain and fireworks that were grander than anything Broadway or Las Vegas has to offer and really more on par with a movie set. In other words, Swift reached yet another pinnacle with the “Reputation” Stadium Tour and could now easily be counted amongst Cher, Madonna or Beyoncé as an artist who operates solely on her own terms and controls where the bar is set for so many others to follow.