Taylor Swift and Mick Jagger face off.
Given Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour is the biggest show running at the moment, continually making headlines with a cavalcade of celebrity guest appearances, we thought surely her former hometown was in for a few surprises. Swift has grown above and beyond the plucky, precocious teenage Music Row darling we first got to know nearly a decade ago. Friday and Saturday night's pair of shows marked her eighth and ninth time headlining Bridgestone Arena, but they were her first Nashville gigs since crossing over completely into pop territory, shedding any hint of twang in her repertoire, and becoming undeniably the biggest pop star on the planet. So if a guest appearance by Tim McGraw was out of the question, then who it be?
Having seen our share of teen idols at the 'Stone, we were more than prepared to navigate our way through a sea of tweens (and their tears). But with plenty of parents, tons of college kids and a healthy population of generally rogue adults, this was one oddly proportioned all-ages crowd. Across the arena, thousands of young girls in homemade shirts and tribute-inspired outfits raised up self-styled light-up sign collages with messages for the singer, making for a sort of Swiftian Burning Man vibe. After all, T-Swizzle’s brand is essentially built on her perceived accessibility, and even now, as one of the most famous women in the world, the likelihood she'll see that message and even respond doesn't seem all that crazy to anyone.
Corporate sponsors like Keds and Xfinity handed out buttons and keychain hard drives and set up photobooths with digital cutouts of Swift superimposed into the frame. Xfinity, we can only assume, is trying to win over folks who aren't enough old enough to have to figure out how to decipher their cable bill every month.
Aussie singer-songwriter Vance Joy was the first of two opening acts tapped to warm up the crowd, but they were already red hot. It's rare to see almost every seat filled this early in a show. And it's rare to see the first of three openers on an arena bill get greeted like a headliner. Joy's lone hit “Riptide” was the first of many sing-alongs we’d hear over the course of both nights — a quiet roar of voices coming from all directions that would eventually echo every single note from the stage.
HAIM followed Joy, and the L.A. pop-rock sister act's relentless touring schedule over the last year or two really showed in a trim half-hour set. A whirlwind of loose riffing, instrument swapping (with even a quick drumlin interlude) and heavy doses of arena-rock guitars supercharged the pop sheen of songs from the band's 2013 debut Days Are Gone.
Taylor Swift
Black-T-shirt-clad roadies flooded the stage milliseconds after HAIM walked off, striking the band's backline as "behind the scenes" segments rolled on a pair of giant stage-flanking screens. Then lo and behold, the main event started in record time. The screams were deafening and the spectacle of 15,000 light-up wristbands — party favors taped to each seat in house that made every audience member a part of the production — lighting up in synch was, well, spectacular.
Our heads were already spinning when the statuesque Swift, her backing band and a dozen-strong gang of muscled, acrobatic male background dancers took the stage and tore through1989 opener "Welcome to New York," one of a dozen cuts from the singer's latest multi-platinum instant-classic that would make up two-thirds of the setlist.
From the NYC skyline twinkling vividly on a stage-spanning video wall during "New York," to confetti raining down from the rafters during a show-closing "Shake It Off," the bright, bombastic revue felt like watching a two-hour-long Super Bowl halftime show. There were props like light-up umbrellas; there were some light pyrotechnics; there were more costume changes than we could count. And the stage's runway occasionally lifted from the ground and rotated like a slow-spinning propeller, hoisting Swift around the room to serenade the nosebleeds with an acoustic Fearless chestnut like "You Belong to Me" or "Fifteen" or inspire us all with a vlog-worthy anti-bullying speech. From there she also offered an electro-pop revamp of the saccharine Fearless staple "Love Story." And that was as deep as she dug into her country back catalog.
That extended-VMAs-performance vibe was par for the course, considering how Swift has so deftly cornered the market on pop. But even before she mounted her international pop overthrow with 1989, she was heading there full speed with 2012's blockbuster Red — which made it rather surprising that only two hits from that record popped up at the shows this weekend. Early on, a CO2-blast-punctuated "I Knew You Were Trouble" was recast as lusty PG-13 Broadway noir involving Swift and a shirtless backup dancer. Later, Swift, armed with an electric guitar, donned a leather jumpsuit and delivered an edgy, rock-tinged take on 2012’s maximum Max Martin sugar-bomb "We Are Never Getting Back Together."
As if Tay-Tay needed any more validation than an arena gushing over her every move for 120 minutes straight — and as if we needed a reminder of her status as Bestie to the Stars — costume and set changes were broken up with video clips of famous friends such as Lena Dunham, Lily Aldridge, Cara Delevingne, HAIM and others singing her praises and talking about her cats. They segued into Swift's impassioned missives and musings (of which there were several) on heartbreak, friendship and self-reliance.
But it was Swift's famous friends who appeared in the flesh who really took these shows to the next level.
Allison Krauss sings with Taylor Swift.
The singer's recent four-night run at L.A.'s Staples Center featured guest appearances from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez, Lisa Kudrow, Beck, St. Vincent, John Legend, Natalie Maines, Ellen DeGeneres, Alanis Morissette, Mary J. Blige, Chris Rock and Kobe Bryant. We were promised big things in Nashville, and the anticipation was killing us. Saturday night, Swift told the crowd she gives her invited guests a choice of which city they'd like to join her at on the tour, and the guests on these shows actively chose Nashville.
Friday night's guests didn't have to travel far for the show. First, Swift dueled with Knoxville native Kelsea Ballerini on the country newcomer's breakout single "Love Me Like You Mean It." Later, The Spin's favorite "fanciest grandma at the casino," Steven Tyler, also a bit of a country newcomer (or a reverse-country-crossover singer — how ironic!) joined in a duet of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith's love theme from the 1997 film Armageddon (unfortunately not the last we’d see of Tyler this weekend). Later, Swift started a piano-driven rendition of Alison Krauss’ “When You Say Nothing at All,” cuing an appearance from Krauss, who took the stage with fiddle in tow.
But fans who caught those cameos on Friday were kicking themselves if they were following social media the next night.
"I couldn't even sleep last night," Swift told The Spin during a backstage meet-and-greet before Saturday's show, expressing giddy excitement without giving anything away.
Leona Lewis and Taylor Swift case the catwalk at Bridgestone Arena.
The Spin heard word from multiple sources that we should expect a holy shit cameo of epic proportions (even by 1989 World Tour standards) Saturday. Given the timing of his chart-topping 1989 tribute album, the smart money was on Ryan Adams. But those hopes were dashed midway through the show when Swift told the crowd:
"The person I'm about to bring onstage has been so incredibly kind to me over the years. …"
Hmmm, over the years? Ryan Adams?
"This person is one of the greatest entertainers of all-time. ..."
We mean, Ryan Adams is cool and all, but even he'd probably agree that's hyperbolic. Starting to have doubts.
"This person has been KNIGHTED for his achievements and contributions to music. ..."
OK, we really don't recall that happening to Ryan Adams … yet.
"The person I'm about to bring onstage has been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his band The Rolling Stones. ..."
Definitely, definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY NOT Ryan Adams.
"Nashville! My friend Mick Jagger is here!"
Uh, Ryan who? And also — WUT?!
The energy level in the house? As we picked our collective jaw up off the floor? And watched the most iconic frontman in rock history appear, greeted by a pyro blast? To join the biggest pop star of the 21st century, in the town that made her? The Spin's reaction was pretty much just like this:
Grandma and Mick Jagger. Meet Grandma and see how this happened. http://13wham.com/news/features/digital-desk/stories/digital-desk-victor-grandmother-goes-viral-82.shtml#.Vg05g5ftnIl We cannot believe Taylor Swift has seen and personally shared this! It is an amazing story. The tickets were purchased a year in advance, not even knowing about special guests. My mom has had a lifelong dream of going to a Stones concert, but due to a serious health issue this past year she missed their tour. It was upsetting to her and a big disappointment.
She flew to Nashville 2 days in advance to rest up for the big night, we had floor tickets and so she was on her feet much of the time.
Needless to say, when Mick came out it was like he walked on stage just for her.
She is a fan of Taylor as a person and thinks she is a great role model for my daughter. And that was why she made the journey.
Needless to say there has been a lot of tears and laughter, it has been a memory of a lifetime. We are honored Taylor even watched it. We are so blessed to just have my mom healthy and on her feet, let alone acting like a teenage groupie!
Thanks everyone for helping share the video. My daughter is taking grandma's moment in the sun well, considering we went to Taylor for her!!
As you can imagine, grandma is an extraordinary person. Her career included leading a national organization for seniors rights in nursing homes. When she retired she started http://takeitonformom.com/ . She lives with passionate purpose in all she does, including seeing Mick Jagger.
Update:
Grandma will be in Atlanta next month, we'll all be together and we'll enjoy showing her all of the beautiful comments. Thanks to everyone who has posted/sent us updates of where the story has gone, so we can relay it to her.
Taylor will be in Atlanta too, putting on another amazing show and creating more memories for fans young and old.
Does her granddaughter know who Mick Jagger is? She did not and was confused why grandma was going crazy. But we've been sharing the Stones with her and she "likes how they dance".
Thanks for the positive posts and shares.
Given the abundance of tweens, pre-tweens and obvious first-concert-ever attendees, we couldn't help but wonder just how many ears in the house were hearing the Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" for the first time. Whatever the answer is, those kids are certainly never ever, ever going to forget it. And The Spin won't either. Probably because, despite a 47-year age difference, Jagger and Swift had electrifying chemistry as they hammed it up down the catwalk in an all-out swagger-off for the ages. "Drops mic," Swift tweeted after the show. As expected, that moment blew up the Internet something fierce, overshadowing another guest spot at Saturday's show. While it's just about impossible to be outdone by Mick Jagger, British R&B star Leona Lewis made a fine attempt, bringing the house down and showcasing her massive pipes when Swift brought her on stage to belt out her 2007 single "Bleeding Love." See for yourself:
