Taylor Swift Celebrates Nashville Roots and the Power of Pop at Nissan Stadium

Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour is supposed to be the ultimate expression of the singer’s new persona, a flashy display of the fresh-out-of-fucks-to-give attitude she debuted last year after declaring "the old Taylor” dead. But really, Swift’s Saturday stop at Nissan Stadium was a celebration of both the old and the new. With a set list that reached all the way back to 2006, it was a culmination of the lessons, lyrics and fans that have helped Swift reach her most confident, carefree (and successful) self, which — as she stated repeatedly from the enormous X-shaped stage — never would've happened without Nashville.

“I moved to Nashville when I was 13,” the singer said after opening her set with back-to-back performances of “... Ready for It?” and “I Did Something Bad.” (The Spin could feel the heat from the pyro, even though we were a couple hundred feet away.) “I remember my first memory of this stadium. My mom and I got tickets to CMA Fest. ... I just remember thinking that that’s the biggest place that anyone could ever play.

“Years later I was lucky enough to actually play a 15-20 minute set at CMA Fest in this stadium, and I was like, ‘That’s it, that’s the peak, that’s the best it’s ever gonna get,’ ” Swift continued. “So tonight is the first time I’m headlining this stadium, and I’m so grateful, you guys. You have no idea — this means so much to me. It means so much to my family and friends. This is our hometown show.”

Since her stadium debut years ago, Swift and her team have perfected the art of massive production, right down to the tiny symbolic details. The digital graphics that flashed across the several-stories-high video screen were impeccable, the fireworks and towers of flame were plentiful, the dancers and backup singers were diverse and mesmerizing, and there were So. Many. Giant. Snakes. (OK, so there were only three giant snakes, but that is three more than any other stadium show we've seen has had. It was hilarious.) There were even two gondola-like contraptions (one of which was in the shape of a snake, naturally) to carry Swift between the main stage and two smaller stages.

The green sequined jacket Swift wore during the acoustic portion of the show — during which she played guitar and sang “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” and “Better Man” (a CMA- and Grammy-winning song that Swift wrote and Little Big Town recorded) — was decorated with a glittery black-and-gold patch made specifically for the Nashville date. The confetti that rained down during the Great Gatsby-meets-High School Musical finale of “Call It What You Want” and a mashup of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” with “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” consisted of tiny tissue-paper versions of a Taylor Swift newspaper. Even Nashville’s inescapable growth got a shoutout — as Swift sat down at the piano, we noticed that the towers holding the massive stacks of speakers over her head resembled construction cranes. At that point, she paused to note how the city keeps changing.

“One of the most obvious indications of time passing, for me, is Nashville,” she said. “Because every time I come home, something’s different, something new is being built — we got another cool restaurant, another couple thousand people that moved here. Because, basically, I’m sure you’ve noticed this too: In the last 15 years everyone else has realized that Nashville is just the best place in the world.”

After performing “Don’t Blame Me” and a “Long Live”/“New Year’s Day” medley solo at the piano, the love letter to Music City continued. “[Nashville] is the most important city I’ve ever been in in my entire life. And it’s the place where … I wrote the song that I haven’t played in a very, very long time. And it was a song that really changed my life. I think that it would only be fitting to play it tonight.”

Then, Swift delivered country music’s most magical moment of the weekend, surprising the ecstatic audience with a visit from Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. The couple joined in on — you guessed it — Swift’s 2006 country hit, “Tim McGraw.” Tens of thousands of fans lost their shit. The woman sitting behind us started sobbing. Our ears are still ringing from the applause.

While Swift’s simultaneously endearing and tongue-in-cheek recognition of her career's ups and downs may have taken center stage, it was the small nods to her own personal growth that were the most satisfying to see. Swift's band and army of dancers and singers were diverse in size, race and age. And unlike so many other stadium shows, where the opening acts take a very (very very very) distant backseat to the main attraction, Swift's show featured hit factory Charli XCX and former Fifth Harmony singer and VMA Artist of the Year Camila Cabello — both women of color — in beefy opening slots.

Charli XCX came off as your hyper, party-obsessed BFF from the future, and Cabella's Cuban-influenced set was fun and theatrical while also showcasing her stunning, rich voice. It wouldn't be surprising to see Cabella hold down her own stadium tour someday. The two singers returned to the stage to help Swift out during a colorful, confetti-filled performance of “Shake It Off” (cue the snakes!) and all three took time to note how honored and empowered they felt by the stacked bill — "Not one, not two, but three badass women on one stage,” said Charli XCX.

In the past, those slots have gone to white men. The openers for her 2015 North American 1989 Tour were Shawn Mendes and Vance Joy. (Rae Morris played one date, and Haim played several, including the Bridgestone Arena shows.) And in 2013-14, Ed Sheeran, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, Casey James and Austin Mahone, among others, took turns starting the show for the Red Tour's North American dates.

Even off the stage, Swift has taken meaningful steps. In March, after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., she posted on Instagram that she made a donation to the March for Our Lives campaign, saying, “I’m so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again.” And in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Swift reportedly made a “generous donation” to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Much of the initial criticism of Swift’s dramatic return to the public eye in 2017 was focused on how the singer has neglected to take a stance on anything remotely political — something the Scene's own Megan Seling has noted. It's encouraging to see Swift counter that with action.

Sure, Swift is still obsessed with her image. The show started with audio clips of things newscasters and critics have said over the years (including Perez Hilton alleging that Swift was responsible for his suspension from Twitter — LOL). But it appears as though she's at least starting to think about what other messages she can send to her legions of fans. Big platforms — whether they're the kind that spout flames and giant snakes or not — can be used to make a big difference, and it's heartening to see a homegrown megastar turn her attention toward their power.

In The Spin — the Scene's live review column — staffers and freelance contributors review concerts under a collective byline.