Did anyone enjoy Taylor but felt at 3.5 hours it…. dragged a little?

[Fromthenotorious]

I admit that i’m not her biggest fan and it was a bit of a fluke that i got a ticket to go with friends.

I enjoy her music and think she’s amazing but a dedicated Swiftie… I am not!

I just felt that it could have been at least thirty mins shorter and would have been more enjoyable. Even amongst the hardened Swifties around us, I sensed a little restlessness.

Anyone else agree?

@EveningSpread tbh “fine maybe good, but equally not really groundbreaking” is great for popular culture. It’s not her job to educate young women but she’s doing a better job than anyone else I can think of off the top of my head. I’m a freedom programme trainer (DV) and there’s a real dearth of healthy role models in relationships.

@randoname Good point! And that can certainly stand alongside the other drawbacks to pop culture that exist. It's rare that anything is 100% great or terrible.

I also like the way she looks vaguely normal and hasn't changed her look loads. I think British female youth culture has a bad rep (esp on the continent) for being over-make upped and tacky, so I'd love it if I had a teenage daughter who wanted to emulate a TS look - instead of the popular endless black and bum scrunch shorts vibe. That's a whole other personal preference, judgey, out of touch old lady thread though!

She’s lucky being a vaguely normal blond nearly 6 footer! And she’s been very honest about the pressure to be stuck thin, how she succumbed and how she has to constantly check herself to not critique her body.
The backing singers, dancers and band are a great variety of body types and also aren’t over styled/ made up/ unattainable. What unites the whole set is a lot of energy! I’m also an out of touch old lady and pretend to be interested because of my dds, as it is I just love music and promised never to miss out on seeing a performer I love when Leonard Cohen died and I’d been postponing, deferring and delaying seeing him for 40 years. My cover was blown when although I’d seen her in Edinburgh with dd1 I then got last minute tickets cheap for yesterday, dds not in London so I took a young colleague. It was wonderful and rare to be in a massively female enormous crowd and she declared it the best night ever 😁

Me too. There's nothing original about any of her stuff to my mind (or ear) jolly enough to listen to in the car.

I don't understand the complete hysteria and quite frankly feel a bit depressed about what a great example she is, as if this a realistic career path for anyone who fancies it.

What a bizarre comment. Do you also feel a bit depressed about Elton John, Adele etc? The whole idea of star power is that it is unattainable to most people, everyone knows that it’s not a career path for most

You know what, it is so frustrating when people start on about her dancing skills. The absolute best bits of the night she was sitting in a long dress, playing the guitar. She's not aiming to be Britney Spears, doing Slave 4 U in a headset with prerecorded vocals, and she's poked fun at her dancing skills herself.

I think I blame all the promo shots being of the opening sparkly bodysuit outfit.

My husband has done that 3 times now! 4 if I manage to get tickets for next month. How dare he!

People actually think things like this?

I mean this woman has some fantastic PR. The ranking of her as the 8th best guitarist of the last two decades has caused so much hilarity in the heavy metal world where most drummers could play the guitar better. The hype round TS is really not related to talent. guitar.com/news/music-news/taylor-swift-8th-best-guitarist-of-last-two-decades/

I feel depressed about both of them
You couldn't have picked two worse people to compare.
Adele is a foul mouthed woman, dragging society down even more and as common as muck. No class. Does she swear like that in front of her son/mother. Deffo no role model.
Elton is the big don't you know who I am type. Remember his outburst at an airport.
Very mediocre too. Appaulling to big for his boots attitude as well.

Are you from the Victorian era? Why does swearing bother you so much? Must live a very sheltered existence!

What's nice about swearing for the sake of it. Why do you need too?

Does she swear like that in front of her child?
She appeared at the Albert Hall one of the nicest venues and classiest venues in the country and she had to be foulmouthed.
The saying money dosent buy class is definitely true.
Nothing to do with living a sheltered life.

Tee hee. I've been to a Radiohead gig and loved every minute of it. Including singing 'Fake Plastic Trees' with a group of fellow concert-goers on the tram back to Manchester.

I'll get me coat ...

I once saw Prince play a 3 hour set and then a 4 hour after show party. Stamina is required to be a good star and also a worthy fan 😂

Why not? Between adults who really cares? It’s not her responsibility to pander to those of an easily offended and overly sensitive disposition.

Nothing to do with being sensitive it's not nice on the ear and it's not necessary, why does she need to do it?
Trying to show off and falling massively.
I reiterate money dosent buy class. My opinion.

I think the same is true of Madonna. She was a pretty good dancer, didn't have a bad voice, and could throw together an entertaining pop video when those used to be a thing. But a stand-out in any of these capacities? Not really, no.

Something about her just tapped into the mood of the times, particularly given that up until then, women weren't expected to be sexual, independent beings who took their pleasure where they chose to find it. She was a very business savvy, smart, sassy and sexual woman who lived as she liked and worked as she chose. In those times I don't think the world had ever really seen her like before.

Her constant image-changes rescued her for some years from serving up the same old rehashed look and music (in fact, behind the veneer this was precisely what she did do). Back in her more punky looking days - way before the Gaultier corsets - nearly every teenage girl wanted to look like her.

She was a superlative show-woman who packed out her venues and really knew how to put on a show. She was also fearless, bright, and had a real head for marketing. She's the very definition of the triumph of image over substance, and whilst her music might not be to my taste I do think she's one admirable woman and I willingly respect her guts, originality and determination. What a trail-blazer.

I thought the comment earlier about entertainment not equalling value was really interesting.

For me tho, as for many many others, she isn't 'generic pop'. I find her lyrics evocative, clever, layered, thought provoking. I respect her talents as a musician, I'm not saying she's a concert pianist but her ability to play a number of instruments as well as write her own songs is a skill in itself.

'genius' isn't actually a thing. Unless you are going by Mensa standards. So then it's down to personal reception.

I'm a huge fan of her music, I have been for eighteen years. It gets a bit wearing with the insinuation that it you like Taylor you must be stupid. Which is what is done time and time again.

I wouldn't even want to watch ten mins let alone 3.5 hrs wow

I agree with OP - I like Taylor Swift, went to see the concert because I like her music, but it did feel slightly too long (and I actually left a couple of songs before the end, as a lot of people were doing)

For me it was probably to do with the eras I like least being at the end of the show. I’d probably not have found it too long if most of TTPD (and, arguably, some of Midnights) had been replaced by songs from her earlier albums!

@putting totally agree - I haven't seen an updated set list but I think I saw Red had been cut or wasn't on in the first place - DH will be gutted!!

@TheTwirlyPoos Still some songs from Red! Not sure there’s much, if anything, from Speak Now and Folklore/Evermore has been combined into one era.

We left in the middle of Mastermind because I don't really like Midnights that much! Got a seat on the train which was lovely. There were at least 3 songs cut which meant I'd have preferred to see the pre-TTPD setlist.

Midnights is my least favourite but I loved TTPD so I will stay for that

TTPD is on before the surprise songs, with Midnights ending the show unless it changes again