Grammy Award-winning singer Taylor Swift has once again proven herself to be the queen of shaking off the haters. After a painful year of pointing fingers and name calling. Taylor has risen to the top of the charts with her latest album Reputation in which she acknowledges the controversy recently stirred by her enemies, including Kim and Kanye West and Katy Perry. The album is a tangle of references not only to her fellow stars but the media and her two-year boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Due to the recent “snake” label Swift has received from Kim Kardashian, the entire album has a new, edgier aesthetic. While preparing to perform at the piano during her University of Phoenix Stadium stop, Taylor shared her take from the experience: “I learned a really important lesson and that has to do with how much you value your reputation. And I think the lesson is that you shouldn’t care so much if you feel misunderstood by a lot of people who don’t know you, as long as you feel understood by the people who do know you.”

The team behind the Reputation tour make it very apparent from the very beginning that this concert will remain one of the most iconic in history. Every little detail is thought out. From the stunning design of the stage to the confetti launched during the final song “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”

To hype fans before the show, Taylor has brought along her two performers; Charli XCX and Camila Cabello to perform a few of their own hits. One of the most intriguing moments of the overall performance came from this introduction. I have never really looked into either of these singers, but one of the most prominent points was the difference in aesthetic. Charli XCX jumped onto the stage like a four-year-old in a candy shop; her energy filled that stadium and between each song she was always saying “thank you Nashville!” as if we were the ones to thank for her talent and performance.

Even if you aren’t a huge fan of Taylor Swift, the special effects and video edits used throughout the entire performance are reason enough to go. To kick off the very first song “…Ready for It?” the screens are filled with scenes from old music videos, interviews, and general clips from her past, during this the stadium is filled with different voices from these same interviews and clips of her criticizers claiming that she is “playing the victim” and other similar accusations. As if this moment couldn’t be enough of a show stopper, the screens go red and split in the middle as Taylor appeared in the center, starting the show with a single phrase: “are you ready for it?”

Needless to say the fans, also known as “Swifties” were nowhere near ready for any of the proceeding show. For the next four hours the audience was captivated by fireworks, flying platforms covered in fairy lights, throwback songs to the “old Taylor”, fantastically choreographer dances, a floating snake skeleton, and a unique addition of light up arm bracelets given to the Swifties when entering the stadium. The bands play a huge roll in the show, flashing fun patterns to the music, such as hearts during “Love Story” and even a giant pixelated snake that crawled across the crowd during “Look What You Made Me Do.” Taylor commented that these bracelets allowed her to be closer to the audience because she could see each person individually by their own little glow of light.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Taylor had proven to be a potential pop star at a young age. Seeing their daughters possibility at a bright future, the Swift family packed up and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. To give a nod to this aspect of her life, Taylor gave the audience an extra song that she had written in the very beginnings of her career, “Tim McGraw.” As if this wasn’t enough of a surprise, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw joined her on stage to finish up the song, the Nashville audience was ecstatic.

Just like any other snake loving, reputation defending woman would, Taylor decided to leave the whole stadium speechless with her final song “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” in which she throws obvious shade at the West family once more, implying that she had given her all to reform their friendship, but all she got was hate. The number is completed with a bright collection in costume changes, a giant fountain, and a crowd of screaming fans keeping up with every laugh and line.

It’s safe to say that Taylor Swift is at the top of her game. There were too many details to include in just one article. The stage was created to look like a ripped newspaper to imply that her reputation was destroyed by the twisted truth media always portrays her in. I can tell you first hand that even if you end up in the cheap seats, you will be part of an entertaining and extraordinary production.