WE WERE THERE – The American singer gave the first of four Paris concerts on Thursday evening at the Arena La Défense in Paris.
So far, the relationship between Taylor Swift and France they could be summed up in a series of missed appointments. Between a less-than-complete Zenith in 2011 and the 2020 pandemic that prevented the star from touring the world as she had planned, the French have not had the opportunity to see the phenomenon up close. Some considered that her music was not made for our European ears, others cast a somewhat ironic look on this idol too polished to be honest. However, after having shocked the whole world with her The Eras Tour, which began more than a year ago in the United States, Taylor Swift was determined to seduce Europe at all costs.
It was in our capital that the singer’s journey to the old continent began. In the context of Arena La Défense in Paris, a gigantic room perfectly suited to the American’s extravagant spectacle. Surrounded by a team of 200 people, the singer set up there last Sunday, fine-tuning the settings of a high-precision machine in which no detail is left to chance. It was 7.54pm when the 30-year-old kicked off her show, six minutes early, in front of 45,000 people. From outside the hall, admirers, much more numerous than admirers, set the tone. Dressed in sparkling dresses, cowgirl hats and majorette-style boots, the young women who make up the majority of the audience crowded around, in a very good-natured and very American atmosphere. In the theater we heard a lot of English spoken: 20% of the spectators were compatriots of the star. We have rarely heard an audience as enthusiastic and responsive as these “Swifties” for whom the arrival of “Tay-Tay” on stage will have seemed like a relief after years of waiting.
Very large, with a 30 meter proscenium that extends into the crowd, the stage, dominated by a huge screen, breaks all records. Its surface allows the star to multiply paintings and choreographies. Speaking to explain her joy at being her on stage in Paris, the singer recalled that she was there to take her fans on a retrospective of her 18-year career. It’s eleven sequences like many albums released since 2006. Many people expected a chronological revision but it will start with Lover, a 2019 album, rather than her first album. She wants to dive directly into the pop formula and not into the country of her origins, the very one that was said to be unexportable. Her scenography is very evocative, which sees her performing one outfit after another at a fast pace, surrounded by sets and projections that constantly involve the gaze. The musicians are installed in the garden and courtyard and not on the stage. You will have to wait several sequences before seeing them perform on the main stage, next to the star.
Linear and quite boring music
A singer with an impeccable tone, Taylor Swift is also a guitarist. Her instruments all match her clothes. Glitter to the point of indigestion. The Gibson brand has designed sparkling variations of her acoustic models. Ultra invigorating, the show knows no downtime: it starts hard and ends hard. The stamina and performance of Taylor Swift and her dancers and singers are breathtaking. But we would appreciate it if the show scaled back to appreciate the songs. And that’s the problem. Each of Taylor Swift’s records is full of ultra-effective songs. But her compositions, too linear, struggle to seduce beyond the scenic dimension. Leaving aside the pyrotechnics and clever stage ideas, Taylor Swift’s music is simply linear and rather boring. Reduced to harmonies of two or three chords, the songs spare none of the effects that abound in the best pop in the world, that of the Beatles or David Bowie, brilliant singer-songwriters. The thesis of Taylor Swift’s exegetes is that she herself composes her songs and she is not a simple performer. Certainly. But we would have liked her to enrich her compositions by introducing audacity. This is the only place where this model student fails.
A hard worker, Taylor Swift exudes a classy side. And if the outfits she wears highlight her very attractive body and her infinite legs, the young girl doesn’t bother at all. Like a good toy soldier, she strides across the stage, showing her unwavering determination. In the 3h15 performance, the diva leaves little room for her emotions. The show is so controlled that it takes on a rather oppressive dimension. So Taylor “I can do anything” Swift arises in various contexts. After the series of Martine’s adventures, we will be treated to Taylor in the country, Taylor at the airport, Taylor at the music hall, Taylor in the hospital. Many sequences which, with their mechanical aspect, erase all the rough edges that we have the right to expect from a family show.
Breath of fresh air
The only surprise – and it’s a big surprise – is that this first Parisian show is the one in which he introduces a sequence dedicated to The Tortured Poets Department, a recently released album. Not very convincing on record, the songs are embodied with more dynamism on stage. In a show that’s been running for months, this breath of fresh air is nice to hear. On Taylor Swift’s part, this little challenge is like an offer made to Europe, which was slow to welcome her but ended up signing her total surrender.
The triumph is total, even when Taylor Swift lowers the sail on a natural sequence dedicated to her two 2020 albums, Folklore and Evermore, more folk and introspective. This is the only time we will see her alone on stage, alternating between guitar (not glitter this time) and piano, in a rare and brief moment of respite. But since “The Show must go on” she will soon go on an extravagant tour. After three hours and fifteen minutes of lively entertainment, the closing credits introduce the show’s many speakers. But not Taylor’s mother, who arrived discreetly in the afternoon for her first extended stay in Paris. Three more shows and the Taylor Swift caravan will continue until the final days of 2024.