Nashville, TN (Top40 Charts/ Big Machine Records) Taylor Swift wrapped a run of sold-out New York-area shows Friday night with her third show of the week at The Prudential Center in Newark. Over the course of the week's shows she played to capacity crowds and earned rave reviews, impressing some of the nation's toughest critics.
Rolling Stone - "Seeing
Taylor Swift live in 2013 is seeing a maestro at the top of her or anyone's game. No other pop auteur can touch her right now for emotional excess or musical reach. Red [is] the slickest, smartest and just plain best mega-pop statement of our time. Seeing Taylor on stage now is seeing....total commitment, total fan fervor, total connection between audience and performer. A true arena-rock goddess at an amazing peak."
The New York Times - "A king-size spectacle, [whose] juxtapositions have power, one theatrical scene after the next.
Taylor Swift off-script is very much like
Taylor Swift on-script: not just the brains of the operation, but the brawn, too, the unflappable force that ensures stuck landings. Ms. Swift's voice is stronger than it's ever been, and also sturdier....she sang vividly from behind a piano, show[ing] credible dark emotion."
The New York Post - "Swift proves her chops. [Her] blossoming confidence was on show in all its multifaceted glory last night at the Prudential Center in Newark. More than a mere pop concert... through her various costume changes, choreographed set pieces and even the odd magic trick, [Swift] has created something closer to a giant musical carnival.
Almost as impressive is Swift's power and versatility as a musician. It was apparent from the start....no matter what she did or where she went, Swift's vocals never seemed to waver."
The Village Voice - "
Taylor Swift was born to entertain. Swift remains genuine....which speaks further to her endless appealing nature as a performer."
Newsday - "Swift is truly amazing..... she created a personal, poignant connection with a sea of 18,000 fans. She deserves credit for actually singing super-popular songs she actually wrote surrounded by a fantastical stage set-up that she helped design. Emotionally intensified....Swift's singing voice is good...her writing voice is distinctive, powerful and incredibly well trained."
Newark Star-Ledger - "
Taylor Swift is fully formed, and at the peak of her powers. [She is] the world's greatest pop star. It's 2013; it's her day. This is the golden age of something good and right and real."
The North American portion of The RED Tour will play 66 shows (including 13 stadium stops) in 47 cities in 29 states and 3 provinces spanning 6 months in 2013. For updated tour dates and information, please log on to: www.taylorswift.com.
Taylor will be in Las
Vegas this weekend to perform on the Academy of Country
Music Awards, where she has five nominations - Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (for RED - Taylor is nominated as both artist and producer), and Video of the Year (for "
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"). The ACM Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, April 7th.
