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Speak Now World Tour

The Speak Now World Tour was the second concert tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who embarked on it to support her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). It began on February 9, 2011, visiting Asia and Europe before kicking off in North America on May 27, 2011. It concluded on March 18, 2012, in Oceania. In total, the tour covered 110 shows across 19 territories.

The set list consisted mostly of songs from Speak Now, with a few numbers from Swift's first two albums, Taylor Swift (2006) and Fearless (2008). "Back to December" was performed as a mashup with "You're Not Sorry" and OneRepublic's "Apologize", and "Fearless" with Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". The stage decorations featured Broadway-inspired elements such as lighting, choreography, and costume changes. On several US shows, Swift invited special guests to perform duets onstage with her. Multiple shows were recorded for a concert film and live album, both titled Speak Now World Tour – Live, released on November 21, 2011.

Music critics generally praised the production and Swift's showmanship and interactions with her audience. The North American shows were met with high demand that led to tickets being sold out within minutes. According to Pollstar, the Speak Now World Tour was the highest-grossing by a female artist and the fourth-highest-grossing overall of 2011; in North America, it was the year's second-highest-grossing tour. Billboard ranked it fifth on their list of the top tours of 2011, with estimated total gross of $123.7 million and attendance of 1.6 million.

Background and development

Big Machine Records released Taylor Swift's entirely self-written third studio album, Speak Now, on October 25, 2010. Speak Now sold over one million copies after one week of release in the United States, leading The New York Times to comment that Swift "has transcended the limitations of genre and become a pop megastar".

To promote the album, Swift planned to embark on a world tour. Immediately after the album's release, she announced on CMT that she had finalized the first tour dates in Japan in February 2011, followed by Norway, Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom in March. Prior to an official concert tour, Swift had headlined festivals worldwide, including the V Festival in the United Kingdom and the CMC Rocks the Snowys in Australia in 2009, and the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan in summer 2010.

On November 23, 2010, Swift officially announced the Speak Now World Tour as her second headlining concert tour, following the Fearless Tour (2009). This announcement revealed the first 87 scheduled shows in 19 countries; the tour was to kick off in Asia, visiting territories including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, in February and then visited Europe in March, before taking place in North America from May until October 2011, kicking off in Omaha on May 27. Needtobreathe was confirmed as the opening act for the North American shows in December 2010.

In March 2011, Swift announced 16 additional dates for the North American leg, which was sponsored by CoverGirl and produced and promoted by The Messina Group (a partner of AEG Live), extending its run until November 2011. Additional opening acts included Frankie Ballard, Danny Gokey, Hunter Hayes, Josh Kelley, Randy Montana, James Wesley, Charlie Worsham, Adam Brand, and David Nail. The final dates of the Speak Now World Tour were for Australia and New Zealand, which were announced for March 2012. Hot Chelle Rae was confirmed as the opening act for the Australasian shows shortly prior to their commencement.

Concert synopsis

Each concert in the North American leg lasted nearly two hours. Most songs on the set list were from Speak Now, with a few being from Swift's first two studio albums, Taylor Swift (2006) and Fearless (2008). Swift used Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers's "American Girl" (1977) as her entrance song prior to the show. Each concert incorporated a range of aesthetic decorations and visual elements, including large video screens, elaborate lighting systems, pyrotechnics, set changes, confetti, a satellite stage, and nine costume changes. Swift said that these stage elements were inspired by her favorite Broadway plays like Wicked that she saw in her childhood.

The show began with Swift's recorded voice saying, "There’s a time for silence and a time for waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel and you so clearly know what you need to say, you’ll know it. I don’t think you should wait, I think you should Speak Now." Swift then appeared onstage amidst thick fog, dressed in a gold-fringed dress and black boots, and performed the opening number, "Sparks Fly", with her band playing on a three-staircase stage. She sang the second number, "Mine", playing a red Les Paul electric guitar as her band members also strummed guitars. She paused to greet the audience before resuming the show with the third song, "The Story of Us".

For the next numbers, "Our Song" and "Mean", the stage setting incorporated imagery of an American back porch to complement the songs' country sounds. Swift performed these songs playing a banjo, while a band member played a fiddle and dancers acted out using washboards, goats, and moonshine. The stage scenery then changed to a snow-covered one, with tuxedo-wearing dancers performing a choreography on a bridge that was lowered onto the stage as Swift, donning a long gown, sang "Back to December" in a mashup with "You're Not Sorry" and OneRepublic's "Apologize" while playing a baby grand piano, backed by nine violinists. It was followed by a performance of "Better than Revenge", which began with a voicemail saying, "Leave me a message and make it hot." Swift then appeared onstage in a red sequined mini-dress and cowboy boots, singing the song while standing on the bridge and play-fighting with a backup dancer. The number ended with an electric guitar solo that made room for Swift to disappear from the stage.

The next number was "Speak Now", for which the stage was decorated to resemble a wedding ceremony in a church, with pews, a groom, and a bride. Towards the end of the song, Swift walked with the groom across the venue towards an auxiliary stage (the B-stage) at the other end of the venue, where she continued with an acoustic segment, consisting of a mashup "Fearless" / Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" / Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" on ukulele, and "Last Kiss" on guitar, performed with Swift sitting under an illuminated tree. The last song she performed on the B-stage was "You Belong with Me", for which she then returned to the main stage to join her band members dancing. Next, she sang "Dear John" as fireworks accompanied the song's chorus.

For the next number, "Enchanted", Swift performed standing on a winding staircase as her backup dancers reenacted a ballet. Before singing the next song, "Haunted", Swift used a mallet to strike giant bells. As she sang the track, the bells rose up off the stage and from which acrobatic dancers appeared, performing on trapezes. Swift then dedicated the next number, "Long Live", to her band and audience. During the encore, Swift sang "Fifteen" alone on guitar, sitting by herself on a sofa, as the video screens showed images of 15-year-old Swift and more recent images of herself. She closed the concert with "Love Story"; she sang the song while standing on a suspended platform that resembled a balcony, whisking around the venue as confetti fell down.

Alterations

The set list for the Asian and European legs was shorter: each show lasted for nearly 90 minutes, omitting "Our Song", "Mean", "Haunted", and "Last Kiss". "Ours" was added to the encore starting from the concert in Denver on September 27, 2011, and was performed during subsequent shows of the North American and Australasian legs. For the Australasian shows in March 2012, Swift added "Safe & Sound" during the encore. During the second Auckland show, she sang "Eyes Open" in place of "Safe & Sound".

Starting from the first North American show, Swift wrote different song lyrics and occasionally quotes from famous speeches and movies on her left arm for each show using a Sharpie marker. At a rehearsal for the tour in Nashville on May 21, 2011, Swift wrote a lyric from Selena Gomez's "Who Says" onto her left arm to cope with "a rough day", and she thereafter wrote different lyrics onto her arm "like a mood ring" for each show. Taste of Country thought that this practice demonstrated Swift's "mischievous habit of slipping encoded details of her personal life" into her music and performances, while The New Yorker cited it as an example of Swift's "keen understanding of what fuels fan obsession in the first place: a desire for intimacy between singer and listener" by allowing her audience to get involved in her personal space.

Also on the North American shows, Swift performed many acoustic cover versions, and on each show she paid tribute to a homegrown artist. She stated that the cover versions allowed her to be "spontaneous" in an otherwise well-rehearsed show: "You'll have a lot of people who will come to more than one show, and I want them to get a different experience every time." On certain shows, Swift invited special guests such as Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Usher, T.I., Jason Mraz, among others, and duetted with them.

Critical reception

The first shows of the Speak Now World Tour in Asia and Europe received positive reviews. Reviews of the first show in Singapore by AsiaOne and The Straits Times highlighted Swift's sincere interactions with her audience. Reviewing the show in the Philippines, The Manila Bulletin wrote that it demonstrated Swift's "global appeal" that could attract "kids ... and their parents, ladies and their boyfriends ..., circles of friends, foreigners, and local celebrities all in one venue" and the Philippine Daily Inquirer complimented her musicianship demonstrated by the mashups and acoustic numbers. The Korea Times opined that despite performing in a half-full venue, Swift gave an entertaining show with well-produced visual accompaniments, her "charming qualities", and the "intense devotion" of the crowd. A review of the show in Germany by Soester Anzeiger described it as "bombastic American-style entertainment" with captivating theatrics and visuals. In a four-star review, The Guardian wrote: "Swift has the ability to flirt with 20,000 people at once, and so likably that you can forgive the occasional bit of shtick."

Reviews from the North American press were generally positive. The Village Voice, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Boston Globe, and Billboard applauded the performance for demonstrating Swift's songcraft about relatable subject matters that resonated well with her audience, while The Washington Post and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette attributed Swift's relatability to her genuine and authentic stage persona. Entertainment Weekly complimented the set list for allowing the audience to give in to Swift's "girly fantasia" with songs about nostalgia and hopes: "Today might’ve been a fairy tale, but you've gotta have something for tomorrow."

Other reviews by The Baltimore Sun, The Oregonian, and The Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted the accompanying theatrics, costume changes, and stage aesthetics. Publications like The Star-Ledger, The Salt Lake Tribune, and The Globe and Mail, noted on the Broadway-influenced theatrics. The Boston Globe lauded Swift's ability to balance between the theatrics and her singing. The New York Times wrote that despite the deeply personal songs, Swift displayed "clockwork professionalism" with a "cool, systematic ambition". Australasian newspapers also gave the tour laudatory reviews. The Gold Coast Bulletin hailed Swift as "the complete package" and The New Zealand Herald, while remarking that the atmosphere of the show was "cloyingly romantic" that "can get a little too sugary", admired the combination of theatrics and songcraft that "we're unlikely to witness a show like that again in a long, long time".

Several reviews remarked on Swift's live vocals. The Oregonian wrote that her vocals did not span the greatest range but she made up for that with "the quality of her songwriting, top-notch performing skills and angelic good looks", while The Mercury News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette felt that Swift's plain and conventional voice effectively conveyed the message of her songs. The Baltimore Sun opined that the best part of the concert was when Swift performed acoustic numbers alone on guitar, while the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal praised Swift as not only a capable singer-songwriter but also an accomplished performer who knew how to engage her fans.

Some reviews were more reserved: OC Weekly opined that there were moments where it was hard to believe whether Swift was sincere or acting, while The Salt Lake Tribune thought that it would be nicer had Swift written songs about "something else meaningful" other than love and heartbreak. The Chicago Tribune opined that the theatrics were unnecessary and that Swift's "playing princess" was unfit for her status as a "grown-up superstar". The Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote, "her patter was a little corny, obvious and ingratiating, but Swift is a grade-A charmer."

Ticket sales and box office

Ticket sales for the first North American shows commenced on December 3, 2010. They sold out within minutes—the initial two Los Angeles shows at the Staples Center sold out in two minutes, and the Foxborough show at the Gillette Stadium sold out in five minutes—leading Swift to add two further shows in Los Angeles, one additional in Foxborough, and two additional in Newark. The tour was the first where Swift held multiple stadium shows in the United States, covering six football stadiums: Gilllete Stadium (Foxborough), Heinz Field (Pittsburgh), Ford Field (Detroit), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City), and Cowboys Stadium (Dallas). High demand for the Australasian leg also made Swift increase the number of shows in Melbourne and Auckland to three each.

The shows' attendance and gross were reported to Billboard. The Asian shows sold out quickly, including a two-day gig at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo and a show in Osaka, Japan that drew 25,000 concertgoers. The European shows averaged 7,000 in attendance, with sell-out shows in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Upon wrapping up its North American leg at the Madison Square Garden in New York in November 2011, Swift and her management reported 1.5 million in ticket sales and $107.9 million in gross to Billboard; the magazine commented that the extensive touring schedule was "a tough haul for a seasoned road warrior, much less a 21-year-old [Swift] on only her second headlining tour".

Based on data reported from November 1, 2010, through November 8, 2011, Billboard ranked Swift fifth on their "Top 25 Tours of 2011", reporting 1.4 million ticket sales and $97.4 million in gross from 89 dates, of which 87 were sold out. Meanwhile, Pollstar placed it fourth on their annual list of the "Top 25 Worldwide Tours", reporting earning of $104.2 million and attendance of 1.4 million from 100 shows; it was the highest-grossing tour by both a female artist and a solo artist on that list. On Pollstar's report for North America, the tour ranked as the second-highest-grossing of 2011, behind U2. The last shows of the tour in Australia and New Zealand were all sellouts; they drew in 138,000 in attendance and $15.8 million in gross per Billboard or $17 million in gross per Pollstar. In total, Billboard estimated the total gross as 123.7 million.

Recording and broadcast

On May 21, 2011, Swift conducted the final rehearsal of the American show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. She turned the concert into a live stream event titled "Speak Now... Help Now" to fundraise for tornado victims. During the event, Swift streamed performances of "Mine" and "The Story of Us". The proceeds, amounting to $750,000, went directly to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in order to help with tornado relief. Footage of four American shows were compiled in the music video for "Sparks Fly", released in August 2011. On September 14, 2011, The Ellen DeGeneres Show aired behind-the-scenes footage and Swift's live performance of "Our Song" with Ellen DeGeneres at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Big Machine Records released a live album, Speak Now World Tour – Live, on November 21, 2011, in North America. The live album contains a CD and a DVD featuring performances from various shows. One day prior to the release, CBS News aired a 60 Minutes profile of Swift, documenting behind-the-scenes footage of the tour.

Accolades

Set list

Asia and Europe

The following set list is adapted from shows in Quezon City on February 19, 2011, and Dublin on March 27, 2011.

"Sparks Fly"
"Mine"
"The Story of Us"
"Back to December" / "Apologize" / "You're Not Sorry"
"Better than Revenge"
"Speak Now"
"Fearless" / "I'm Yours" / "Hey, Soul Sister"
"Fifteen"
"You Belong with Me"
"Dear John"
"Enchanted"
"Long Live"

Encore

North America

The following set list is adapted from the show in Omaha on May 27, 2011. It is not intended to represent all shows throughout the tour.

"Sparks Fly"
"Mine"
"The Story of Us"
"Our Song"
"Mean"
"Back to December" / "Apologize" / "You're Not Sorry"
"Better than Revenge"
"Speak Now"
"Fearless" / "I'm Yours" / "Hey, Soul Sister"
"Last Kiss"
Surprise cover
"You Belong with Me"
"Dear John"
"Enchanted"
"Haunted"
"Long Live"

Encore

Notes

During the show in Kansas City, Swift performed "Superman".
Starting with the show in Denver, "Ours" was added to the set-list.
During the shows in Lexington, Houston, and Raleigh, Swift performed "Never Grow Up".
During the shows in Oceania, Swift performed "Safe & Sound" during the encore, except at the second show in Auckland, where she performed "Eyes Open".