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Whether your tickets are booked for an upcoming show — or you’re just curious to see what all the fuss is about — we’ve got you. Here are the top moments from Taylor Swift‘s 1989 tour (specifically, the New Jersey stop, but it’s applicable to the whole shebang), and takeaways to keep in mind if you find yourself fangirling/fanboying out in the very near future. And we hope you do.
First…
1. Place bets on Tay-Tay’s surprise musical guest.
People call her Tay-Tay, right? (I mean, if the Rock can pull it off, we’re sure as heck going to try to too.) The guests are often hometown heroes, like New Jersey native Nick Jonas at the East Rutherford stop. Just drink in the awesomeness:
When you see Swift rock the white tube top-and-skirt combo, prepare yourself. Because it’s probably celebrity duet time.
Other musical guests have included:
- The Weeknd (New Jersey, 7/10)
- Rachel Platten (Philadelphia, 6/13)
- Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons (Detroit, 5/30)
2. Expect the second big surprise during “Style.”
In line with her first live performance of “Style” during the 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Swift struts catwalk-style down the runway…and often includes a handful of her squad, which just so happens to include several Victoria’s Secret models. Karlie Kloss, Lily Aldridge and Gigi Hadid tend to be regulars, though during her Saturday performance in Jersey they were joined by fellow models Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo, Martha Hunt and Orange Is The New Black’s Uzo Aduba.
3. Make sure you’re in your seat before sundown.
Because you want (nay, NEED) to see all of the jaw-dropping costumes people come up with for the show. The level of creativity — and talent! — deserves a round of applause on its own. (High-fives to the girls dressed as Taylor Swift’s Grammy awards, her cats and the “Clean” soap and loofah.)
If you’re not the crafty type, we have a few costume ideas at our sister site, CollegiateCook.com.
The other reason to get your bum in its chair before sundown? You don’t want to miss Vance Joy. The “Mess Is Mine” singer took the stage around 8:20 in New Jersey, and the pacing is probably similar at most shows. (The first opening act, Shawn Mendes, started his set about 10 minutes after 7.)
4. The classics will catch you by surprise.
Swift isn’t there to simply rehash the songs you’ve heard a hundred thousand times; when she performs a song from a previous album, it’s often reworked, like the dark, moody take on “Trouble,” or the electric-guitar riffs and guttural “hah!” shouts punctuating her punky take on “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
5. You’re not ready for Swift’s live vocals.
When you ask many fans what they like about Swift’s music, the first thing they’ll mention is her songwriting (and rightfully so). But it isn’t until this tour that you see the evolution of her vocal range. Her voice is much more commanding and all-around powerful.
Need proof? Go back to the bridge of the above Nick Jonas duet. As one person emailed us, Swift slays her lines. Straight-up slays them, making you wonder where that voice came from…and why we haven’t heard it on a track before.