Taylor Swift Dazzles During Her Reputation Tour In Denver

Taylor Swift and company wowed the sold out Denver crowd. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Taylor Swift and company rolled through Denver this past Friday night with her largest touring production to date. The Reputation Tour as it is billed featured some of the most extravagant production we have even witnessed. A sold out crowd of 58,000 screaming fans of all ages saw her rip through songs from all of her catalogs with a huge emphasis dedicated to her recent album Reputation. The tour brought openers Charli XCX and Camila Cabelo to open things up and they managed to get the crowd primed and ready for Swift as they each belted out their own hits that have topped the charts in recent years. Flanked by a huge screen (it hovered way above the stadiums upper deck) and and X shaped catwalk along with two side stages towards the back, you were guaranteed to catch an up close and personal view of the action. Her setlist was grouped into six acts each featuring 3-4 songs each. The opening act barred the classic Joan Jett anthem "Bad Reputation" followed by a video introduction. As the house light dimmed Swift emerged from the middle of the parting stage with nothing but fog emitting her silhouette. She opened the night with "...Ready For It" off her latest album sending everybody into a frenzy (the theme of the night). 

An amazing production for The Reputation Tour. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Some of the loudest cheers came during her second act with "Look What You Made Me Do", which was preceded by a video interlude and actress Tiffanie Haddish intro leading right into her most popular song off her latest album. Probably the loudest cheers and participation came during this specific act with "End Game", and "King of my Heart" to end the act.

The Reputation Tour is being billed as one of the biggest tours ever. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

After a brief intermission we saw Swift take to the air in a chariot that hovered above the crowd from the main stage to one of the smaller stages towards the back of the stadium. As two inflatable snakes rose above she welcomed Camila and Charli XCX to join her on "Shake It Off" joined by a half dozen dancers they managed to turn up the performance as she continued to dazzle without missing a beat.

The rest of the night featured amazing pyrotechnics and towering flames as she sang other crowd favorites such her classic country songs like "Dancing With Our Hands Tied", and "Teardrops on My Guitar". As the night came to end she finished strong with "Blank Space", "Bad Blood" and last song "Look What You Made Me Do".

All in all everybody in attendance shared the same sentiments as they walked out of the show, amazing and beyond words for what they had just witnessed. We would agree. 

Words and Images-Robert Castro

Music | Taylor Swift | Pepsi Center | September 5th | Review and Photos

Taylor Swift stormed into Denver with her 1989 Tour this past weekend and we were fortunate to capture the pure magic of the first night. The massive tour packed in the Pepsi Center for two nights as Swift gave the audience two hours of hits from her recent album 1989. This was our second time seeing her and while we thought her RED Tour was the staple of all arena tours this current one seemed to trump the previous as the production was unparalleled and something that had the crowd buzzing about well after the show was over.

The night's festivities got to a great start by opener Vance Joy, who we have had a chance to see now twice since we last caught him during SXSW last March. The Aussie singer was all business as he tore through his album saving his best "Riptide" for the end. As we approached our seats we noticed that all the seats had an light up bracelet attached to it. Turns out that these bracelets were to play a vital role in the nights performance (more on that later). With a New York City skyline as the backdrop Swift opened up with "Welcome To New York" as the opening synths began to resonate all over the stage Swift arose from the stage flanked by her back up dancers. Not missing a step and completely in synch with her dancers we knew we were in for a treat.

The night was full of incredible visuals and production with each song played out like a Hollywood movie. With an array of costume changes Swift proved why she is the biggest pop star in the world. The mostly female audience enjoyed sing-a-long's as well as emotional and uplifting speeches by Swift throughout the night. Taylor has always had this special bond with her fans and all was on display Saturday night touching on subjects such as self-esteem, hard work, and often thanking the fans for spending their Saturday night with her. As mentioned Swift took a page out of the recent Justin Timberlake production by incorporating a moving catwalk that reached across the arena giving the crowd that true intimate experience. At different points throughout the night the bracelets that were handed out would synchronize at the same time for a truly mesmerizing visual effect that had the whole audience glowing and shining to certain songs. Swift only played a few of the classics that were all well received such as "Love Story", and  "We Are Never Getting Back Together".  One thing is for certain Swift loves Denver and Denver loves them some Tay Tay.

Check out our slideshow: (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Ultra5280's Best Albums of 2014

With so many great albums that came out this year it is always a task at hand trying to chose our favorites. This year was no different, we are fortunate to get to see as many shows as we do, as well as open our inboxes to early releases and exclusives. The great thing about our staff is that we each have our own unique bands that we love, thus making our lists an eclectic mix of great music. There were a few newcomers to the list as well as some established bands making great albums this year. A couple late additions from J. Cole and D'angelo that barely missed the cut stood out as well. Without further adieu, Ultra5280 presents the Best Albums of 2014. These are in no particular order. What were your favorites this year?

FKA Twigs | LP1

The War on Drugs | Lost In The Dream

First Aid Kit | Stay Gold

Sylvan Esso | Self Titled

Alt-J | This Is All Yours

Broods | Evergreen

Against Me | Transgender Dysphoria Blues

Future Islands | Singles

Interpol | El Pintor

Jack White | Lazaretto

Run The Jewels | Run The Jewels 2

St. Vincent | St. Vincent

Taylor Swift | 1989

Jenny Lewis | The Voyager

Weezer | Everything Will Be Alright In The End

Lucius | Wildewoman

Phantogram | Voices

Caribou | Our Love