Taylor Swift Shakes Indianapolis

By Georgie Allen
Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved attending concerts. The first show I ever saw was Brooks & Dunn at the Houston rodeo when I was 5 years old. From then on, I was hooked.

Over the years I have seen some amazing shows: One direction, Foreigner, Taylor Swift (five times) and many, many more. Nothing else comes close to the rush I get when I’m at a show. In the course of my life, I have seen about 36 shows. From personally driving to carpooling, from hotel booking to sleeping in cars, I’ve done it all.

I consider myself a veteran concert attendee, and I’d love to share my reviews and advice to all of you. I’ll let you know the dos and don’ts of concert etiquette and which shows are and aren’t worth attending. Stay tuned to see if my first review hits a high note with you!

Are you ready for it? Because I sure wasn't. On Sept. 15, 2018, Taylor Swift brought her Reputation Stadium tour to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Swift broke the stadium's attendance record, beating out acts like U2 and One Direction. In a note of gratitude posted on Instagram, the pop star said her fans broke the concert attendance record at the 67,000-plus capacity. Check out Billboard’s article on her record-breaking night here: Taylor Swift Breaks Indianapolis Attendance Record

With openers Charli XCX and Camila Cabello, Swift put on a heck of a show. She opened with "...Ready for it?" and serenaded the crowd with hits like "Look What You Made Me Do,” "Blank Space” and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." With astonishing effects such as fireworks, fire and flying through the crowd in a lit-up cage, Swift totally enraptured the Indianapolis crowd. Swift also gave each of her fans a free gift: A plastic bracelet that changed colors with the songs of the show.

During the middle of the show, Swift ran down the middle of the stadium floor through a barricade, touching hands with fans. Swift took her time and tried to reach everyone before jumping up on B stage and surprising fans with a performance of "Forever and Always" from her "Fearless" album that came out back in 2008.

Though there were no special guests at the Indianapolis show, there were quite a few celebrities, including John Green, Kelsea Ballerini, and Bailey Madison.

Swift clearly does not care what anyone thinks of her anymore. She shed her good girl persona for a sexy bad girl-esque performance. Fans don snakeskin attire and Swift sells snake accessories at her shows, has a giant cobra prop during the concert, and has even named herself, "Mother of snakes." She completely embraces her snake persona that was meant to tear her down. See Billboard’s article explaining Swift’s serpent history here: “Why Do People Call Taylor Swift A Snake?”

Reputation has agreeably been Swift's most exciting chapter so far. Swift is set to be grossing $9 million (yes million!) a show, and now has the title of highest-grossing U.S. tour of a female artist. According to Billboard, after only 27 shows, Swift has raked in more than $200 million.  Take a look at Rolling Stone’s article on Swift’s record-breaking stadium tour here: Taylor Swift Breaks Her Own Record for Highest-Grossing U.S. Tour by a Woman

Maybe it is a good thing that the "old Taylor is dead" as Swift says. 
Swift seems truly happier on this tour, and she seems to be acting like her true self. After she waved her final goodbyes to the Indianapolis crowd and blew the fans one last kiss, she walked off stage. The lights went out and one single quote appeared on the screen: "And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive."

Reputation Tour Indianapolis Set List: Swift kicked off Act One with “…Ready For It,” “Gorgeous,” and “I Did Something Bad.” Next was Act Two with “Look What You Made Me Do,” “End Game,” and “King of My Heart.” Following was Act Three with “Delicate,” “Shake It Off,” and “Dancing With Our Hands Tied.”

Swift went through an unbelievable six acts! This show was truly unforgettable and without a doubt one of the best nights of my life!

Why Should you Use Spotify?

By Rebecca Kirk

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

Have you heard of the amazing Spotify app? You can download all kinds of music for a low price every month!

 The premium for this creative app is only $9.99 a month or $4.99 for the student discount. It is a thriving company because the app enables you to listen to music whenever you want to. Spotify lets you download and create new playlists consisting of any song. It truly is amazing. 

Spotify was created in 2006 by a special team at Spotify AB. The company is located in Stockholm, Sweden. Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon founded the company. Spotify is mostly used on an iPhone or computer. On the iPhone, the app can be downloaded at the app store.

According to Google, 30 million out of the 100 million users are paid subscribers. There are more than 1 million artists on Spotify, including Taylor Sift, KB, Lauren Daigle, Beyoncé and many more! Most people don’t know this, but they can also get Hulu through the student discount.

I asked three students from Motlow State Community College four questions about Spotify. Why do you like Spotify? Do you think its affordable? What top-three genres do you listen to? What’s your favorite song on Spotify?

 Josie Baldwin said, “I like Spotify because it is easy to use and has almost every song available. I do think its affordable and reasonable priced. My top-three genres are pop, rock, country. My favorite song would be, ‘I wanna to Dance with Somebody’, by Whitney Houston.”

“The thing I like most about Spotify is the fact that I don’t have to buy each song I listen to individually from iTunes” Mariana Ford, said. I do think Spotify is affordable especially with the student discount. When you think about how many songs you listen to, it saves money from having to buy them individually. My top three-genres I listen to are alternative, alternative rock and Christian music. My favorite song on Spotify changes about every week, but right now it’s a song called ‘Heavy’ by Birdtalker.”

 Kennedy Espey, the last student I interviewed, said, “I like Spotify because you can find any type of genre on there and make your own playlist or listen to other people’s playlist. I think it is affordable. My top three genres I listen to are Christian rap, worship music and throwback hits the most. I don’t have a favorite song on Spotify. I just listen to a variety.

Spotify is a continually growing company, and I use the app because it truly is an easier way to listen to music. I listen to many genres, including Taylor Swift, Lauren Daigle, and Kings Kaleidoscope.

An interesting fact: Taylor Swift just joined the Spotify team on both free and paid platform. Swift is a very important and talented artist that continues to strive and excel in every tour and concert she does. The only reason artists don’t join the Spotify team is because they don’t get paid for the music the users download. They get paid a little but not as much as the artists would if users would buy off iTunes. But that’s just it, people can pay ten dollars a month and not have to pay a $1.29 for every song. They get every song for only $10 a month.

Thank you so much for reading my blog article. I hope you learned more about Spotify and will continue to listen or sign up.

                                               

You can join Spotify by clicking this link https://www.spotify.com/us/

About the Writer: Rebecca Kirk is a Sophomore at Motlow State Community College.