Taylor Swift Performs for Austin Crowd As Her Only 2016 Concert
Tens of thousands packed into the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday night for Swift's only concert of the year at Formula One's only race on American soil.
According to Rolling Stone, Formula One's goal in booking Swift was to hook a new generation of fans to their sport in America, long considered an untapped market for the global racing series. Fans from Jacksonville, Florida came for the concert and love the cars.
CBS reported that Swift thanked audience of 80,000 "from all around the world" by performing the song "This Is What You Came For," a smash hit by her ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna. The piano performance of the song was notable given that Swift only revealed that she co-wrote the song with Harris under a pseudonym after the pair broke up, causing Harris to angrily lash out at her on Twitter.
Amid a 15-song set comprised mostly of mainstay material off her albums "1989" and "Red," she sang a mid-set medley of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "Bad Blood". Swift also performed her former hit tracks: "You Belong With Me," "Fifteen" and "Holy Ground." The singer ended the show with a dazzling fireworks display during surefire finale "Shake It Off," according to Billboard.
"I've been playing shows in Austin, Texas, for about 10 years now ... and it's been about 10 years since my first album came out," Swift reflected. "Since then, I feel like I've been opening up my journal and letting you read it, and it feels so good that 10 years later, you still feel like reading it."
