Fearless Tour facts for kids

The Fearless Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, launched in support of her second studio album, Fearless (2008). Big Machine Records announced the first 52-date North American leg in January 2009; before the tour began on April 23, 2009, in Evansville, U.S., Swift had headlined music festivals in North America. Through 2009, Swift announced additional dates in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan, and the Fearless Tour concluded on July 10, 2010, in Cavendish, Canada. Kellie Pickler, Gloriana, and Justin Bieber were supporting acts.

Upon completion, the Fearless Tour drew 1.2 million people in attendance and grossed $66.5 million from 118 shows across 15 months. Several shows were recorded and released for a concert series, Journey to Fearless, which aired on The Hub from October 22 to 24, 2010. Journey to Fearless was later released on DVD and Blu-ray in October 2011.

Background and development

Swift performing "Tim McGraw" during the Fearless Tour in 2009

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released on November 11, 2008, by Big Machine Records; Swift wrote or co-wrote all tracks, including eight written solely by herself. Fearless was a commercial success, peaking atop the Billboard 200 and selling over two million copies in the United States through 2008, making Swift the best-selling musician of the year in the country.

On January 29, 2009, Big Machine announced the Fearless Tour through Swift's official website, her first tour as a headliner. She had previously opened tours for other country artists such as Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley. According to the press release, Swift would headline festivals such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Florida Strawberry Festival before embarking on a 52-date tour in North America. It was set to commence on April 23, 2009, in Evansville, Indiana, with tickets going on sale from February 6 through Ticketmaster. Former American Idol contestant and country singer Kellie Pickler and country band Gloriana were announced as opening acts. The tour took place after Swift, aged 19, finished high school. Rehearsals began in Nashville, Tennessee, one week after the announcement.

The tour kicked off in Evansville, Indiana on April 23, 2009, at Roberts Municipal Stadium. In honor of the kickoff of the sold-out tour, Swift was presented the key to the city of Evansville, and the City Council President declared April 23, 2009 to be "Taylor Swift Day".

In late June, a new show was announced for November 23 at Wembley Arena in London. Swift announced another show in the United Kingdom at Manchester Evening News Arena on November 24, the final and second tour date in the country. It was announced later that singer Justin Bieber would join Swift on the two UK dates. While performing at Wembley Arena, Bieber broke his foot while singing the opening lines of "One Time", causing his set to be cut short. Despite his injury, however, Bieber confirmed that he would still perform in Manchester with Swift the following day.

On September 30, it was announced that Swift would return to Australia in February 2010 to play another series of concerts in arenas. On October 8, it was announced that the tour would be extended through June 2, 2010, to include 37 additional shows in North America. It was subsequently confirmed that Justin Bieber would be performing as opening act at the Gillette Stadium show on June 5, 2010.

Production and stage

Swift helped design the stage, including a fairytale castle illuminated by more than one million lumens of light. The tour featured a theatrical presentation of graphics, sets and visual elements also designed by Swift. The show runs nearly 90 minutes, during which Swift plays five different guitars, as well as the piano, and makes multiple costume changes.

Concert synopsis

The show opens with the stage decorated as a school hallway. Swift appears at the top of the stage, in a band uniform, and sings "You Belong With Me". During the climax of the song, dancers remove Swift's outfit to reveal a sparkling, silver dress. "Our Song" and "Tell Me Why" are performed next, following which Swift discusses her high school crush and his girlfriend. The backdrops of the stage turn into a library, where Swift performs "Teardrops on My Guitar". She then sings "Fearless" and exits for a costume change.

The next segment begins with Swift, in a red dress, and a male dancer on red armchairs, where she sings "Forever & Always". Swift leaves and changes into a teal gown and crosses the audience during a performance of "Hey Stephen". At the B-stage, she performs "Fifteen" and "Tim McGraw" on a guitar. Swift then returns to the main stage for "White Horse".

Swift and her dancers re-emerge in Renaissance attire for a performance of "Love Story", during which the singer changes into a white gown and follows with "The Way I Loved You". Afterwards, Swift changes into a purple mini-dress. At a piano at the top of the stage, she performs "You're Not Sorry" with elements of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around...Comes Around" as her dancers, in black, perform acrobatics on the bottom stage. "Picture to Burn" and "Change" are sung next, the former with fire-like backdrop visuals, and Swift exits for a final costume change.

During the encore, Swift appears on top of the stage in a black gown, performing "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" with her supporting acts Gloriana and Kellie Pickler; during shows in 2010, Swift sings "Today Was a Fairytale" alone. She then recalls an ex who cheated on her in a speech to the audience, transitioning into "Should've Said No". During the performance, rain falls from above the stage, and Swift closes the show by leaving the stage as curtains are drawn.

Records and commercial performance

Tickets for the first shows for the Fearless Tour went on sale in early February 2009 and sold out almost instantly. On February 6, 2009, tickets went on sale for the May 22 date at Los Angeles’ Staples Center and sold out in two minutes. Tickets for several dates and venues, including Madison Square Garden, went on sale the following week and sold out in a record time of one minute. Swift is also one of the only artists to have sold out the Save Mart Center in less than ten minutes. In total, The Fearless Tour covered 118 shows over 15 months. It grossed $66,246,496 from over 89 reported shows and an audience of 1,207,887.

Journey to Fearless

Journey to Fearless is a three-part music documentary miniseries starring American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift that originally aired on The Hub starting on October 22, 2010. The complete 135-minute special was released on Blu-ray and DVD through Shout! Factory on October 11, 2011.

Certification

Supporting acts

Taylor Swift performing with Kellie Pickler and Gloriana in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in October 2009

The tour featured three supporting acts across three continents. Gloriana toured with Swift primarily in North America and Oceania, Kellie Pickler in North America, and Justin Bieber in the United Kingdom and Foxborough, Massachusetts. The following represents the set lists of the supporting acts.

Set list

The following is the standard 2009 set list.

1. "You Belong with Me"
2. "Our Song"
3. "Tell Me Why"
4. "Teardrops on My Guitar"
5. "Fearless"
6. "Forever & Always"
7. "Hey Stephen"
8. "Fifteen"
9. "Tim McGraw"
10. "White Horse"
11. "Love Story"
12. "The Way I Loved You"
13. "You're Not Sorry" (contains elements of "What Goes Around... Comes Around")
14. "Picture to Burn"
15. "Change"

Encore

16. "I'm Only Me When I'm with You" (with Kellie Pickler and Gloriana)
17. "Should've Said No"

Tour dates

See also

In Spanish: Fearless Tour para niños