The Fearless Tour was the first headlining
concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
by American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
, launched in support of her second studio album, ''
Fearless
Fearless or The Fearless may refer to:
Psychology
* Lack of fear
* Courage or bravery
Film, television and audio Film
* ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi
* ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...
'' (2008).
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by fo ...
announced the first 52-date North American leg in January 2009, and before the tour began on April 23, 2009, in
Evansville
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...
, U.S., Swift had headlined many music festivals through North America. Through 2009, Swift announced additional dates for the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan, and the Fearless Tour concluded on July 10, 2010, in
Cavendish
Cavendish may refer to:
People
* The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family
* Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist
* Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English auth ...
, Canada.
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...
,
Gloriana
''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''.
The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Ho ...
, and
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
were supporting acts.
During the tour, Swift performed with special guests such as
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
,
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
, and
Faith Hill
Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
Hill' ...
. Some concerts were part of larger music festivals and events. Upon completion, the Fearless Tour drew 1.2 million in attendance and grossed $66.5 million, after having covered 118 shows through 15 months. Several shows were recorded and released for a concert series, ''Journey to Fearless'', which aired on
The Hub The Hub may refer to:
Places
* The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines
* The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival
* T ...
from October 22 to 24, 2010. ''Journey to Fearless'' was later released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
in October 2011.
Background and development
![Tayswift fifteen standing cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Tayswift_fifteen_standing_cropped.jpg)
American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's second studio album,
''Fearless'', was released on November 11, 2008, by
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by fo ...
. Swift wrote or co-wrote all tracks, including eight written solely by herself. ''Fearless'' was a commercial success, peaking atop the
''Billboard'' 200 and sold 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; it was her first tour as headliner.
She had opened tours for other country artists such as
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousi ...
and
Brad Paisley
Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
.
According to the press release, Swift would headline many festivals—such as the
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also called RodeoHouston or abbreviated HLSR, is the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo in the world. It includes one of the richest regular-season professional rodeo events. It has been held at NRG S ...
and the
Florida Strawberry Festival
The Florida Strawberry Festival is an annual event taking place in Plant City, Florida. The festival lasts 11 days and generates attendance of about half a million patrons from all across Central Florida and other areas. The festival is conside ...
—before embarking on a 52-date tour visiting North America. It was set to commence on April 23, 2009, in
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
, with tickets on sale from February 6 through
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entert ...
.
Former ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' contestant and country singer
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...
and country band
Gloriana
''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''.
The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Ho ...
were announced as opening acts. The tour took place after Swift, at 19, had finished high school.
Rehearsals started in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, one week after the announcement.
The tour kicked off in
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
on April 23, 2009 at
Roberts Municipal Stadium
Roberts Municipal Stadium was a multi-purpose arena in Evansville, Indiana, for sports, public events, and concerts. The arena was built in 1956. It seated up to 12,732 spectators and featured four locker rooms and a press room. On June 13, 1972, ...
. 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 Thursday, April 23, 2009 Taylor Swift Day.
In late June, a new tour date was announced for November 23 at the
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
in London. However it became apparent that neither Kellie Pickler nor Gloriana would be joining her on the UK part of the tour. Taylor Swift announced another date in the UK at the
Manchester Evening News Arena
Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. The arena has the ...
on November 24. This was the final and second tour date in the UK. It was announced later that singer
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
would join Swift on the two UK dates.
While performing at Wembley Arena, Bieber broke his foot while he performed the opening lines of "One Time", but still finished the song. Despite his injury, Bieber confirmed that he would still perform in Manchester with Swift the following day, although the Wembley concert was cut short as he could not perform the encore. Bieber then went on to perform at the Manchester performance with an encore, he sang "With You" a cover of the original version from Chris Brown. Following a 10-minute applause after she had sung "Tim McGraw", Swift told the Manchester audience "Everytime I hear the word Manchester, I won't be able to stop smiling...I love you!". According to a German magazine, Swift was supposed to play three shows in Germany. However, tickets for those concerts never went on sale.
On September 30, it was announced that Swift would return to Australia in February 2010 to play another series of concerts, but now 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 has been confirmed that Justin Bieber will be performing at the Gillette Stadium on June 5, 2010 with Swift.
Production and stage
Swift helped design the stage settings, including a fairy-tale castle. The tour featured a theatrical presentation of graphics, sets and visual elements all designed by Swift. The show runs nearly 90 minutes and showcases Swift playing five different guitars as well as the piano. The show featured multiple costume changes and a fairy-tale castle illuminated by more than a million lumens of light.
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
"You Belong with Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her second studio album ''Fearless (Taylor Swift album), Fearless'' (2008). Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose and produced it with Nathan Chapman (record prod ...
". 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, and then Swift gives a speech about her high school crush and his girlfriend. The backdrops of the stage turn into a library where Swift performs "
Teardrops on My Guitar
"Teardrops on My Guitar" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her self-titled debut album (2006). Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose, and Nathan Chapman produced it. Big Machine Records released "Teardrops on My Gui ...
". She then sings "
Fearless
Fearless or The Fearless may refer to:
Psychology
* Lack of fear
* Courage or bravery
Film, television and audio Film
* ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi
* ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...
" 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". She goes to a B-stage where "
Fifteen" and "
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...
" are sung with a guitar. The act ends with Swift returning to the main stage, singing "
White Horse
A white horse is born predominantly white and stays white throughout its life. A white horse has mostly pink skin under its hair coat, and may have brown, blue, or hazel eyes. "True white" horses, especially those that carry one of the dominant ...
".
The third act begins with Swift and her dancers in Renaissance attire during a performance of "
Love Story", she then changes into a white gown and sings "The Way I Loved You". The next segment sees Swift, in a purple mini-dress, at a piano, which is at the top of the stage. There she performs "
You're Not Sorry
"You're Not Sorry" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her second studio album, ''Fearless (Taylor Swift album), Fearless''. It was released for music download, download via the iTunes Store as a promoti ...
", with elements of
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
's "
What Goes Around...Comes Around", as her dancers, in black, perform acrobats on the bottom stage. "
Picture to Burn
"Picture to Burn" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her self-titled debut studio album (2006). Swift and Liz Rose wrote the track, which was produced by Nathan Chapman. The song was released as the album's four ...
" and "
Change
Change or Changing may refer to:
Alteration
* Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time
* Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period
* Metamorphosis, or change, ...
" are sung next, the former with fire on the backdrops, and Swift exits for a final costume change.
During the encore, she appears on top of the stage again, in a black gown, performing "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" with her supporting acts
Gloriana
''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''.
The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Ho ...
and
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...
; however, during shows in 2010, Swift sang "
Today Was a Fairytale
"Today Was a Fairytale" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, it was released on January 19, 2010, by Big Machine Records as a single from the corresponding soundtrack ...
" alone. She then gives a speech about an ex who cheated on her and sings "
Should've Said No". During the performance, fake rain comes from the roof of the stage and Swift closes the show by going backstage as curtains are drawn.
Commercial performance
The Fearless Tour covered 118 shows over 15 months in total. 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
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
that originally aired on
The Hub The Hub may refer to:
Places
* The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines
* The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival
* T ...
starting on October 22, 2010. The complete 135-minute special was released on
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
through
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
on October 11, 2011.
Certification
Supporting acts
![Taylor Swift in Pittsburgh 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Taylor_Swift_in_Pittsburgh_2009.JPG)
The tour featured three different supporting acts across three continents.
Gloriana
''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''.
The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Ho ...
toured with Swift primarily in North America and Oceania,
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...
played on the North American leg, and
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
performed on the United Kingdom and Foxboro, Massachusetts dates. The following represents the set lists of the supporting acts.
Set list
Tour dates
Notes
Record sellouts
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
Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...
and sold out in two minutes. Tickets for several dates and venues, including
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, went on sale the following week and sold out in a record of one minute.
Swift is also one of the only artists to have sold out the
Save Mart Center
Save Mart Center at Fresno State is a multi-purpose arena, on the campus of California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), located in Fresno, California. An open house was held for the community on November 5, 2003, with the official ribbon ...
in less than ten minutes.
References
External links
{{Taylor Swift
2009 concert tours
2010 concert tours
Taylor Swift concert tours