Last Friday night, Taylor Swift wowed a sold out stadium of swifties as she brought her Reputation Tour to Melbourne. “We just have the most fun as a tour in Australia, you make us feel so at home”, she told the crowd during her performance. In an explosion of sound, colour and confetti, the Nashville popstar reclaimed her reputation, putting on an unforgettable show complete with giant snakes, water fountains and flying platforms.

The night opened with incredible performances by New Zealand duo Broods and British singer/songwriter Charli XCX, who is definitely no stranger to opening the Reputation Tour. During Shake It Off, Taylor brought Charli XCX and Georgia from Broods back on stage to sing with her, sending a strong message of female empowerment to the crowd.

Her fans were already up and dancing before Taylor took to the stage, waving their Reputation glow sticks and handmade signs in anticipation. Taylor emerged from under a sequined hood in a cloud of smoke to the lyrics—”Baby let the games begin”, from single Ready For It.

Taylor’s sound has developed over the years, matching her personal growth. This evolution was seen though her constantly moving set and glittery costume changes. The line “I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me” from End Game really embodies how dramatic the show was. Every movement and facial expression was emphasised and exaggerated.

Taylor was constantly moving through the crowd, whether that was on flying platforms or dancing down runways, to connect with her fans. At one point she even ventured into the crowd between stages, to the delight of those fans lucky enough to get close to her.

Taylor didn’t waste a second on stage, sharing behind the scenes stories and giving fans life advice between songs. Another personal touch she added was giving fans light up bracelets as they entered the stadium. During the show, the bracelets would glow to the beat of different songs, which meant every fan was visible from the snake pit to the back of the stadium.

Taylor not only acknowledges her personal growth, but also doesn’t lose sight of who she was, performing old favourites like Love Story, You Belong With Me and Long Live. She even brings out an acoustic guitar to perform her surprise song of the night—I’m Only Me When I’m With You, which was highly requested by fans online.

The night ended in a cloud of confetti and fireworks as she closed the show with This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. It was clear from her smile that she had been having just as much fun on stage as every single swiftie in the crowd.

Click here to buy tickets to Taylor Swift’s remaining Australian Reputation Tour shows.