Taylor Swift hits right notes at Ford Field concert - Detroit Free Press

With a unique mix of superstar poise and girl-next-door wholesomeness, Taylor Swift swept into Ford Field on Saturday for one of the biggest concerts she's played yet.

It was just the second stadium headlining show of the 21-year-old star's career, and she made the most of the occasion for a rosy cheeked, young crowd of 47,922 people, fitting two hours of sing-along, scream-along hits into a Broadway-inspired visual spectacle.

The late-evening sun was still seeping through Ford Field's frosted panes when Swift took the stage at 8:45 p.m., greeted by a colorful array of flashing cell phones, glow-sticks and I-LUV-U-TAYLOR handmade signs.

She paused to take in the extended applause following her opening performance of "Sparks Fly," her famously innocent demeanor accompanied by a new edge of sultriness.

Bonded with her audience like a best friend or big sister, Swift kept a sweetness in her confident performance, eyes sparkling as she addressed fans.

"You guys are just so nice," she said.

Even at 5-foot-11-inches and in a glittering fringed dress, Swift often was a small presence in the cavernous Ford Field, and fans' gazes were often locked onto the video screens flanking her massive stage.

"It's still sinking in to me that this is a stadium," she said early in the night.

Her set made room for a touch of country twang, the fetching pop melodies of songs like "You Belong with Me" and the grittier guitars of "Better Than Revenge."

It was a night of quick costume changes and a show loosely structured in a series of acts, on a versatile stage that saw Swift and her cast of actor-dancers springing up from below.

Swift made her way up a golden gazebo for "The Story of Us," and watched confetti snow drift across the front rows as she took to a white baby grand piano for a perfectly lovely "Back to December." A wedding scene -- complete with church pews -- was rolled out for "Speak Now," a front-porch hootenanny for "Our Song."

She had a ukulele in hand for a mid-show spell at a satellite stage on the main floor, having been escorted through the shrieking crowd by a pair of guards.

The sound was often washed out in the reverb-drenched Ford Field, but that was OK for a crowd that knew all these songs inside out.

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Swift among diverse honorees at Songwriters Hall - The Associated Press

Back to Google NewsSwift among diverse honorees at Songwriters HallBy NEKESA MUMBI MOODY(AP)–Jun 18, 2010
NEW YORK — The iconic ballad "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was so stirring that even a young Paul Simon knew he was onto something special when he composed it 40 years ago.
"I thought, 'Hmm. That's better than I usually write,'" Simon recalled. "I was completely surprised that I wrote it — it was completely unlike anything I had ever done before."
On Thursday, Simon's magical moment — one of several in his long career — was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a ceremony that featured Billy Joel, John Mayer, Judy Collins and more while honoring legends including Leonard Cohen as well as wunderkind Taylor Swift.
Swift was not among the inductees into the Songwriters Hall. But the 20-year-old Grammy winner was given the Hal David Starlight Award, which pays tribute to young songwriters with promise.
Mayer, a Swift friend and collaborator, presented her with her award, saying "she's no accident."
"You could put her in a time machine in any era and she would have a hit record," he said, adding this about her incredible success: "Don't confuse everybody loving one thing as hype. Sometimes that's everyone agreeing that it's fabulous."
When Cohen was young, he needed a little convincing of that. So the Canadian poet-turned-songwriter presented one of his works to Collins, the singer recalled, and asked her if it was a song. Her response? "It's a song, and I'm recording it tomorrow."
At the induction ceremony, she performed a pitch-perfect "Suzanne" and was then followed by k.d. lang's moving version of Cohen's "Hallelujah."
A soft-spoken Cohen quoted from his enduring song when he accepted his honor, saying, in part, "I'll stand before the lord of song with nothing on my tongue but hallelujah." He received a standing ovation.
It was one of several on the night, which featured powerful performances and touching tributes.
The other inductees were Jackie DeShannon, whose hits include Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes"; reggae great Bob Marley; the late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro; Johnny Mandel, creator of the theme for "M.A.S.H."; David Foster, the Grammy-winning producer and songwriter who's worked with top artists ranging from Michael Jackson to Barbra Streisand; the principal members of the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire; the late jazz songwriter Jesse Stone; the late Sunny Skylar, whose hits included "Besame Mucho"; and the team of Tom Adair & Matt Dennis, now deceased, who wrote songs such as "Everything Happens to Me."
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" was given the Towering Song Award, while Phil Collins, a previous inductee, was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award.
Producer Phil Ramone received the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award, and music publisher Keith Mardak received the Abe Olman Publisher Award.
On the Net:http://www.songwritershalloffame.comCopyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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