Wade Payne, APTaylor Swift has accumulated thousands of frequent flyer miles this year, traveling to a multitude of countries on a tour that has taken her to some incredible destinations throughout the world. "Touring internationally is one of coolest things I've got to do this year," an excited Taylor told The Boot backstage before her CMA Music Fest performance on Sunday. "We started off the year in January going to Asia, touring in places I never thought I'd go to like the Philippines, Singapore, Korea, and then back to Japan (Taylor was there in 2010).
"Then we went straight to Europe, getting to play in places where I never thought people would know the words to all my songs, like in Germany, Italy and Spain. I looked out and they knew every word; it was an amazing experience."
Taylor has revamped her Speak Now world tour show for North America, having already made appearances in Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Detroit, Mich.'s Ford Field, her first stadium date on the tour. The two-hour-plus show based roughly on theatrical elements includes 17 songs and nine costume changes. In addition, there are dance numbers, aerial stunts and pyrotechnics, all precisely choreographed.
"It's so cool to put on a different kind of tour in the U.S. and North America," says the young superstar. Internationally, we had to have a stage you could take everywhere. So this has been amazing ... we just played our first stadium in Detroit and I have a permanent smile because of it."
The singer admits to having a Broadway scenario to her stage setup, saying, "I have been inspired by a lot of different things, and since I was a little kid I have been fascinated by Broadway. You have all those set pieces coming from all angles, and then suddenly you're in the experience, you're in the story. I've seen that done really well on Broadway, so since I started in theater that's where that inspiration comes from."
Taylor played to 50,000 screaming fans in Detroit, and she describes it as nothing short of amazing. "There we were, surrounded by 50,000 people who are singing the same thing. You look out and it's a sea of people as far as you can see. I feel so lucky to have had that experience and that memory."
The 21-year old says she has a pretty diverse crowd who come to her shows. "I see every kind of person, every age, and that is so wonderful to see. There are a lot of girls my age who, if I lived in their town, we'd probably hang out. It feels like with my fans there is a camaraderie.
"When I walk out on stage, if they're there and singing along with my songs, they've been through the same things. When I meet a fan it's not like I'm meeting a stranger; I already know they're on same page with me. I have so much fun with them; they are incredibly cool people."
Taylor takes every opportunity to thank her fans, not only by tweeting and chatting with them on Facebook, but by hanging out with them at her stops on the tour.
"We have so much fun with the shows. There are several meet-and-greets before the show and then after the show we have this tea party meet-and-greet. During the show I have people going around through the concert and they know what I like. They look for really passionate people in the audience, maybe in the top row, maybe in the fourth row -- anyone dancing and having the best time, or dressed up like characters from a music video or maybe they're all lit up. We invite them backstage after the show and we have so much fun because we get all these people together in one room for the meet-and-greet."
The Speak Now world tour heads for St. Paul, Minn. for two shows, June 14 and 15, then it's on to Pittsburgh, Pa. on June 18. The tour continues through November, when it ends with two nights in New York City on Nov. 21 and 22.
In 2008, Taylor Swift's then-just-released album, 'Fearless,' became a monster hit and garnered lots of attention not only for the singer but for the subjects of her deeply personal songs. 
