LITTLE ROCK — For a 21-year-old, Taylor Swift knows a lot about showmanship. She brought her Speak Now Tour to Verizon Arena in North Little Rock Tuesday night and had a packed house screaming as if The Beatles had taken the stage. With elements of a Broadway show, replete with dancers and gymnasts, Swift poured it on for more than two hours.
Backed by a seven man, two woman band and eight dancers, Swift went through several costume changes and even made her way around the perimeter of the floor shaking as many hands in the crowd of 13,566 as she could. And for her final encore, “Love Story,” she climbed into a basket that had descended from the ceiling and soared around the room one last time. It was a spectacular show, no doubt about it.
And like a musical fighter, she looked like she could have gone another ten rounds.
A couple of opening acts competed for fans’ attention as they slowly filled the arena. Charlie Worsham showed some enthusiasm and talent in his 21-minute set. Next up was Needtobreathe, who powered through a 33-minute set and were impressive with their hard-rocking, melodic music.