Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour, also known as the Reputation Stadium Tour or simply the Reputation Tour, was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). The tour began on May 8, 2018, in Glendale and concluded on November 21, 2018, in Tokyo, comprising 53 concerts. The tour received 2.55 million attendees and grossed $345.7 million in revenue, breaking Swift’s own record for the highest-grossing tour by a woman.
According to Billboard Boxscore, the Reputation Stadium Tour grossed over $266 million and sold over 2 million tickets in the US and Canada, making Swift the highest grossing and best selling female artist for 2018 in North America. With a total gross of $345.7 million worldwide, it became the second highest-grossing concert tour of all time by a female artist, behind only her own 1989 World Tour in 2015. The Reputation Stadium Tour holds the all-time record for the highest-grossing tour in US history by a female artist and the highest gross for a female artist touring Oceania. It also surpassed The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour (currently the second-highest grossing) to become the highest-grossing tour of all time by any artist in US history. Billboard named Swift the highest-paid female artist for 2018 due to the Reputation Stadium Tour. Pollstar listed it as the highest-grossing female tour of the year.
Tour Overview
The Reputation Stadium Tour was Swift’s first tour since the 1989 World Tour in 2015. It was announced on November 13, 2017 through Swift’s official social media accounts, along with dates for North American shows. Swift stated that the tour was made to be “a show full of state of the art effects and visuals”, and that she was excited to perform in venues she had not yet played. Rehearsals for the tour took place at CenterStaging in Burbank, California. In May 2018, it was reported that Swift had been closely working with Baz Halpin, Silent House Productions and Clair Global to create an immersive experience for attending audiences.
The tour production incorporated extensive use of video and visual effects. The staging featured two runways—a main one connecting the main stage and B-stage, and a side one used only for one song. There were also a set of small stages—two at the back of the standing general admission areas and two near the back. A four-piece band and backup dancers supported Swift throughout the show. Costume changes were done underneath the stages or on movable partitions onstage. The set list consisted of an almost equal mix of material from Reputation and Swift’s previous albums.
The tour was Swift’s first venture into stadiums since The Red Tour in 2013. It was the highest-grossing tour in the United States in 2018 and broke Swift’s own record for the highest-grossing tour by a woman. Major milestones included Swift becoming the first ever female artist to perform three consecutive shows at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough and the first female artist to headline three consecutive nights at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford. She also became the first female artist to sell out Wembley Stadium, London for two consecutive nights. The tour ranks second among the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, surpassing The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour (2005–07). Billboard reported that Reputation Stadium Tour overtook The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour (2005–2007), which grossed about $558 million in 2016 dollars, bringing Taylor Swift’s tour gross to $484 million at the time. Variety reported that Swift’s global tour grossed $345 million, with the US dates bringing in $266.1 million of that number. With a final gross of $345.7 million, it became the second highest-grossing tour of all time.
Critical Reception
The tour received positive reviews from music critics. Mark Savage of BBC News reviewed the tour’s opening night, praising Swift’s performance and the visual effects. He opined that the tour was “pure stadium pop, with pyrotechnics, confetti canons, inflatable cobras and Swift flying over the crowd on a platform”, and that Swift’s performance of the piano-led songs demonstrated her evolution “from precocious teen to slick adult pop star”. Chris Willman of Variety, who attended the tour’s opening night as well, described an “element of Borg-like choreographic precision” but observed that Swift looked “blissful” and “dropped any severe façade for playful interaction with her fans”. Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood picked highlights from Swift’s five Los Angeles shows; he praised her acoustic rendition of “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” and the tour finale performance of “New Year’s Day” where she remained still at the piano.
Jon Caramanica of The New York Times reviewed the first of two shows at MetLife Stadium and commented that Swift “used scale to reaffirm intimacy”, with the large screens projecting “warm moments” between songs. He opined that Swift’s growth from her early career was emphasized, “from the past, not severed from it… the perspective was widened… [going from] the sole proprietor of her story, to willing participant in a great collaboration.” Writing for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield attended the second show at MetLife Stadium and observed Swift’s increased comfort in playing to large audiences compared to when she last toured stadiums in 2013. He stated: “Taylor’s genius for live spectacle comes from the same farseeing empathy that makes her songs feel ultra-intimate, viewing 50,000 faces as a gallery of individual souls. That’s why her stagecraft keeps getting more dazzlingly state-of-the-art, the CGI and costumes cranking up the eye candy at every turn. Yet she stays personable more than ever.”
Reviewing for MTV UK, Pat Brennan commended the show’s production and setlist: “A glittering fireworks display and an actual snaking, lit-up snake set the tone for an unapologetically maximalist show stacked end to end with banger after banger… it more than delivers.” Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis praised Swift’s performance, the acoustic renditions and production values, concluding: “It takes a certain sort of artistry to pack Wembley Stadium and still give much of the evening the atmosphere of an emotionally charged piano bar.” Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph rated the concert five stars out of five and found Swift “simply brilliant”, possessing an “easy confidence” on stage; he summarized: “Her songs are great, the lighting is beautiful, dancers and effects spectacular.”
Set List
The set list for the Reputation Stadium Tour varied by date, but typically consisted of the following songs:
| Song | Original Album |
|---|---|
| “…Ready for It?” | Reputation (2017) |
| “I Did Something Bad” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Gorgeous” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Style” | 1989 (2014) |
| “Love Story” | Fearless (2008) |
| “You Belong With Me” | Fearless (2008) |
| “Look What You Made Me Do” | Reputation (2017) |
| “End Game” | Reputation (2017) |
| “King Of My Heart” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Shake It Off” | 1989 (2014) |
| “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Blank Space” | 1989 (2014) |
| “Dress” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Bad Blood” | 1989 (2014) |
| “Don’t Blame Me” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Long Live” | Speak Now (2010) |
| “New Year’s Day” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Getaway Car” | Reputation (2017) |
| “Call It What You Want” | Reputation (2017) |
| “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” | Red (2012) |
| “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” | Reputation (2017) |
Gross Revenue
According to various media reports, the Reputation Stadium Tour grossed over $266 million from 38 shows in North America. Some key figures were:
- The tour broke Swift’s own record gross for a U.S. tour by a female artist, previously held by her 1989 World Tour in 2015 which grossed $181.5 million from 31 shows.
- It was the highest-grossing North American tour by a female artist, more than doubling Celine Dion’s Taking Chances Tour in 2008 which grossed $103.3 million from 132 shows.
- Swift became the first ever female artist to perform three consecutive shows at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough. The three shows grossed $15.6 million in boxscore totals, the largest-ever boxscore receipts reported for a single artist at the venue.
- She became the first female artist to headline three consecutive nights at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford. The three shows grossed $24.2 million, another high for a single artist at the stadium.
Outside North America, some milestones included:
- Swift was the first female artist to sell out Wembley Stadium, London for two consecutive nights. The two shows grossed £8,310,670 ($11.5 million) with 160,542 tickets sold, a new record for a single artist at the venue.
- She performed for over 114,000 fans in Melbourne, the biggest attendance for a single stadium concert.
- In Tokyo, Swift became the first female artist to sell over 300,000 tickets at Tokyo Dome for a single tour.
According to Billboard Boxscore, the Reputation Stadium Tour grossed $345.7 million worldwide in its entire run. $266.1 million was from 38 shows in North America, while $79.6 million was from 15 shows in Europe, Asia and Oceania. This makes it one of the top 10 highest-grossing concert tours of all time, and the highest-grossing tour ever by a female artist.
Revenue Breakdown
Based on available figures, we can estimate the revenue breakdown for the Reputation Stadium Tour as follows:
Total Gross Revenue: $345.7 million
Revenue by Region
- North America – $266.1 million (77%)
- Europe/Asia/Oceania – $79.6 million (23%)
Revenue Streams
- Ticket Sales – Estimated at 85-90% of gross revenue or $293-311 million
- Merchandise Sales – Estimated at 10-15% or $35-52 million
Based on these estimates, the tour likely generated:
- $293-311 million from 2.55 million tickets sold
- $35-52 million from concert merchandise
While exact numbers aren’t published, these estimates provide an indication of how much revenue the Reputation Tour brought in from different regions and revenue streams. The massive amounts demonstrate how Taylor Swift has become one of the highest-grossing touring artists of all time.
Conclusion
The Reputation Stadium Tour was a record-breaking success for Taylor Swift. With over 2.5 million tickets sold and a gross revenue of $345.7 million, it became the highest-grossing tour in US history by a female artist. Swift broke numerous venue records held previously by male artists, cementing her status as a touring phenomenon. While exact revenue breakdowns are unknown publicly, estimates show the majority came from North American ticket sales. In all aspects, the Reputation Tour showcased Taylor Swift’s unparalleled popularity, her showmanship and set a new bar for female artists in the touring business.
