A celebration of all things Taylor

Taylor Swift is a genius. Her fans will confirm this, but I am not referring to her music. She deliberately calculates every bit of her career, including her current “1989 World Tour.” Every step, every musical note, every shout out (“Hello San Diego, California!”), every special guest is calculated to maximize her public image and satisfy her legions of teen, pre-teen (many experiencing their first concert tonight), and even many adult fans. And so it was at Petco Park on this hot, sweaty Saturday night as nearly 45,000 fans and a handful of journalists joined Ms. Swift in celebrating all things Taylor.

After opening acts Shawn Mendes and Vance Joy delivered capable performances, Swift kicked off her set with “Welcome To New York,” the opening number from her latest album, 1989. Entering the stage surrounded by male dancers dressed as newsboys, Taylor proceeded to deliver a solid 18-song set, which featured multiple costume and set changes, two special guests — OMI (“Cheerleader”) and Avril Lavigne (“Complicated”) and a very rocking version of her pop hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

The show was as polished and perfect as you would expect from pop’s reigning diva. From the epically choreographed dance moves to the album quality vocals right down to the fireworks finale, Taylor excelled at being Taylor. Which is a good thing. This talented young lady deserves all the success she has worked so hard to achieve.

• Concert: Taylor Swift
• Date: August 29
• Venue: Petco Park
• Seats: Pit