Taylor Swift delivers with Amazon Prime Day livestream concert

The show included her first live rendition of "You Need to Calm Down."

July 11, 2019, 2:04 AM

It's unclear how much Amazon paid Taylor Swift to headline Wednesday night's Prime Day concert, but it's safe to say the company got its money's worth.

Swift delivered a typically polished performance for Amazon Prime members, who watched it stream live from New York City in a first-of-its-kind event to promote next week's annual Prime Day, which this year lasts 48 hours.

Singer Taylor Swift performs at Amazon Music's Prime Day concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Wednesday, July 10, 2019, in New York.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

The livestream was impressively flawless, beginning only a minute or two after its advertised 9 p.m. Eastern start time.

Hosted by Jane Lynch, the concert opened with a solid set by Dua Lipa, followed by Becky G and then SZA.

Each five-song set was bookended -- one might even say stuffed -- with pitches for Amazon products, including Alexa and the company's music-streaming service, and commercials for Amazon shows such as "Modern Love" and "Carnival Row."

All of which meant Swift didn't take the stage until well after 11 p.m., with her screaming fans more than ready. Wearing a one-piece jacket and hot pants featuring glittering, vertical black-and-purple stripes, she opened her set with "ME!," from her forthcoming album, Lover, before delivering eight more hits in a row.

Most songs came from her 2014 album, 1989: "Blank Space," "Welcome to New York," "Style" and "Shake It Off." She also performed one song each from 2017's Reputation, 2012's Red and her second album, 2008's Fearless -- "Delicate," "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Love Story," respectively.

Lover, due out Aug. 23, also includes the track "You Need to Calm Down," which she performed live for the first time on Wednesday night before closing the show with "Shake It Off" -- perhaps a not-too-subtle nod at her ongoing public scuffle about the rights to her back music catalog.

The crowd enthusiastically shouted along to the bridge: "Just think, while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats in the world, you could have been getting down to this sick beat."

This April 23, 2019 file photo shows Taylor Swift at the Time 100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world in New York.
Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File

After the livestream, Amazon broadcast an encore performance of the concert. Prime members or anyone signing up for a 30-day trial can stream it.

Swift's complete set list:

  • "ME!"
  • "Blank Space"
  • "I Knew You Were Trouble"
  • "Love Story"
  • "Welcome to New York"
  • "Delicate"
  • "Style"
  • "You Need to Calm Down"
  • "Shake It Off"