The show must go on: Taylor Swift’s Sydney concert met with thunder and lightning

DESPITE relentless thunder and lightning at Taylor Swift’s Reputation concert in Sydney, loyal fans stayed for the mammoth production, which included a surprising acoustic set.

Taylor Swift was up against the rain and thunder at her Sydney show. Picture: Getty

IT APPEARS Taylor Swift’s powers of pop persuasion do not prevail against Mother Nature.

Lightning and thunder announced Swift’s arrival on stage at ANZ Stadium for her Reputation concert in Sydney on Friday.

After fans spent about an hour in the rain waiting for the storm to pass, she joined them to “jump in puddles” and kick off the show with the appropriate opener Ready For It.

Taylor Swift enters the stage at ANZ Stadium on Friday. Picture: Mark Metcalfe

Within three songs the sparkling black body suit clad Swift was as drenched as the 70,000 plus Swifties, their excited mums and their perhaps slightly less thrilled dads.

“Real fans turn up come rain or shine,” she declared to a huge cheer.

The legion of faithful fans came in adorned in a dizzying array of costumes inspired by the influential pop star, recalling her early ultra-sequined country incarnation to the hot pants and fishnets of Reputation Taylor, the woman who calls out her enemies and declares her voting intentions for next week’s US mid term elections.

The pop star did not let the rain dampen her spirits. Picture: by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

The seasoned performer has erected a giant fortress of a production designed to give even those in the nosebleed seats a bird’s eye view of the action, with megatron screens broadcasting her every smile or raised eyebrow.

She has an expression fit for every lyric, acting out the drama on the face to complement the singing, dancing, strutting and expansive arm gestures.

The pace of the show was as relentless as the rain. Picture: Getty

The tightly choreographed concert delivered all the bells and whistles you expect from modern stadium pop from pyros and fireworks to those monster cobra puppets which rise almost to the stage roof.

Fans became part of the action with light wristbands which were first introduced by Coldplay a couple of world tours ago.

The singer used wristbands to light up the stadium. Picture: Supplied

Unfortunately, the mammoth size of the sound system occasionally dwarfed her voice but tens of thousands of fans beefed up the vocal power with their crowd karaoke.

The pace of the show was as relentless as the rain, with the set heavily weighted in favour of her Reputation album with older hits from Love Story, You Belong With Me and Style given the medley treatment.

The still brilliant Shake It Off got its moment to shine with a full rendition, with special guests drawn from her support crew, Charli XCX and Broods’ Georgia Nott.

Swift made her way around the arena floor to her satellite stages and perform an acoustic set which featured the surprise inclusion of 22.

While she poured everything she had to satisfy the show-must-go-on spirit, a steady stream of parents with little ones headed out early to get their sodden charges home.

Swift finishes the Australian run in Brisbane on Tuesday.