Taylor Swift back at MOA on June 6

MANILA, Philippines - Seven-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift spent much of 2013 headlining sold-out stadiums and arenas in North America, Australia and New Zealand on her blockbuster The Red Tour. She finished a run of sold-out shows in London and Berlin and has just recently sold out shows in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. In response to strong fan demand, she is taking the tour to Manila at the Mall Of Asia (MOA) Arena on June 6. Tickets go on sale today, March 7 (check out www.smtickets.com or call 470-2222).

For the 24-year-old Swift, who was here for a concert three years ago, there isn’t much that she hasn’t accomplished, with a slew of best-selling albums, chart-topping singles and over 280 award nominations, winning 221 of them. Her songs include hits like We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, I Knew You Were Trouble, Begin Again, Mean, Love Story and more.

Swift also makes time for charity events. She surprised audiences with an impromptu performance with Prince William and Bon Jovi. The trio sang Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer. Swift has proven her pop royalty status time and again.

Her The Red Tour performance features two stages, elaborate costumes, dancers and changing sets. Swift moves around the venue, giving every audience member a great seat. She plays the electric guitar, banjo, piano and acoustic guitar; and changes costumes multiple times over the course of the evening. Her set features several songs from her record-breaking Red album, as well as new takes on other fan favorites. It has earned universally high praise from top critics, including:

• Rolling Stone — “A massively excellent show. Seeing Taylor Swift live in 2013 is seeing a maestro at the top of her or anyone’s game. No other pop auteur can touch her right now for emotional excess or musical reach. Red (is) the slickest, smartest and just plain best mega-pop statement of our time. Seeing Taylor onstage now is seeing total commitment, total fan fervor, total connection between audience and performer. A true arena-rock goddess at an amazing peak.”

• The New York Times â€” “A king-size spectacle, (whose) juxtapositions have power, one theatrical scene after the next. Taylor Swift off-script is very much like Taylor Swift on-script: not just the brains of the operation, but the brawn, too, the unflappable force that ensures stuck landings. Ms. Swift’s voice is stronger than it’s ever been, and also sturdier… she sang vividly from behind a piano, show(ing) credible dark emotion.”

Swift promises that Red will be different from her last. She told Rolling Stone:

“I feel like you have to push yourself in order to become a better performer, and I never want a fan to leave the show saying, ‘That was just like the last tour.’ I like touring extensively because I think the more hours you spend onstage; the more you know who you are onstage. The more you throw yourself out of your comfort zone in the studio, the more colors you have to paint with when you go into the design stages of your tour. At the end of the day, the sound of a screaming crowd is my favorite sound, and the sight of a sold-out stadium is my favorite view.”

Incidentally, AirAsia has been named official of Swift’s Red ASEAN tour.

(Taylor Swift’s Red Tour concert on June 6 at MOA is presented by Cornetto, and promoted by Music Management International and AEG Live. Major Sponsors are Fox and Starworld.)