YOUR FAVORITE CMT SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Taylor Swift Drops a "Red" Net at 2013 CMT Music Awards

Her Energetic Delivery of "Red" Revives the Crowd

Among many other valuable things Taylor Swift has learned in her fast young career are two key factors: 1. How to put on a spectacle. And 2. How to deliver an energetic performance.

She displayed both skills to their fullest Wednesday night (June 5) with her delivery of her song "Red" during the 2013 CMT Music Awards.

As her lighting and special effects turned the inside of Nashville's Bridgestone Arena into a swirling red maelstrom, it came to resemble the start of Chinese New Year in Beijing or Hong Kong. Swift's stage boys frantically waved large red banners as they danced around to amp up the energy.

And Swift did not disappoint, wearing what at first appeared to be a red dress with a form-fitting black and red top and a flowing, floor-length red skirt. But as she began strutting about the stage, naturally sporting a bright red electric guitar for effect, the front of the dress swept back to reveal her legs and black hot pants.

This version of "Red" was much more spirited and amped-up than that on the album of the same name. At one point, Swift knelt on the floor in front of her lead guitar player as he spat out a fast guitar solo.

Coming as it did just before the halfway point of the two and a-half-hour show, it served as a perfect energy raiser for the crowd.

Latest News