Taylor Swift is the pop star every 13-year-old girl dreams of being when the bedroom door is closed and she thinks no one can hear. With the hair tossing, glamorous outfits and skipping around stage, Swift even seems to be surprised by her own success, but determined to have fun with it. Performing at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Friday, she appeared to be soaking up the joy of her first headlining tour, with a wide-eyed, middle-distance stare and a coy smile on her face as the (mainly female and mainly adolescent) crowd applauded.

Swift’s popular songs about boys and broken hearts, love and dreams come true electrified the crowd. For the opening tune “You Belong With Me”, she was dressed as a band leader, surrounded by a troupe of cheerleaders. Although Swift has been much criticised for her live performances, her Adelaide fans had nothing to complain about. They were treated to a visual and aural spectacular as a varied conglomerate of musicians and dancers told the story of each song.

After an appearance as a bride at the end of the Romeo and Juliet-based “Love Story”, Swift provided another audience favourite by appearing on a mini-stage at the rear of the auditorium. With a hug and a smile for everyone on the way back to the main stage, she captured what is missing from many pop princess performances – humility, humour and a real desire to interact with her fans.