Taylor Swift is known as a prolific songwriter, but she's also a master at bringing her music to life through her live performances. Swift has been performing in front of crowds since childhood, like singing the national anthem at sports games or competing in karaoke contests. She's mastered her craft by opening for country acts like Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney, often sitting off-stage during their performances to watch them and take mental notes. By the time she headed off on her own headlining tour, she knew how to own a stage and keep her audience entertained.

Unfortunately, Taylor Swift received some backlash early in her career from critics who believed she didn't showcase vocal strength in her live performances. The most prominent example was when she sang with Stevie Nicks at the 2010 Grammys. In "Mean," Swift mocked the critic who called out her "off-key" singing and won two Grammys for it. However, the incident also helped the singer grow as she began taking vocal lessons. With the massive success of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour, she's proven herself an outstanding performer. Though, looking back at her career, she's had quite a few impressive live performances.

The following live performances by Swift are ranked on the basis of a variety of factors. These most prominently include a healthy mixture of vocals, choreography, and overall connection with the audience. From her very first show to her most recent, here are Swift's 10 best live performances, ranked.

10 Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me

The Eras Tour (2024)

When Taylor Swift dropped The Tortured Poets Department months before The Eras Tour was set to conclude, there were questions about whether she'd switch up her setlist. When she returned to her tour after a short break, The Eras Tour had been reimagined with a new set for her 11th studio album. "Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me" was a stand-out performance from the set. Swift moved around the stage on a mirrored platform, resembling a Roomba vacuum, to accentuate the lyrics "I levitate down your street."

Swift referred to the TTPD set as "Female Rage: The Musical", and this performance fit right in as Swift let all her anger and frustration out on stage. The most impressive part of the performance was during the bridge when Swift opted up on the line "but what if they did," showing off how much her live vocals have grown since she was a teenager. This particular song went on to become a fan-favorite performance by Swift, which certainly earns a place within the top 10 of all time.

9 Tim McGraw

The Academy Of Country Music Awards (2007)

A lot contributed to Taylor Swift's success, but one aspect was her relentless bravery from day one. Before she was standing up to music industry executives, she was a teenage girl in cowgirl boots and a sundress, singing to one of her biggest musical influences. Swift's first single was called "Tim McGraw," and her 2007 Academy of Country Music Awards rendition of the song was her first ever award show performance. Swift sang a shortened version of the song, spending most of the performance on stage with just her guitar.

When it came to the bridge, however, she stepped into the audience, placing herself directly in front of Tim McGraw and his wife, Faith Hill. After the final lyric, Swift reached out to shake McGraw's hand, exclaiming, "Hi, I'm Taylor," before he and Hill went in for hugs. Most young artists would feel intimidated by their idols, but if Swift was scared, she hid it well, looking confident as ever. The performance is one of the most memorable of Swift's early career, as it was only the beginning of her willingness to put herself out there.

8 Change

The Academy Of Country Music Awards (2010)

Three years later, Swift performed again at the ACM Awards, this time with a song off her sophomore album, Fearless. While "Change" was never an official single, it was a prominent song for its era. Swift said the song was inspired by being on a small record label, surrounded by much more established labels. However, she also mentioned she soon started associating it with world issues. In a white gown similar to the one she wore on her Fearless Tour, Swift stood on a bedazzled silver balcony and began floating over the audience before landing after the first chorus.

Swift did a quick change, revealing a black ensemble underneath before taking the stage for the rest of the song. Three months after the aforementioned Grammys incident, Swift had something to prove. Her vocals had massively improved as she sounded steady and confident throughout the song. However, her big finish was the final note of "Change," which she held much longer than she did on the recording. Swift adopted this ending for the Taylor's Version of the song, proving that eleven years later, her voice had improved even more.

7 Haunted

The Speak Now World Tour (2011-2012)

"Haunted" is often regarded as one of Taylor Swift's most underrated songs. However, Swift gave it the recognition it deserved on her 2011 Speak Now World Tour. During the performance, Swift wore a red dress and ran frantically around the stage, hitting a giant bell. Her band amped up the song's production, bringing in even heavier electric guitars and emphasizing the string instruments.

Swift's backup dancers even had some intense choreography, including acrobatics, making the performance feel something like a horror movie. For the climax, Swift fell to her knees at the edge of the stage, belting the high notes of the bridge and end of the song, proving her days of shaky vocals were a thing of the past. This is consistently been considered a fan-favorite, and it certainly proves itself as one of her best, even if others remain superior.

6 Call It What You Want

Saturday Night Live (2017)

Taylor Swift's reputation era was a much more private time for the star. However, she emerged for a few live performances, including as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Swift performed a touching, stripped-down performance of "Call It What You Want" in a style that she would never perform again. In a black, snake-embellished sweatshirt, Swift sat with her acoustic guitar, revealing the heart of reputation. It was not a vengeful album, but a love story in disguise.

In the second chorus, Swift's background singers ed in, as did the remainder of her band. There was even a string arrangement that was not heard in the album's recording of the song. Swift couldn't help but smile throughout the performance, proving that despite the darkness of the reputation era, she actually was happy in her private life.

5 Cardigan, August, & Willow Mashup

The Grammy Awards (2021)

The 2021 Grammy Awards was the first time a lot of performers found themselves back on stage after the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2020, Swift had to cancel her Lover Fest tour due to the pandemic, so the award show was her opportunity to finally sing the songs she'd written while in lockdown. Before bringing the folklore cottage on the road during the Eras Tour, Swift performed in it at the Grammys with collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.

Swift sang two of the three folklore love triangle songs, "Cardigan" and "August," before transitioning to "Willow" from evermore. In her mystical forest cottage with just Antonoff and Dessner, Swift was able to recreate the exact dynamic the three had while writing together during the pandemic. It was like a window into their imaginations, and with steady vocals throughout, it was clear Swift made great use of her time away from the stage, prepping herself for a great comeback.

4 All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Saturday Night Live (2021)

Eight months after the Grammys, Swift went on to promote Red (Taylor's Version), singing "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" on Saturday Night Live. It was the first official performance of the song, with Swift dressed in all black, looking as elegant as Sadie Sink in the short film, which played behind her. The floor was covered in colorful leaves to emphasize the lyrics "autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place." Despite the events Swift wrote about taking place a decade earlier, she was able to channel the same emotions she felt in her early 20s.

After the bridge, Swift handed off her acoustic guitar, performing the remainder of the song with just her and the microphone. The choice allowed her to fully express herself through movement. During a particularly angry part of the song, the stage lights illuminated Swift in red, and as she made it to the lyric about snowfall, fake snow began to fall from the ceiling. The performance not only gave the Swifties what they'd waited for 10 years, but also showed off Swift's creativity in of stage production.

3 Out Of The Woods

The Grammy Museum (2015)

On 1989, "Out of the Woods" had some heavy pop production. Swift explained the relationship the song was based on as a time when she was in constant anxiety, and Jack Antonoff's production expressed this perfectly. However, at a September 2015 Grammys Museum performance, Swift showcased how her lyrics could stand on their own in a very stripped-down version of the song. Swift performed "Out of the Woods" with only a piano, making it a much more emotional performance than what she recorded for her album.

As she often does, she switched up the bridge for the live performance, holding the last note much longer than usual to showcase her vocals. The years of criticism of her singing voice often led her to do this. Grammy voters must have been impressed, too, as at the 2016 ceremony, she would take home the Grammy for Album of The Year. The piano rendition of "Out of the Woods" proved that some of Swift's best work is when it's just her and her instrument of choice.

2 We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

The 1989 Tour (2015-2016)

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was Taylor Swift's first official pop song and her first #1 song on Billboard's Hot 100. The recording was incredibly catchy and intended to get on her indie music-loving ex-boyfriend's nerves. However, Swift pivoted where no one thought she would when she performed the Red track on the 1989 Tour. After performing "Bad Blood," Swift grabbed an electric guitar and, in a black leather jumpsuit, walked to the center of the stage's runway.

Swift replaced the song's pop production with electric guitars and drums that made her sound like a rockstar. It is arguably Swift's best rendition of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" yet. The highlight came after the bridge when, instead of the usual dialogue, Swift opted for some intense notes and growls, adding to the song's rock effect. It felt very out of left field for Taylor Swift and only intensified fans' desire for a rock album. However, as Swift often does when she tries something new, she absolutely nailed the performance.

1 Cornelia Street

City of Lover Concert (2019)

"Cornelia Street" was one of the most beloved tracks on Lover, and since the album never got a proper tour, Swift's City of Lover concert was the only time the song really got to shine. At the Olympia in Paris, Swift performed "Cornelia Street" with just her guitar. Like a lot of her acoustic performances, this allowed for the song's emotion to really come out. Without all the production elements on the recorded version, Swift was able to make the frustration and uncertainty in her vocals the main star of the song.

Swift changed a few notes throughout the song, but the most prominent was during the final chorus. As she screamed the lyrics "I get mystified by how this city screams your name" and "I'm so terrified of if you ever walk away," she really did sound like she was screaming for her partner not to leave her. While Taylor Swift has entertained millions of fans with her big stage productions, she's proved time and again that, just like at her first ACM performance, she really is at her strongest when it's just her and her guitar.