Swift returns as a bigger star

What a difference a year and three days make - the length of time between Taylor Swift's last appearance in the area, at the Florida Strawberry Festival, and Thursday night's sold-out performance at the St. Pete Times Forum before a crowd of 15,432.

Of course, it was also a few Grammys, a few million records sold and a run-in with Kanye West ago as well. And if Swift was a big star last year, she's stratospheric now.

As she did last year, Swift opened with "You Belong With Me." This time, though, it was a theatrical set piece, with dancers dressed as cheerleaders and Swift emerging in a band uniform.

Unlike the girl-and-her-guitar shows of the past, the opening night of 2010 leg of her "Fearless" tour featured plenty of spectacle in the form of video, props, dancers and some acting - Swift thrashing about in anger, Swift tossing a chair off the upper tier of the stage.

Frankly, some of it didn't work. A faux-news magazine video documenting the effects of Swift naming old boyfriends in song was overlong and not particularly funny.

The show's saving graces were two things that have remained the same since last year - Swift's undeniable charm and her bond with her audience. As before, she sometimes stood still listening to the crowd roar, her smile getting bigger and bigger.

She may not have the greatest pipes in the world. But she doesn't compensate with computerized perfection, and that makes her all the more appealing. How she makes the transition from writing about high school crushes to more grown-up fare remains to be seen, but for now she's the coolest girl who ever got her heart broken.

Today's birthdays

Actor Dean Stockwell is 74. Actor Fred Williamson is 72. Singer Eddy Grant is 62. Rock musician Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is 58. Actress-comedian Marsha Warfield is 56. Magician Penn Jillette is 55. Actress Adriana Barraza is 54. Pop singer Teena Marie is 54. Rock musician John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 40. Actor Kevin Connolly is 36. Actress Jill Ritchie is 36. Actress Jolene Blalock is 35. Actress Eva Mendes is 35. Model Niki Taylor is 35. Actor Sterling Knight is 21. Actor Jake Lloyd is 21.

Source: The Associated Press