Lexington Herald-Leader from Lexington, Kentucky • A4

A4 MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2011 CITY REGION LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER KENTUCKY.COM Maybe the Halloween weekend planted the thought, but watching Taylor Swift take the stage Saturday night at Rupp Arena before a feverish, sold-out crowd of 16,200, including the parents, brought to mind cinematic images of Glinda the Good Witch descending on the faithful munchkins of Oz. After all, unlike so many teen and post-teen stars, Swift, 21, maintains a family friendly image that transfers well to the stage (and the charts), making her immensely kid- friendly in the process. In keeping with the Oz frame of mind, the performance was continually framed by theatrical fancy. There were set changes and costume changes galore, and a battalion of dancers and back- up musicians swept around Swift like an entourage. Little in this dazzling production was designed to convert the skeptical.

The program was immensely audience-friendly, especially to the sea of children and pre- teens who thrilled (and sang along) to most of the 20 or so tunes Swift performed. Taking the stage as the final recorded chorus of Tom American Girl wound down, Swift presented herself as every bit the pop princess with the show-opening Sparks Fly. Swift was never a naturally arresting vocalist, but her singing seems to have matured and deepened since her last Rupp outing, in 2010. It certainly outdistanced her own vocal estimations. She apologized several times for not being the best because of an illness that caused her to postpone several performances earlier this year, including one in Louisville.

But the Rupp crowd cared little for such trivial matters as singing. It seemed to expect spectacle. And Swift delivered. Her multilevel stage was converted at various times to a country gazebo (for Our Song and Mean, both with Swift on banjo), a wedding chapel (for the title song to her year-old album Speak Now) and a platform for the dancing crew to stage an impromptu sock hop (for the equally pop-savvy You Belong With Me). In terms of technical high- jinks, though, the most eye-popping trick was one of its simplest: hidden lifts that shot several of the dancers (and, in one instance, Swift) up from under the stage floor and into the air.

Even when Swift stripped down the show to acoustic essentials, the fanciful props were paraded. A mid-show segment took her through the arena floor crowd to a revolving second stage where she performed Fearless (on ukulele), Last Kiss and Never Grow Up under a makeshift tree that looked as if it were carved out of golden ice. The constant shuffling of props and costumes added between-song baggage to the performance, but such is the price of maintaining Oz or, more exactly, the realm of pop reigning princess. Opening sets by Needtobreathe and David Nail, understandably, were streamlined affairs. The contemporary Christian-turned-mainstream rock ensemble Needtobreathe offered a 40-minute set that was balanced neatly between anthemic post-grunge tunes (Let Us Love) and earthier party pieces (Girl Named Tennessee), although the fairly obvious appropriation of pop accents established by Arcade Fire and U2 suggest any real sense of musical invention.

Country singer Nail played perhaps the shortest set ever at a Rupp show: three songs. Highlighted by the current radio hit Let It Rain, he performed on the lip of the stage with only a pianist and drummer. Such lean musicianship was a refreshing switch from the production- saturated recordings favored in recent years by many Nashville artists, including Nail himself. STILL-TENDER VOICE NO PROBLEM FOR FANS Pop princess rules Rupp and willing subjects By Walter Tunis Contributing Music Critic CONCERT REVIEW: TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift performed about 20 songs and played several instruments during her show Saturday night at Rupp Arena. MATT GOINS See a photo gallery online.

must report data on the stu- dents who attend their alter- native programs, entry and exit dates, why they left and whether placement was vol- untary. Alan Spade, director of Wilkinson Street School in Frankfort, said his staff must develop a plan for reporting the data. are asking for a lot more data than given he said. is going to put a little bit more of a burden on us because we will have to keep another set of re- Gross said easy to iden- tify alternative programs that have their own building, but others are more elusive. The state defines an al- ternative program as a class- room, center or campus signed to remediate academic performance, improve behav- ior or provide an enhanced learning have a wide variety of alternative schools in Ken- tucky some that are on par with any school nation- ally, and others that certainly need to improve to get higher graduation rates and meet the needs of the kids they Hensley said.

The new regulation re- quires that local school boards establish goals for their alternative programs; eligibility guidelines; and a process for moving kids in and out. They will also have to collaborate with outside agencies, such as the court system and social services. Melissa Rogers, principal of The Academy in Frankfort, said she sees the new rules as an opportunity for her staff to be more innovative in how they educate teens. The concept of alternative education is changing, she said, as the focus shifts from a temporary fix to a path to- ward graduation and future success. we move toward think- ing about how to get kids to graduate, meant to be helpful to she said.

From Page A3 SCHOOLS New rules take effect in 2012 From Page A3 BICYCLING Club gives kids bikes, helmets Reach Jim Warren at (859) 231-3255 or 1-800-950-6397 Ext. 3255. that feels Walker said before the ride began. want people to use this trail, and we want all of Lex- ington to know ours. know, if you catch people early enough, be hooked on bikes for the rest of their For Walker, an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky, the ride was mainly intended to recruit adults to help sponsor the new Isaac Murphy bike club, named for the famed 19th century black jockey and three-time Kentucky Derby winner who lived in Lexing- East End.

Backers are needed to help provide bikes, helmets and related equipment for kids in the inner city who otherwise might not be able afford them, Walker said. Biking is safe and relaxing, aids physical fitness, and of- fers a different way of viewing the world, he said. really enjoy the world if going by at 75 miles an Walker said. at 10 or 15, you see flow- er petals, you can have con- versations with other people, at the bus stop or walking or on other bikes. Those things happen at 65 miles an Before heading out, first-time Legacy Trail rider George Gentry chatted with Christine Clay.

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