In each city, she paid tribute to a homegrown artist. Swift performed many acoustic cover versions during her North American tour. She has said that the lyrics should be viewed as a nightly "mood ring" and The New Yorker has cited the practice as an example of Swift's "keen understanding of what fuels fan obsession in the first place: a desire for intimacy between singer and listener".
Swift performing during the Speak Now World Tour in 2012 with lyrics from Natasha Bedingfield's " Neon Lights" on her armĭuring the North American and Australasian tour legs, Swift wrote different song lyrics, and occasionally quotes from famous speeches and movies, on her left arm for each performance. Swift used Tom Petty's " American Girl" as her entrance song. Before the tour commenced, Swift performed "The Allure of Taylor Swift" aboard the MV Allure of the Seas at the Allure of the Seas Aquatheater, as a part of Royal Caribbean Cruises on Januin Cozumel, Mexico. The tour marked the singer's first tour to perform in stadiums. It follows her successful Fearless Tour which played for over 100 dates in over five countries. On November 23, 2010, various media outlets-including Billboard magazine announced the second tour by Swift. She stated that the tour was going to be "big" and "extensive". While promoting Speak Now, Swift mentioned her excitement for her upcoming tour. I’m so excited to go back out on tour again in 2011! The 'Fearless Tour' was so much fun and even more unforgettable than I ever imagined, and I can't wait to get back out and play my new music from Speak Now! The fans have been so amazing and I'm thrilled to play in new cities around the world and meet even more of my fans in 2011! View of the stage for Speak Now World Tour. Multiple dates across the North American leg were recorded and released for a concert film and live album-both entitled Speak Now World Tour – Live-on November 21, 2011. This made it the highest-grossing female and solo tour of 2011. At the conclusion of 2011, the tour was placed fourth on Pollstar's annual "Top 25 Worldwide Tours", earning $104.2 million with 100 shows.
It was ranked 10th in Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tour (Mid-Year)", earning over $40 million. The tour received positive reception from critics, lauding the visuals as well as Swift's connection with her audience and stage performance. The tour began on Februin Singapore and ended on Main Auckland, New Zealand. The Speak Now World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, was launched in support of her third studio album Speak Now (2010).