Kelly Clarkson Praises Taylor Swift's Touring Power: 'For the Rest of Us Minions, It Doesn’t Work'

Kelly Clarkson knows that when it comes to captivating audiences, Taylor Swift reigns supreme.

During her concert in Las Vegas on Friday, July 18, Clarkson, 43, shared her thoughts on the demands of touring, highlighting Swift's unparalleled success.

"When you tour, like, you have to take everything in trucks. So, you have to pay for all that," Clarkson quipped, according to social media footage. "You can't really pay for seven guitars on stage 'cause you make no money. Unless you're Taylor Swift, then you can do whatever the f--- you want. For the rest of us minions, [it doesn't] work."

Swift's Eras Tour shattered records during its global run from 2023 to 2024, notably making her a billionaire.

In a recent interview with E! News, Clarkson expressed gratitude for Swift's support following the re-release of her album 1989. "She just sent me flowers. She's so nice," Clarkson shared. "She was like, 'Every time I release something' — because she just did 1989. I got that really cute cardigan."

Swift made headlines when she discussed the intense comparisons between her Eras Tour and Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour, which both boasted intense production numbers.

"There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé," Swift said in a December 2023 profile with TIME.

She added: "Clearly it's very lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each other, even when those two artists in question refuse to participate in that discussion."

She elaborated on gender perceptions in music, stating, "If we have to speak stereotypically about the feminine and the masculine, women have been fed the message that what we naturally gravitate toward … girlhood, feelings, love, breakups, analyzing those feelings, talking about them nonstop, glitter [and] sequins. We've been taught that those things are more frivolous than the things that stereotypically gendered men gravitate toward, right?"

Swift capped off her remarkable Eras Tour in December 2024, shortly before Beyoncé concluded her own Renaissance Tour. The former Destiny's Child member has since launched her Cowboy Carter Tour.

Clarkson initiated her Studio Sessions residency in Las Vegas in July, creating a unique show for audiences. "This is a very different show that Caesars' is letting us do," she said during her concert. "They let us, kind of, do what we wanted, and this was my dream. I like getting all dolled up and I like the gowns, but I wanted y'all to be able to experience this with us."

Her Las Vegas show transformed the stage into an informal jam session reminiscent of a recording studio. "All this stuff on the walls is from my [house] in Montana and my studio there," she explained. "I have a studio in New York, too. … This is all my art [hanging up]."

The concert also featured a special moment as Clarkson's daughter, River Rose, made an impromptu appearance for a duet on "Heartbeat Song."

Clarkson gushed via Instagram afterward, "Last night we had a very special guest, my daughter River Rose, joined us for Heartbeat Song 💗 It's her favorite song."