Saturday we came home from vacation and began unpacking. Part of reason we came back was to get ready for myself and August to leave for Boy Scout camp the next morning, but the primary reason for arriving home at the time we did was to take Déla to her birthday surprise.
When it was announced tickets would be on sale I talked about it with Laura, and we agreed it would be a great concert for Déla to attend, and it would also fit the bill as her “big” birthday present. And we kept it a secret. We were driving to the concert and she still had no idea what was going on. Actually, we were in line and she still didn’t realized what was going on.
I show her the tickets and I wish I had gotten video of her face. “Wow. Just… wow.”
We tried to get a shirt at the merchandise booth but the line was do long we were in danger of missing some of the main attraction. She said maybe we could come back during the game to see if the line would be shorter. She still didn’t quite understand that it was a full concert and not just an appearance during or after a game.
It wasn’t until we sat down in our seats did she realize what she would be in for.
I have mentioned before I like Taylor Swift. And I still do. Actually, I think I might like her even more after having seen her in concert. Several times she would talk about being honest to yourself, being a friend and not saying things behind people’s back – and you could tell this wasn’t about addressing things said about her in the media, but about how to be the kind of young woman people aspire to be. She was using her position to positively influence girls and young women to be the kind of person they (should) want to be.
Oh, and the music.
Not one country tinged song was to be heard. Yes, many of her previous hits were performed, but none of them had any twang to them. Any lap steel, fiddle or banjo had been stripped away and the new arrangements worked. “Love Story”, “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “Mean” worked fantastically in their new arrangements. This is a point I had previously mentioned during discussions of music in general: Many really good songs can transcend genre, all it takes is a tweak in arrangement and instrumentation. Taylor Swift proved that with this concert.
Everybody was given wristbands upon entry, and instead of some elaborate stage production the audience became part of the light show. At times half the wristbands would light up one color and the other half light up another. At times they would all be one color, or some would flicker then others would creating a twinkling stadium and it really seemed to engage the audience and draw them in more.
A very good time was had. While waiting for her to begin I looked on my phone at Taylor Swift’s website and it appeared all the merchandise in the booth was available online. It wouldn’t be the same as buying it at the concert, but at least she would get the tour shirt she wanted.
Taylor Swift took the stage at 8:45 and performed until about 11:15. It took a while to catch a cab, and Déla fell asleep on the way home. She was thrilled to have attended her first “grown up” concert, especially one by her favorite singer.
As for myself? I would certainly see Taylor Swift again, but for me I don’t know if I ever could see her without my daughter. The two of us were singing along to the songs and having a great time.
Together.