On Tuesday the 11th of February 2014, my life
changed forever…
I went to the O2 along with 19,999 other people to see
Taylor Swift on the last ever date of her Red Tour and it was pretty much the
best thing ever.
I don’t know how you feel about Taylor Swift but let me tell
you, if you don’t think she’s brilliant then you need to sort yourself out. She
is an incredible popstar and, although I always thought she was ace, seeing her
LIVE was completely mind-blowing.
Firstly, she has a great back catalogue. I’m sure you’re
familiar with Love Story, 22 etc… but some of her album tracks are just as
incredible. Don’t believe me? That’s cool… but I got you something!
Better Than Revenge
is incredibly sassy and I personally think her up-tempo songs are where her
song writing really shines. I mean, this song features the undeniably
spectacular lyric “she’s not a saint and she’s not what you think – she’s an
actress. She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.”
Burn!
And then there’s Long
Live – the sort of song that would be the opening music if they ever remake
Dawson’s Creek. It’s full of hope, the song I would loudly listen to if I ever
went on a road trip down the West Coast of California… or, perhaps more
realistically, the song I would listen to in bed, reading through a series of
text messages that used to mean something to me.
So yeah – Taylor Swift writes a cracking song. Admit it.
But, seeing her perform live (in a massive stadium) really
drives home how accomplished she is when it comes to putting on a show. I’ve
seen a lot of performances online and on the TV but witnessing them first hand
is something else. She knows just what to say to get the crowd screaming at the
top of their lungs. She brings out a different special guest every show and you
feel like you’re seeing two BFFs having an ace time and it’s magical. She’s
happy to take some time between songs to tell the audience how to deal with
mean people and she does it so well that you really feel like she’s talking to
you.
I tried to find a good clip to illustrate how brilliant she
is in a huge stadium and probably the best is the music video for Red.
It’s made up of footage of the tour itself and you can see
how hard she’s working (although it never feels like hard work) and how much
the crowd are loving it (check out all the light up signs). Does it help if I
tell you that I cried a little during some of her set? Does it help if I tell
you that I was smiling like that creepy moon emoji for a solid hour after the
show ended? Does it help if I tell you that I think I might actually be
suffering Post-Taylor Blues?
Taylor Swift is the popstar (and BFF) I wish I’d grown up
with. She writes a brilliant song, she sings a brilliant song and if you think
you’re too cool to listen to her songs then you need to stop being a baby and
buy an album! I’d recommend ‘Speak Now’ to start with!
Special shout-out to my pal John who came along with me and
to Sally who helped make my dreams come true!
PS. If you’re Taylor Swift and you’re reading this, could
you please do a nice cover of ‘Hysteric’ by Yeah Yeah Yeahs? That would be ace.
