(The genius that is Taylor Swift with her pink guitar at Wembley Stadium for her Eras Tour)
My best friend's daughters managed to get us both tickets last June to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour this Thursday just gone at Wembley Stadium. They had set up their laptops and been on the end of a really long queue, waiting patiently until they had secured tickets for us two on the Thursday and them the following night. We had all been so excited about seeing Taylor for such a long time and then we finally got to go.
(Elderflower Gin Collins cocktails on arrival to get the party started)
I don't know why I left it to the absolute last minute to decide what to wear. I did have my official t-shirt, courtesy of my bestie picking me up one at the V & A Museum Taylor Swift Songbook Trail exhibition running at the moment - then we were told by our daughters that that wasn't going to cut it and we needed to wear sequins and glitter plus maybe even a cowgirl hat. Panic stations ensued as I roped my older daughter in to help go through my wardrobe with me and decide what I should wear. I tried on multiple concoctions and a pile of outfits lay strewn across my bed. It came down to three possible options, which I took photos and videos of and sent to my long suffering best friend to seek her approval. My older daughter and her both chose the same one, even though I felt it was a bit too figure hugging. I needn't have worried as later would see 90,000 women and girls dressed as cowgirls, in sequin mini-skirts, daring dresses and a few sparkly leotards too. It was honestly such a wonderful atmosphere, where all these females untied in all shapes and sizes were happy in their own skin, so I joined them.
(Swiftie friendship wristbands - we didn't realise we were supposed to wear more than one!)
I had been sensible with my footwear, as knew there would be a lot of standing for hours on end, so opted for the dance trainers I go to Jazzercise in. I did wear gold sparkly socks though to 'Taylor' them up a bit. Lots of fans were strutting about in cowboy boots but mainly wore trainers. Back in my day, women wore heels to concerts. Madness. I had worn slightly more make-up than usual, as had been told everyone would have shimmery eye shadow - plus, I wore red lipstick 'Taylor' style. People had jewels and glitter on their faces and in their hair, along with bows and butterfly clips. Everyone looked pretty wherever you turned. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so much femininity and such a lovely, gentle vibe. This was especially noticeable at the end of the concert when everyone left the stadium and queued for an hour at a snail's pace to reach Wembley station, with the rain slowly falling to the sound of people singing Taylor's songs. There was no pushing and shoving. It was such a joyful and safe space.
(The stadium starting to fill up...)
(Taylor Swift centre stage)
The actual concert was the best I've ever been to. Taylor Swift is a genius - not only is she a brilliant singer-songwriter, she puts on an amazing show with all her stunning costumes and dance routines but she empowers females by encouraging us to embrace our femininity as a strength rather than a weakness. It was so freeing to enjoy being girly, singing along to her heart-felt lyrics and not feel ashamed. As soon as she sashayed onto the stage in her long spangly boots and sparkly Lover leotard, I couldn't stop smiling. The whole stadium was alight with vibrant colours glimmering and changing every so often. My friend noticed the woman next to her had a wristband on that lit up in the same colours the stadium turned to and everyone else seemed to be wearing one too. Hang on a minute, why didn't we have them? My friend found out they were given out on entering the stadium. We made our way to the Customer Information area during the next costume break - which wasn't long - and asked if we could have some wristbands. The man behind the counter smiled knowingly and gave us the only two left. How had we missed them? It might have been the moment we had to gauge down the pizza we bought from van outside the entrance to tide us over while we queued to get in but then suddenly the queue had ended and it was our turn to go through the turn-styles. The guard rolled his eyes and said we weren't allowed to bring food in, so we had to wolf it down quickly and maybe that's when we missed the wristband giving out in all the commotion. In any case, when we returned to our seats we were ecstatic to be able to wave our arms around with the music and for our colours to merge with the crowd and be part of the community. We almost missed the suprise guest too when we were having a toilet break but my friend heard a male voice and screamed that it was Ed Sheeran. We rushed back to our seats, up the numerous concrete steps and were so out of breath by the time we arrived but caught most of their duet. The happy screams of the crowd were life-affirming.
(My wristband lighting up to join the crowd at Wembley Stadium)
I love Taylor Swift and she is such a good role model. I am proud to be a Swiftie.
Comments