Early in 2024, Paula, a friend from Capoeira, offered tickets to see Taylor Swift in Wembley Stadium in August at face value. £112… General Admission Standing – 19th of August 2024. She had managed a feat of getting 4 tickets. Not only did she manage to do it in Wembley. She also got tickets for Portugal!!!! And yes, she did watch both shows!
At first I was unsure whether I wanted to go, I thought Taylor Swift was ok. Our Capoeira teacher was a dancer in Cats (Poncianinho was a cat) and he said TS was the nicest of all celebrities. She was super friendly, she gave everyone friendship bracelets. She was a joy to work with, according to him. So I already felt affinity & respect towards her. I liked some of her songs and I listened to Midnights a lot in 2023. But I didn’t really know her body of work (her legacy, as she refers to it in a couple of her songs) enough to justify £112 on a ticket.
Then the cogs started turning… I’ve never been to Wembley… Tickets to see TS were VERY HARD to get and I was given this, well, GOLDEN ticket to the chocolate factory. I had to go, no??? So I said, YES PLEASE dear Paula, count me in!!!!
I decided if I was going to go I needed to learn all the songs. I would enjoy it more if I was singing along. I found playlists with the songs, although they were forever changing as the tour progressed. This was the Eras Tour playlist on YouTube Music I listened to regularly prior to the show… There was a basic set plus new songs from The Tortured Poets Dpt. that got added along the way as the tour progressed and every night there was also a surprise song. The Swiftly Sung website was also a treasure trove to understanding her song lyrics. This is when I realised TS is taught in many English lessons, this is when I started to see how influential and relevant she really is.
I also started to listen to TTPD a lot – and after a few listens – like a Radiohead album – each song opened up and revealed itself as an emotional flower. What an incredible album! I can’t even decide if I like the first part or the second part more. I ended up making two videos with the lyrics so I can sing along to. Those occasionally get blocked in all countries and then only partially blocked in Belarus, I don’t know why or how, it’s a big mystery to me. So when you read this they might be viewable or they may not. Today they are. Tomorrow? Anyway, here they are…
This lovely video was filmed and edited by Paula – our Taylor Swift experience! Thank you so much Paula, for this amazing experience! Obrigada mesmo!
Now, my experience was a little different, because I’m a short arse! I really didn’t see much of Taylor, but the atmosphere was amazing and I danced & sang the whole time! This is my summary of the experience at the time of publishing the video, a couple of days after the show:
19Aug2024 – Taylor Swift Show from pov of a short person! This was my view for the entire show… I didn’t dare move for fear of never finding my way back! So no drinks or toilets for 5 hours!
A new Olympic event: The Taylor Swift Marathon. Standing, singing and dancing, with the occasional kneeling down break. Sore feet all around! And the final leg of this wonderfully exhausting marathon. Standing some more and queueing to enter Wembley station. It was wonderful and exhausting!!!! I loved Taylor’s Festival/Marathon!!!
My own favourites playlist on YouTube Music and Spotify
Since watching the show last August I have been getting to know Taylor Swift’s discography – one album at a time, from Reputation onwards. The ones before that I haven’t connected with as much, maybe I’m too old and she was too young, apart from a few songs… I don’t know. Anyway… It started with Lover. I have also watched her Miss Americana documentary, twice. It’s very interesting and she does come across as a very intelligent and thoughtful young woman. I admire that she’s about the words, thoughts and feelings and her sensuality is natural and not pornified – like so many singers of her generation are. I think that’s why so many people relate to her. Then I was obsessed with evermore for a few weeks, such beautiful songs. All the while still listening to TTPD – The Anthology a lot… Finally, folklore, which for quite some time, maybe 10 listens, really didn’t quite work for me, until it just clicked and now I think it’s amazing. And so, that’s how I sort of accidentally and unintentionally became a Swiftie…
I’m also a Lana Del Rey fan, but that’s for another time! I’ll just say Lana Del Rey’s voice reminds me of Elis Regina, and I grew up listening to her…
Lana Del Favourites on YouTube Music