I did it.
I went to the concert that 19-year-old me could never have imagined attending in her wildest dreams, but that 34-year-old me made happen with a third of her salary.
I went to see Taylor Swift live. And it wasn’t a dream come true.
Let me explain
Last July, I had the shock of my life when I managed to secure a ticket to the instant sell-out global phenomenon.
Receiving my confirmation email felt surreal. Try as I might, I couldn’t imagine myself in a year’s time at the stadium of my beloved football team Liverpool, singing all my favourite songs alongside my all-time favourite singer.
In preparation for what I hoped would be the most magical night of my life, I shielded myself as best I could from photos and videos of the Eras Tour. I wanted to see nothing, hear nothing. I wanted my big night to be a three-and-a-half-hour-long surprise, a delight to last a lifetime.
And it was a delight. But not in the way I expected.
A couple of songs in, I realised this night wasn’t a dream come true. However much I loved screaming every word of You Belong With Me alongside 60,000 fans and a tiny Taylor Swift on stage, at the end of the concert all that’ll have changed in my life is the addition of a bunch of photos and videos to my camera roll.
I will have the same partner, the same parents, the same friends, the same job, the same apartment, the same gym, the same coffee maker I reach for first thing every morning.
This realisation—mid-song—brought hot tears to my eyes.
Because in that moment I realised that my life—my partner, my parents, my friends, my job, my daily routine—was the dream that had already come true.
Seeing a stranger, however famous and adored, sing for three and a half hours could never compare to the dream I get to live, every single day.
My wildest dream
Which is not to say the concert was a washout.
I was deeply moved by my shared experience with 60,000 ecstatic fans. The stadium rang with our voices joined as one—singing, cheering, calling out Taylor’s name.
And she heard.
After a rendition of Champagne Problems, we were cheering so loud that, instead of getting up from the piano to sing her next song, Taylor remained seated. She sat there, turned to look at the thundering crowds to her left and right, then took out her earpiece.
That was my favourite moment from the show. In that moment, there was no superstar, only a human feeling the love of tens of thousands of other humans.
It was a moment of genuine connection. And it was beautiful.
Was it worth a third of my salary to be part of that moment? Maybe.
Would I do it again? Probably not.
But I will remember this moment, the shared experience, and most of all the realisation that my life is the wildest dream I’ll ever live.
What do you think?
By all accounts, the Eras Tour is a spectacular event. If you’ve been, I hope it was a night to remember. If you’re going, I hope it’s everything you wish it to be. It wasn’t for me, but I hope it is for you.
What’s the most memorable concert you’ve been to?
Was it magical? Did it change you in some fundamental way? Please hit “reply” or leave a comment—I read every response and I’d love to hear from you. If you want, share this post with someone who makes your every day a dream come true.
Until next Friday… Stay thoughtful,
Val
p.s. A bonus for those of you who made it this far: the most memorable concert for me took place less than two weeks after my Taylor Swift concert. My partner whose taste in music is unimpeachable took me to see Patti Smith in Brighton. It was a small, intimate venue, and we could see every laugh line, every tear on Patti’s face as she sang and bounced (she’s 77) and cried onstage. It was the most magical night of my life, and I’m now a Patti Smith fan.
Photo by yours truly
Saw Erasure a few times in small venues, once with front-row seats in a theatre that sat perhaps 800, and another time in a club that maybe held 300. Small venues make for quite an intimate experience. I imagine the ecstasy of a shared experience with 60k other fans is quite an experience, too.
In September of 2019, amongst the backdrop of Hong Kong's largest-ever protests against the new extradition bill, I secured front-section seats to the Hans Zimmer's concert. I have always been into movie soundtracks, and in fact after I got my first ever Sony Discman in the 90s, the Jurassic Park soundtrack was the first CD I ever bought.
I brought one of my closes friends, a childhood friend from the US who had a similar interest in soundtracks. Rolling into the HKCEC in Wanchai we took a taxi as numerous MRT stations were closed due to the mass protests. It was surreal as the taxi navigated closed streets, with improvised barricades here and there. Though America was where we were both born and raised both of us had spent some of our childhood in HK, and the situation weighed heavily on both of us.
Entering the concert venue I was thrilled I was able to get a seat near the front, we could see the expression on every performer's face clearly from here.
The concert started and each song evoked powerful memories and emotions from the movies they were composed for. The performers were all world class and I found myself moved to tears multiple times as each song brought back memories. From the haunting beauty of the vocalist singing Gladiator's "Now We are Free", from the scene were Maximus succumbed to his wounds, with visions of reuniting with wife and son in heaven. The slowly building "Chevaliers de Sangreal" from The Da Vinci Code starting with a single violin and then the mystery is finally solved culminating in a full blown orchestral powerhouse with full choir. The tension and urgency of the Interstellar Theme with the brilliant use of organs brought back memories of humanity exploring the fringes of space and time while being heartbroken and lonely being so far away from their loved ones. The concert ended with "Time" from Inception evoking thoughts and questions around life, dreams, and memories. As the concert neared the closed I turned to my concert partner who was in tears as well as we both knew that Hong Kong as we knew it was over and perhaps this is the last time we could see a concert like this here.