The turn of events that made this part of my trip happen were nothing short of miraculous.
In Mid-December last year I experienced a certifiably scary turn of events (that ended up being just fine).
I made full space for all the feels, and part of that space included sitting down and watching the Eras Tour Movie.
Prior to this, I was loosely a fan of Taylor Swift. I wouldn’t have called myself a Swiftie. But I wanted to see what all the hype was about, so I dug in for 3.5 hours.
I was crying in the opening set and I didn’t even know why!
It was a captivating experience, punctuated by having experienced a raw set of vulnerable things that week.
I couldn’t get the movie out of my head and I added Taylor on Spotify.
A week later, a friend of mine posted a video on Christmas Day depicting how she surprised her daughter with tickets to the Eras Tour in Europe.
Something struck a chord with me in that video — and I remember thinking on a “whim”
“Huh, I’m going to Europe in May I wonder if she’s doing a show nearby?”
Before I knew it, I was searching tour dates and Stubhub. And I found the perfect show.
I was watching myself from the outside thinking “What has gotten into you?”
A week later, I’d recruited my favorite fellow Swiftie Erica and I had purchased tickets to the Paris show.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, it would be the show where she debuted the set list for the Tortured Poets Department. And <flash forward> it was TRULY Tortured. Poetry. Made manifest. Live. On Stage. She deserves a Tony award for her live stage performance of that set list alone.
But I digress...
Back to December (see what I did there?)--
As I purchased these tickets, I simultaneously wondered what the hell had gotten into me, and also “why the hell not?”
(I partially blame Erica for serving me the Swiftie Kool Aid. I can't speak for her, but don’t think she’s sorry about it. And I don’t want her to be )
So commenced 4 months of Swiftie Study Hall.
I learned all the songs from every album. I watched the movie a few more times.
I made the friendship bracelets, took the moment and tasted it.
I went to Taylor Swift trivia night.
I bought and listened to all the vinyls.
I got to experience the magic my first ever live album release in the TTPD (don’t ask me where I was — under a rock, maybe — for the bajillion albums she released before that).'
I started quoting song lyrics in everyday conversation as if everyone else knew what I was talking about.
This included a whole intimate and vulnerable blog series that was incredibly important for me to publish.
Even my husband was converted and joined in the craze
Four months flew by and finally, it was time to go to Paris.
As if perfectly poetic, my trip to Paris was preceded by an incredibly vulnerable and tumultuous month.
<Sick dog, long story — she is ok. But it was a LOT.>
I was plucked out of soul crushing chaos and dropped into a different kind of chaos — the core memory, joy-filled, holy kind.
I knew it was going to be an amazing experience as soon as I stepped onto the plane in Atlanta and saw myself surrounded by Swifties making friendship bracelets on the plane.
The entire Delta flight crew was going to the show.
The streets of Paris were full of people dressed in TS gear. Little girls bopping around the Eiffel Tower in Eras Tour sweatshirts that were so big they went past their knees.
More Americans flew to Paris for the Eras tour than will attend the Olympics.
It was truly a completely cultural experience from start to finish.
And for me, it was a bit of a reclamation trip. The last time I was in Paris I was super sick and the shine and sparkle of Paris just got … dimmed.
Believe me, there was more than enough shine and sparkle this time around.
And bonus, we ended up scoring amazing VIP tickets to an additional night of the show, so we got to go TWO nights in a row.
It’s hard to find the words to describe the experience. I feel like I’ve just become a fan but at the same time, feel like she is such a magnificent artist that she’s speaking (and singing) to parts of my soul that have been a “fan” for decades.
The theatrics, the attention to detail, the artistry … the kindness of fans from all over the world. There is such an unspoken thread of love.
Gosh, all of it. Truly a holy experience.
I’m grateful to that mysterious part of me who felt compelled to watch the movie, then get curious about tickets, then purchase them, then dive head first into fandom.
I'm also grateful that social media is a thing which allowed me to see that a college pal, Carla, was going to be at the SAME SHOW ... and we got to catch up and hug each other not once but twice!
What an experience. I guess I can say I see what all the hype is about.
There’s no turning back now.
I can honestly say I also understand why people hate on her. Not because I agree with them.
But because she shows her human, vulnerable sides. She’s real. And she’s become a billionaire as a WOMAN because of that.
And because she doesn't fit into any one box. No, her magic is that she (like me) is very much a boxless being.
She draws the boundaries instead of trying to shapeshift herself into other people's definitions of "right" and "wrong"
And unfortunately, our society’s current code for that is “Threat! Danger!”
So honestly, to me, the fact that she ruffles so many feathers and is so polarizing does not surprise me, and means that she is probably living fully in her truth and therefore doing something right.
May we all have the gift of making waves and pissing people off if that also means we are living fully and completely as who we are and how we were designed to be.
If you’ve been to the Eras tour or if you’re a Swiftie, it’s definitely an #IYKYK experience.
Would you agree?
PS those little inklings that show up in your heart that feel "crazy" or "on a whim" or you think you would "never" do -- I dare you -- nay -- I DOUBLE DOG dare you -- to brazenly follow them. You never know the magic that will result in the process.