You guys!! I had the privilege of going to see Taylor Swift in concert this past weekend with 3 of my best friends!
We even matched the staff and I’m not gonna lie, we had big dreams of these bright shirts getting us backstage to meet our long lost bff.
They didn’t do the trick....but that’s ok! WE STILL LOVE YOU TAYLOR!
My Taylor experience went like this.... The concert was...well, just SO much more than a concert. It was like a full on experience. One that left me feeling mega inspired! The one word I kept repeating (and my girls too!) was
P-H-E-N-O-M-I-N-A-L!
Anyway, as any one of Tay’s fans would know, her name has been dragged through the MUD! At one point during the concert she played an audio mashup of different media outlets calling her “fake”, making fun of her emotionally, and putting her down in various other ways. Aside from the fact that this tour is called “REPUTATION”...I found it SO brave that she went there. She didn’t have to...we wouldn't have known or thought “Maaaan, if only she would have shared a little of that ‘bad rep’ she sang about....” Negative. Wouldn’t have happened, period. And yet she still shared it. She let us in. Us...a few moms from a small east texas town. Who are we to be getting a glimpse into something so personal?
Throughout the night Tay sang songs from her current album, Reputation, and a few oldies worked in there too...before she sang the more current ones though she would give a little speech. Y’ALL! I was blown away with the first one...but she did more! The speech would correlate somehow to the song she was about to sing...for instance she sang the song “Dress” and before that she acknowledged the way a lot of people dress to her concerts...bright shirts (us!! she saw us!!), costumes, etc...and eventually she got around to the word “dress” and the crowd would cheer knowing she’s about to sing it. She took like 2 minutes to let her audience know that she saw their clothes! How sweet is that? What other celebrities do that?
Another one, this one made me cry...the bracelets.
We all got these after entering the venue and they lit up to different beats all around the stadium. Before she sang she mentioned these bracelets with such a sweet message letting her audience know that SHE wanted to SEE US!!! US!?! So she had these made so that all the way at the top, back of the stadium...you were seen by Tay. Section M, row 15, seats 9-12...”I SEE YOU”. In a world where we struggle and feel less than, unseen, unheard, unloved, bullied....she wanted everyone to know they were important to her. I just love the message that sent to everyone who has seen her show. You are not alone, you are not unseen, you are important. We all need to hear that once in a while, but to be told so publicly in a place where usually it’s all about the artist...just phenomenal.
She also FLEW through the crowd to 2 stages toward the back and we were like...RIGHT THERE!! Feet away from her. For all the peeps who spent a lot of money on seats SO far away from the stage, this was a special treats. She made sure that EVERYONE got the best experience possible at her show and I respect her so much.
It’s not over though! Toward the end she sat at the piano and had a chat with all of us. What would you expect a superstar to chat about? The person serving water bottles and cleaning bathrooms probably isn’t what came to mind... #AMIRIGHT ?! She sat for a good 5 minutes explaining the thousands of jobs that people have, leaving their families, working show after show...to make it a great, entertaining, and safe experience for all of us. Not gonna lie, I was really afraid of all the fire in the show...and also a mass shooting. It’s just how my brain works, I know...I hate it. But she went into detail about the number security officers there JUST to protect us and Y’ALL! I needed that! I needed that reminder to be THANKFUL. Thankful for my safety, thankful for WATER while I’m jumping around like a maniac for hours on end, and THANKFUL for people who travel to build a massive set so we can all experience what was the best show I’ve ever ever seen!!!
I may or may not have left the stadium hugging and thanking every worker I passed. That is credit to Taylor. She inspired me to be a thankful social media influencer. To take the time to tell people how important they are, to stop being so caught up in what’s popular to show real moments and be raw. I try to do that, I’m sure most of you know...but I definitely left there with a bigger sense of how important it is no matter how big or small your platform is. If your platform is the couch in your home and only little ears are hearing you...its IMPORTANT!! The classroom, the pulpit of a small town church, behind the keyboard of your blog....its IMPORTANT!! Your audience, no matter big or small, NEED to hear the words you’ve been given to share. Your platform is exactly the size God wants it to be right now, and don’t forget that! He gave you a message in your heart to SHARE, not to keep inside until the numbers get bigger.
love y’all!!