Taylor Swift Day – 5.19.23

Friday May 19th 2023 has been on the calendar for months now. Eagerly anticipated counting the days down to AND NOW IT’S HERE! Ambiana has loved Taylor swift ever since her 2nd Cousin Lucy introduced her to the RED album while we were there for Thanksgiving in 2014. Ambiana even thinks she did a dance for us with her cousins in the basement to a Taylor Swift song. She asked me two get her some Taylor Swift albums and I did. I liked Bad Blood and have been listening to the set list on shuffle which has made me excited also as TS has some great songs.

Ambiana is taking me in her car and we left at 10am after protracted discussions about exactly what time to leave. The earlier the better is how I think. That gets us to the stadium as the parking lots open with an hour of traffic built in. The morning was sunny on the chilly side high overcast as we rolled south on 89 into NH to 93. When we stopped at the Hooksett NH Service center Ambiana got out and wrote in the Vermont Dirt on the back window “Tossing me the car keys fuck the patriarchy.” When she got back behind the wheel she told me after she wrote it she turned and there was a mother and a daughter in a car behind her and they were looking at her and smiling. Swifties,

It wasn’t long after we were back on 93 south that Ambiana spotted the first SwiftyCar. Shit, this is fun, it’s like a hiipie seeing a VW, Swifties=Taylor-Deadheads, I get it. Its fun. Ambiana and her friend Addy, who is also on her way to Gillette Stadium with her mom, spent an evening togther last week and made beaded friendship bracelets with spelling out Taylor Swift song lyrics. She had made on for me with the words State Of Grace in beads because she knows that is my favorite song. I have it on my left wrist right now. I have just the one Ambiana has a bag of them. You trade them with other Swifties. We slowed as traffic began to back up. The SwiftyCar was still ahead of us and has we neared windows rolled down in the SwiftyCar and in another car in the lane next to them and a bracelet was tossed from one vehicle to the other. “See Daddy?” she smiled “Swifties!” How fun can it get?

We soon found out. At the next slowdown I noticed a man in the car out my window with his window rolled down, he had something in his hand and was saying something to me. Roll down the window Daddy Ambiana said as I did. Do you have a pass? he asked? No i told him. Here he handed by a purple tag. I read in stunned disbelief, it was a VIP PARKING PASS. I turned to him why are you giving me this? I have two. Thanks Your welcome he said as they pulled ahead. Ambaina and I just stared at each other stunned. A bracelet I yelled. Yes, we have to give them a bracelt Ambiana agreed. She sped up a bit and we pulled abreast, we were still rolling slowly and I rolled down the window and stuck my arm out holding the bracelet. The father, who’s window was still open, smiled and his daughter in the back she squealed when she saw what was in my hand! She was more excited about that bracelet than we were about the VIP PASS

By the time we pulled off the highway onto Rt 1 we were all Swifties. Our pass put us in the left lane and we slowly moved along with with the other swifties, it was fun to see their Swifty Style and share a smile.

Our Pass got us into VIP LOT 5 right in the shadow of the Stadium. It was 2:51PM. Gillette is in a vast plaza of shopping and commerce with a fair bit of construction going on. We had to make our way around it to find Trader Joe’s where we bought dinner. Thousands were lined up for the Mech Tent. Traders Joes was playing TS music and was full of Swifties with the same idea as us. Here we encountered for the first time long lines for the ladies restroom while the mensroom was empty.

We walked back through the mall that snuggles the stadium and hung out by the car relaxing, eating and getting ready and watching all the swifties around us do the same. We were dirtbags in a posh parking lot and owning it in our lawn chairs, boombox speaker and chips and artichoke jalapeno dip.

The gates opened at 4:30PM and from my lawn chair I could see people walking up the ramps to the Upper Tier. I pulled out my binoculars and watched groups of glittery people in their TS costumes as they climbed, stopping at various points to take pictures with the parking lot and the afternoon sky over Foxborough in the background. We had planned on going in at 5:30PM but her friend Addy and her mom were in line. Ambiana called and got their section number: 227 and we decided to get into character and go in. Ambiana worked on her outfit for weeks. I was in flannel from the “folklore” era and had made myself a dandlion crown just because. Time to pull on the leather pants Ambiana borrowed from her high school drama department and put on my flannel. Ambiana put on on her sparkly layers and then she gelled up my hair and dumped a small handful of glitter over my head.

Tickets on my phone, scanned them at a turnstile and we were in. At the entrance to the ramps stadium employees were handing out bracelets that would light up when Taylor comes on. We put ours on and started walking up and in. We were in!!!! Ambiana’s excitement and smile off the chart. That’s why I wanted to be here with her, to share her utter joy…as well as rock the f*%k out.

We entered the stadium at the 200 level and wove among a mass of Swifties. There was a really long line, i mean really long and as we walked along its endlessness I asked a sparkly swifty in a full on glitter body suit with heels what they were waiting for? Merch was the answer. Wow. Can’t you get that stuff online? But then again I remember the $5 bootleg Van Halen shirt I had to have in 1979. Sweet. I have seen the Who and the Rolling Stones at the old Foxborough Stadium long since torn down and no remenent remaining. This is the dynastic home of the six time world champion Patriot NFL team all fancy ass and with mass retail but filled with lots of beautiful sparkly people and their moms, sisters, aunts, and girlfriends. There were guys as well, maybe 100 to 1.

We found Addy and her mom and while I exchanged travel data with the mom Addy and Ambiana exchanged bracelets. There seats had the same side view as us but the opposite side and like 100 feet lower. I had my binoculars and I scanned the opposite upper deck for our section. When I found it I counted up rows and found our seats which look like they are on the ailse and will be in the sunset light come time!

I love looking at all the different flavours the swifties come in, definatley a girly girl vibe with a good dose of glitter and fishnet, cowboy hats of every color and t-shirts with TS lyrics inked, embroidered, and sequined on them. Ambiana wrote a song title on her arm in black sharpie. I’m the opposite of the bad boyfriends Taylor seems to like. Sitting near Addy and her Mom were these three Swifties and their matching black “Karma” shirts. We are using “Karma” for our “Icelandic Family Dance Video” coming soon.

We hugged our friends goodbye and wished them a super show and went off to make our way to our seats. The stadium is laid out for some reason that you can not walk in an oval all the way around it. So we to go all the way back around to get to our seats. First though the bathroom. Again the men’s room was empty while there was a long line at the women’s. Waiting for Ambiana I urged a group of girls who were debating whether to enter the men’s room to go for it, no ones in there I said, there are stalls. I wandered to the women’s line and found Ambiana going in and told her the men’s room was empty but she was already near the front of the line but some women toward the back heard me and headed over to the men’s room. Inefficient to have empty stalls while people wait in line for full ones. The next time I passed a bathroom there ere women in long lines outside both the men’s and the ladies room.

At the rear of the stadium the concourse opens up above and there is a big concrete deck looking out over the floor and the T shaped ramp and the video screens and stage. At that moment 6:25PM the first opening act GAYLE started up and suddenly Ambiana was dancing and then was I . “Maybe daddy we can stay here”, she said to me and two seconds later an older man in a Gillette Jacket told us we could pause for a look and a picture but had to keep moving. “We can keep dancing back and forth Daddy” Ambiana laughed.. She is funny, We did for a bit and then ducked back under the concourse and found a spot behind the last row and a set of girders where we could see GAYLE and her two piece band on stage and dance.

GAYLE

GAYLE is country rock with a hit “ABCDEFU” which got the crowds attention though only about a third of the audience were in their seats. GAYLES set was short and then we were off. The second opening act PHOBEOE BRIDGERS started up almost immediately after GAYLE. Ambiana and I danced some more and debated what we should do. Stay here for TAYLOR or go see our seats and if they suck we can always come back.

OUR SEATS SECTION 315 ROW 10 SEATS 20 & 21

We decided on see our seats and Ambiana started to run once we hit the ramps. There were more ramps then there seemed there should be but finally we were at the top and through the upper concourse past another never ending merch line we went to section 315. We exited the concourse to our section high above the stage and floor below. We could see the whole stadium, all of the ramp but none of the front of the stage. There was a video screen on the right side of the stage upon which PHOBOE and her silver hair was playing guitar and singing. At the back of the stadium on the left side and taking up maybe a quarter of the massive Gillette Video Board was PHOBOE again. Our seats were 10 rows up and on the aisle and looking right out across and over the top of Gillette was the Sunset while to our left all we could see was trees full of Golden Hour Light.

PHOEBE BRIDGER

We admired the view and took some pictures and suddenly Ambiana’s dance friend Eva and her mom were there with seats right next to us. Now you may be wondering how we got these tickets so rarer than hens teeth. I had access to a pre-sale but failed miserably, selecting seats only to have the spinning ball return a “someone else has beat you to these tickets” again and again and again. Would not be surprised to learn it’s rigged to stress you into selecting higher priced tickets which I did not do figuring I would try again when the tickets were put on sale to the General Public which never happened.

Ambiana put it out to the universe, I gave her a credit card number and a dollar limit and she checked stub hub and ticketmaster everyday but it was another dance friend Jas who ended up with extra tickets and sold two to Ambiana for $400 total. I think if you added up the ticket prices all the concerts I attended in my teens, 20’s and 30’s it would be about $400 but some things are priceless: like seeing the joy on my daughters face at a TAYLOR SWIFT Concert.

Jas had sold the other tickets to Eva. She told Ambiana that when they got to their seats Jas and Ida, another dance friend, were sitting there to say hello. His seats were elsewhere and we had missed them because we were wandering below. So no Jas to thank in person for our tickets. But we had Eva and her Mom which was totally unexpected and totally fun.

The girls caught up, pictures were taken, the sun was setting. Our seats overlooked stage right where the stage was accessed and we got excited when we saw the band and dancers make their way up the ramp and we were on the lookout for the broom cart TAYLOR rides in to the stage and there is came. We hoped for a sneak look at her as she got out of the cart but they wheeled her just out of sight. Ambiana maintains she saw some glitter.

A two minute countdown clock came on the screens and the screaming and cheers began. In the concourses the endless line broke in places as Swifties began to run for their seats. With my binoculars I watched them race across the open concourse at the back of the arena. That was us on the ramps 40 minutes ago.

TAYLOR SWIFT!

The clock ran down and out and from the front of the stage emerged dancers in blue each carrying the petal of a flower. The band launched into “Miss Americana and the American Dream” as the petals made their way to the Diamond in the middle of the ramp and the dancers circled lifting and dropping their petals as TAYLOR began to sing. The crown went bananas. The petals in a circle laid down one atop the other and Ambiana squealed “She’s coming up beneath the petals daddy!”

Sure enough the petals were slowly rising forming a tent and when they dropped the crowd lots its shit for there was TAYLOR singing to us atop a platform risen from the stage. It was crazy nuts and loud and insane all funny words for what it really was.

When the song ended TAYLOR just stood there looking out at the crowd with the biggest smile on her face as the sounds of cheering and screaming and yelling washed down over her.

She tweaked her smile and the cheers ramped up. She did it again; and again the outpouring of sound from the multitudes increased.

TAYLOR just bathed in it and the 60,000 were happy to keep it up. And it went on like this all night.

#theLOVE

3 1/2 hours, 44 songs, 15 backup dancers, 7 Eras, 4 backup singers, one super tight band, an out-of-this-world light show, fire and fireworks but the most amazing thing? #the LOVE. 60, 000 people singing their hearts out the entire show. If we could learn to harness this and fill the world with it like this stadium was filled, all our problems would melt away…………….. Click Play feel #the LOVE.

I have seen a lot of shows but I have never experienced anything quite like this. I saw KISS on their Dynasty Tour in 1979 in the Pontiac Silverdome and the crowd went nuts when Gene Simmons flew to the top of the rigging and played bass from there for part of the show. I’ve been to Dead Shows where there is similar at-one-ment and this is the best of both those experiences; the glaminess of KISS to the nth power without all the dark shit that traveled with The Grateful Dead

Each Era had a completely different look and were beautiful to behold especially Willow from the Evermore Era which had TAYLOR wearing a large red cape as a pine forest appeared on stage and she walked out of the mist down the ramp followed by 7 dancers also in the same cape holding glowing red spheres. When TAYLOR reached the Diamond she stopped and the cloaked figures surrounded her and did a sphere dance around her as she sang. It was stunning. Then she was a purple princess or playing her moss covered piano in her folklore cabin or in a snake skin outfit tearing up the Reputation Era not to mention her glitter skirts and boots combos for the Lover, Red and 1989 Eras.

The stage had trap doors that raised and lowered her and her dancers, there was one she dove into. The risers in the middle could form stairs,and a pyramid as well as put TAYLOR and 10 of her dancers all on different levels. When raised the front and backs of the risers were covered in LCD Screens which matched the main stage or had their own images on them such as all the different TAYLORS she sings about in :Look What You Made Me Do”

The stage was ringed with lights that shot their beams upward catching on the clouds and making it appear as the heavens were spotlighting TAYLOR , And our wristbands, which I thought would light up only when TAYLOR took the stage were active the entire time. The LED on our wrists would glow different colors for each Era, flash with the beat, strobe out, even create a wave of light circling the stadium making us, the audience apart of the show. And all the while the songs, the dancers, the cheering, the singing, the love.

TAYLOR closed the 1989 Era with “Bad Blood” and when the fire flared from atop the rigging as afr away as we were we could feel the heat which was welcome on a chilly windy night. TAYLOR played two solo surprise songs betwee Eras; “Should’ve Said No” on guitar and “Better Man” on piano, two songs Ambiana loved and then we were in the “Lavender Haze” of the Midnight Era which wrapped up with a triumphant “Karma”. Then Fireworks were going off. TAYLOR thanked us for spending our Friday Night with them, the dancers and back up singers took their bows alongside her and she thanked the band, announced “That’s Our Show!” while bowing a final time and then she was gone descending back into the stage as a stadium full of glitter and cheers rained down upon her.

A Brief Montage of #theConcert

The rest is a blur, the lights came up and the 60,000 moved towards the exits. We made our way down a stairway with thousands of others. Ambiana exchanged some more bracelets as we slowly moved down level after level. Once in the parking lot we found the car and inched towards the exit. I gave my final bracelet to a car full of Swifties in return for them letting us into line ahead of them. The traffic wasn’t so bad as we worked our way to Rt 115 and soon we had open roads to Jamie’s house in Millis MA. It was 10 miles away and it only took us about an hour from the time the lights came up until we pulled into Jamie’s driveway. Andrea was up and greeted us as we let ourselves in. We hugged her, found our room and soon were bringing a blissful day to an end comfortably bedded down.

We were so blessed to have Jamie, Drea, Orlando and Leelee’s house to stay at so close to Gillette Stadium! We only saw Drea & Orlando (and Pongo) as the Jamie & Billy were at Leelee’s track meet.

Two days later my Taylor Swift PixMob Bracelet which made us part of the light show was still blinking blue.

Ambiana’s Senior Prom

Ambiana had fun at prom with Wiki, Fiona and Emma. Afterwards she had an after party in the longhouse. Twenty or so people showed up. I slept right through it. Four teens spent the night and Colleen made them smoothies for breakfast. If you want to see her Prom pictures reach out to her. She asked that I not post any on this blog.

Jakobi’s Dance Recital

Jakobi had a dance in Contemporary Dance & Fitness’ Year End Show on Saturday night. She was beautful and so graceful.

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