A Sparkly Taylor Swift World
The healing power of Tay Tay – the medicine Melbourne didn’t know it needed.
I was lucky enough (after the most frustrating ticket hustle in the history of the world) to be at Taylor Swift’s opening Melbourne concert on Friday night. I walked in a dedicated Rock Chick, only there for my Swiftie daughter and I walked out a converted Swiftie.
Taylor Swift must be one of the most generous performers in the world. The only other performer I have seen give so much to a crowd is Billy Joel.
The anticipation built to a sparkled filled crescendo. The walk to the G from the car was a sea of sequinned clad burst of love and joy – more sequins than Mardi Gras and it was glorious!
I entered a sparkly, shimmery Taylor Swift world. It was full of pure joy. The energy was mostly feminine, unbridled, passionate but glowing with light. It was a world of authenticity. Her lyrics are a window into her soul. Her generosity of spirit includes sharing her life lessons through her art.
Her stage wasn’t an altar – in fact her power lies in her authenticity. Her humanity. She is one of us, expressing our thoughts, our hopes and wearing what the hell she wants to wear (and clearly what we want to wear too). She is an extraordinary performer and that 40 + song set and 3.5 hours performance proves without doubt her artistic generosity. Yet there are other extraordinary artists in her world. Why is this her moment and why has Melbourne responded on a level that even Tay Tay hasn’t seen? Her tears at the piano on Friday night showed us that she felt it too. We needed this.
I have a theory as to why. Melbourne hasn’t really found its way back since COVID. There have been improvements, we’ve tried to embrace life, but it has felt like we’re constantly on a knife’s edge. "It” - life, freedom, joy, “it” was unceremoniously taken away from us, then given back, then taken away again. It was like a spiked pendulum. Never to be trusted and constantly in motion. Then when a glimmer of pre-covid life returned our economy hit the skids. There is a squeezing out of the joy as were turn to flight or fight. Putting bread on the table and living week to week is reality for so many of us.
Then Tay Tay, in all her sequined glory arrives and those most precious of humans – gorgeous little girls on the brink of discovering the world, injected themselves into the moment. They exhibited pure joy and they took us cynical oldies along on the ride. Of course, some of us cynical oldies were also Tay Tay fans but that isn’t the point. The joy belonged to the young and with that the moment. The moment was full of hope, and sparkles and the innocent joy that comes with wonderful art. We were being taught how to live again. By the glorious little unicorn tweens.
In all the fabulousness of the show and it was breath-taking and spectacular with lights and staging effects and marvellous dancers and fantastic costumes, it was the lyrics, the storytelling, the humanity of the experience that really resonated. She has suffered too. She gets it. She has risen like a phoenix many times and she has soared. We love her because she is one of us. Not above us – among us.
So, thank you Taylor Swift. For your energy, your authenticity and your healing powers. Our daughters are still breathing the hope and joy and they took us Mums along for the ride. Here’s to many more moments like these. May the joy live on!
