Taylor Te Amo

The past twelve months have been a fresh slice of hell and heartbreak. My mom died, my dad was hospitalized three days after her funeral, my divorce was finalized, and I was laid up for six weeks after I had survey to remove an ovary which was overtaken by a cyst the size of an orange. And that was just December through April.

(There was even more shit, but I’ll skip all that for now.)

Last June when Claire-Adele told me Taylor Swift announced her South American tour, I said, “Let’s go.”

“Is it crazy to travel just to see a concert?” she asked.

“You are talking to a woman who saw Hamilton in four different cities,” I replied. I am a big advocate for using live entertainment as an excuse to travel.

My dad said people need something to look forward to, and I believe him. I remember in my twenties when I was working and before I had kids, a deep sense of ennui had built up. Planning a trip to Thailand fixed that fast. Seeing Taylor Swift in Rio was the big “something to look forward to” in my life. It wasn’t just seeing Taylor: it was an excuse to book a two week vacation to Brazil.

I haven’t taken a two week trip since New Zealand in 2014-15. This trip was long overdue, and yet I don’t need to leave the continent for a trip more than fourteen days.

Here we are in Brazil. Last night, Claire-Adele and I saw Taylor Swift in Rio along with 65,000 other people. Taylor Swift is not doubt an amazing entertainer, and like Beyonce, sings songs about women for women. I would say she is niche, but women, “girls, gays and theys” are her main audience, which is like more than half the population. She is #relatable. 

The parents who attended with their teens and tweens were probably some of the coolest parents ever. I saw a dad with a his daughter, going to the show. He was wearing a (Taylor’s Version) hat and medallion of Swift in a Jesus pose. The moms were all dressed in Era attire. 

The most impressive part of the show was the audience. not many people here speak English but holy cow the audience knew every word to every song and sang and top voice. At times, I could hear Taylor over the crowd. People were crying they were so moved. After the show, Claire-Adele and I booked it out to get back to the hotel. A majority of the crowd stayed in their seats, perhaps wanting to continue to bask in the magic.

Even though she sings about heartbreak, there was serious joy in this event. After the divorce, Jack gave me a book for my birthday called Inciting Joy. In it, the author writes that sorrow and joy are kin, you can’t truly have one without the other. Taylor has made a career of this, singing of sorrow in spandex and sparkles.

After the show, Claire-Adele me what my favorite part was. There were too many moments too count, including Sabrina Carpenter singing ABBA’s Dancing Queen as part of the opening act. 

Now that I am wake the next morning, my favorite part was when the Brazilian crowd chanted “Taylor te amo” for what seemed like five minutes.

Thank you, Ms. Swift, for sharing your heartbreak and sorrow, and turning it into joy for so many.

P.S. To Taylor— If you ever do get married please don’t change your name. What would the Swifties call themselves then?