…So I Met Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is one of the biggest names in music. She’s creative, beautiful, and popular among every age group. I’ve been following Taylor for over 8 years now. I first noticed her when she was on The Ellen Degeneres Show and sang her well-known hit “Our Song.” She captured my attention, and I was hooked.
When her album 1989 came out in October, she held this sweepstakes called the Swiftstakes. I entered my code that came with my album, not thinking anything about winning.
I mean what are the chances that someone actually wins those things…
Well, two weeks later I get this e-mail from Taylor’s team informing me that I had been selected as a Grand Prize winner. Only 250 people were randomly selected to win the grand prize. The grand prize consisted of two meet-and-greet passes and two concert tickets. I was a little skeptical of the e-mail. It came from a weirdish looking e-mail address, and it had a link taking me to a random google form.
I took my chances and filled out my information. In mid-December, I received another e-mail stating that I had cleared security and was officially a grand prize winner.
I was ecstatic!
We filled out paperwork and submitted which concert we wanted to attend. Six months later, it’s concert day. My dad and I drove up to Louisville, Kentucky, for the show. We got there and stood in line after line after line. We stood in line to get our tickets. We stood in line to get into the show. We stood in line to check into the meet-and-greet. We stood in line to meet Taylor Swift. I think I was more nervous to meet her than I was for any performance I’ve ever done.
They escorted us backstage and informed us that we had to leave all items (phone, wallet, purse, gifts) on a table, and we weren’t allowed to take any pictures. The meet-and-greet was held in Loft ’89. Loft ’89 is the lounge where all of the people selected during the show to meet Taylor get to hang out after the show. When we walked in, her outfits from her previous Speak Now tour, Jimmy Fallon appearances, and other performances were on display. At a certain point in line, you could see her through an opening in the curtain. Everything after that is a blur.
They escorted my dad and me in and we were greeted by Taylor. She immediately gave both of us hugs. As we stood there, I just kept looking at her and thinking to myself, “Taylor Swift is right in front of you. Your idol is standing a foot away from you. Look how tall she is. Oh my gosh she’s so tall. She’s really pretty.” I think the weirdest part about meeting her was that I know so much about her. She’s like a friend. When I met her, it felt like I was meeting an old friend, but I had to keep reminding myself that she has no idea who I am. I didn’t say much. I just stood there listening to her talk to me. Taylor Swift was talking to me. She complimented my glasses and said that she also wears glasses but they make her look sad. We also talked about the name of the sweepstakes and how it was clever. She also gave me a high five. I don’t exactly remember why, but she did. She also thanked us for coming all the way from Knoxville to the show. That’s all that matters, right? And then someone asked if we wanted to take a picture and she responded, “Sure! I would love a picture!”
As my dad and I were walking out we received signed pictures, and she thanked us again for coming. And I just remember turning around one last time and she said “Thank you so much for buying the album!” Taylor was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’m the kind of person that tends to overthink everything, and after I met her, I just kept thinking about all the places she’s been, all the people she’s met, all the awards she’s won, and all the people she’s dated. That was very overwhelming.
Our seats were about thirty feet from the end of the catwalk, and they could not have been better. Vance Joy was her opening act, and he did a tremendous job. The show itself was superb. Taylor played for two straight hours, and she was energetic through the entire thing. I have no idea how she did it. I was tired about three quarters of the way through,and I wasn’t even the one bouncing around on stage! It was one of the best nights of my life.
-Abigail T.
