The first time I saw Taylor Swift perform, she was seventeen years old and opening up for Rascal Flatts. My husband and I had no idea who she was, as she was just breaking into the business at the time, but we both really enjoyed her set a lot. In fact, we ended up liking her set more than Rascal Flatts (but that’s another story).
I started listening to her music not long after that. I would listen to it at home all the time and my youngest son, who was home with me, began to enjoy her music as well. By the time he was three, he was singing and dancing to “Shake it Off” pretty much every day. It’s no wonder he turned into a Swiftie just like me!
As the entire world knows, Taylor Swift has been on tour this year. And, of course, my son and I both wanted to go. But those tickets were very expensive and, being a teacher, I did not have time to sit on my computer all day trying to purchase them (along with thousands of other people). So, I didn’t.
However, my son heard on the radio that the radio station was doing a contest to win tickets to the show. So, like any good Swiftie desperate to attend the Eras tour, I entered the contest.
And I won! I could not believe that I won two tickets to see Taylor Swift. It was insane! My son and I were both ecstatic.
I wasted no time booking us a hotel, requesting a half day off of work (our tickets were for the Friday night show), and planning our outfits. I also planned a trip for us to the Georgia Aquarium the day after the concert. Then the countdown to the concert began.
Our Trip
The day of the concert finally arrived. I had everything planned out and timed out perfectly. Because when you’re traveling three and a half hours away from home to see a concert that same evening, you have to time it just right. However, just because you plan everything down to the minute, it doesn’t mean it’s going to go according to plan. And our trip did not exactly go as I had planned.
I left work on time and headed to pick my son up from school. But when I got there, the school was on lockdown. Being the calm and levelheaded person that I am (*ahem*) I promptly panicked. I knew the concert would be insanely busy, so I had wanted to arrive early. But the lockdown messed that all up.
My son was released about 45 minutes later (can we say panic attack?!), and we headed off to Atlanta, singing Taylor Swift songs the whole drive there. We went straight to the hotel to check in. I thought we’d check in, change quickly, and head out. However, that didn’t happen. There was an issue with our reservation and it was not something that was going to be resolved quickly. I had to call my husband (who had booked the room) and have him deal with it so my son and I could get to the concert. (Side note: Do NOT book a hotel room through Hopper!! We STILL had issues checking in after the concert…long story that I’ll spare you from, but trust me, do NOT use Hopper. BAD experience!)
I booked an Uber to get us to the venue, my son and I changed our clothes in the hotel lobby bathroom, threw our bags back into the trunk of the car, then hopped in the Uber when it arrived. I finally felt more at peace once we were in the Uber and on our way. We wouldn’t be getting to Mercedes Benz Arena as early as I wanted to (because Atlanta traffic also), but we’d still be there with enough time to get settled before Taylor started singing.
The Concert
We arrived at the stadium at 6 p.m. The concert started at 6:30 p.m., with the opening acts (don’t ask me who they were because I had never heard of them before and don’t remember) coming on first. The amount of people at the concert was insane! I’ve been to a lot of concerts before, but this was by far the most packed one I have attended.
Both the merch and food lines were long enough that I could tell we’d easily be waiting in line for 45 minutes or longer. I decided to forgo the merch line and head straight to the food. I figured I could get merch later.
After a long wait in line, we got our food and then headed inside the arena. We sat and ate our food while the second of the two opening acts played. (We had missed the first group while waiting in the food line. But, as I had no clue who they were anyway, it didn’t matter.) We then went to the bathroom, because neither of us wanted to have to leave while Taylor was playing, and then settled into our seats and chatted while we waited for Taylor.
Taylor came on stage at 7:50 p.m., and the rest of the concert was a dream. For the next three and a half hours (yes, she performs that long!) we sang our hearts out, danced, took pictures and videos, admired all of her drop dead gorgeous costumes, drooled over her special effects and beautiful pianos, held our breaths while she sang her surprise songs and then dove head first (literally!) under the stage, and had an AMAZING time.
Taylor is so incredibly talented, and it was easy to see how much work went into this tour. Every detail was taken into consideration. One of our favorite parts was the light up bracelets we got as we entered. They continuously lit up during her songs, making patterns across the seats. It was beautiful!
In addition, her dancers were so fantastic! Not a one of them was out of step. All the costumes, both hers and her dancers and back up singers, were on point. Her sets and special effects made us stare in wonder. She truly puts on a show like no one else can!
By the time we got our Uber after the show (which was a whole experience in itself…), got back to the hotel, dealt with checking in, and got into bed, it was 1:30 a.m. We were exhausted. But a good exhausted. After all, we had just seen Taylor Swift perform live in concert!
The next day my son and I went to the Georgia Aquarium and spent our morning exploring all it has to offer. (And, guess what…we got in there for free too! A family waiting to get in said they had two extra tickets and offered them to us.) We had never been there before so it was fun exploring all of the exhibits.
Going to the Eras tour was an experience my son and I will never forget (as evidenced by the picture below of a paper he wrote for school about our trip). I am so grateful that we were blessed enough to be able to attend. Despite all of the hiccups we experienced before and after the concert, it was quality time we got to spend just the two of us. We made memories that both he and I will be able to treasure for years to come, and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else!
