I love living in remote Cook County, but sometimes it’s good to get out in the big world, so when my daughter invited me to join her and granddaughters at a Taylor Swift concert in St. Louis, I figured, why not?
A new experience would be good. Besides, I hadn’t been to a concert since Peter Paul and Mary. It’d be interesting to see what’s going on in my grandchildren’s universe.
That’s why, on a warm and humid September night under an almostfull moon, I found myself traipsing along with 15,000 other concert goers, into the Scottrade Center, home of the St. Louis Blues, to see the latest pop star sensation.
I had a lot to learn. My first lesson was the importance of T-shirts. I figured we’d hustle to our seats and wait for the show to begin. Nope. Attending a concert is only part of the experience. Owning a concert T-shirt is the ultimate, so Betsy and a girlfriend stood in line for over an hour to buy Taylor Swift T-shirts for their daughters. Thankfully, I was assigned chaperone duty and along with my two granddaughters and a little friend sat and watched as thousands of people filed into their seats.
Finally, the concert started or so I thought. But wait—it was only the warm-up performer who wasn’t too bad. But when he finished, another group began. Here’s where I learned my second lesson. Being slightly hard-of-hearing isn’t a bad thing. This group exploded on the scene at a noise level that shook dust from the highest arena rafters. I should have brought earplugs.
I was learning a lot though, I told myself, stifling a yawn since it was almost past my bedtime.
Finally, the lights dimmed, a hush filled the arena and people began cheering. I glanced at my wrist where the bracelet that had been taped to my seat was clamped. It was LED and supposed to light up when the singer appeared. Nothing yet.
The music reached a crescendo, strobe lights and spotlights flashed dramatically and suddenly Taylor Swift appeared on stage. As she did, every bracelet in the auditorium lit up, filling the dark with sparkling lights.
The crowd went crazy.
And so did I. Next lesson learned—you can never be too old to appreciate great showmanship. Two large screens gave a close-up view of the stage as the concert continued for an incredible hour and a half of music. Not only music but entertainment at its finest. The audience was treated to costume and set changes, a moving runway that elevated over the audience and incredible light displays as 15,000 glowing bracelets changed colors along with the music.
Everybody loved Taylor. Five-year-old granddaughter Cami watched with an intensity that kept her from falling asleep even though the concert lasted well past her bedtime. Half the audience, including my 10-yearold granddaughter Natalie, stood through the entire performance, singing and clapping. I would have done the same if only I owned a younger pair of legs.
I did jump to my feet numerous times, one time wildly singing along to “Shake it Off! Shake it Off.”
At last the evening ended. The children slept in the car on the way home, and the next day I returned to Grand Marais with warm memories. Here I learned one more lesson. Seeing a super star earns respect from the younger generation.
Several youths have remarked, “You saw T. Swift? Wow.”
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