Sunday, April 15, 2012

Finally....


Carpre diem, seizing the opportunity. Watching Taylor Swift live since I became a fan of hers a few years back was simply a dream.When the opportunity finally came, I didn't think twice. It was one of those moments in life where you dreamt about something and it happened for real.

I started supporting Taylor from the first album but it took more than the first few impressions to get my attention. Her famous Teardrops on My Guitar was quite a hit on the radio but I didn't really pay much attention to what she was singing, all I heard was the title of the song. I can't remember precisely when I first listened to her debut self-titled album, but that was the defining moment of being her fan. When I listened to that album and considered the age she wrote that album, I knew I was listening to something very special. To write and create a first album at such a high level needed something extraordinary, and it was. The stories in album were mainly about the people who were in her life a few years back but the way she painted the pictures through her songs made those songs a lot more than that. I did a review on Fearless when it came out and I rated it 9.8/10. In hindsight, I was right on the dot. Fearless was the next big step and it propelled her into one of the biggest stars in music today. When Fearless was named Album of the Year, the biggest award in the Grammys, I was over the moon, the world of music saw what I saw, it was amazing. That album started her 2-year Fearless tour.

I've seen some footage of her concerts and read stories on how she sells out her concerts around the world. I have always been so envious of those people who got to watch her and it always remained a dream to watch this incredibly talented artist, who is one of my favourites. 2009 went by, 2010 went by and 2011 went by. I seriously never thought that day would come. When 2012 finally presented the opening I have hoped for such a long time and it was a no-brainer decision. It is one of those fantastic moments in life, and taking into account the extent I went through to make it happen made it remarkable. A big thank you to all of you who help make it happen for me.

Wow..where do I start to describe my experience. It was simply unreal at times. Taylor opened her Australasia tour with Perth, marking her 99th concert on her Speak Now Tour.The opening act of her tour was upcoming band Hot Chelle Rae, also from Nashville. It was such a big bonus as I really liked some of their songs. They didn't disappoint, they were brilliant performers and I am an official fan of them now. After dishing out about 6 songs with so much energy, the moment finally came where Taylor was about to perform.

All the anticipation and dreams were moments away from being real. Sparks Fly started to play and then Taylor appeared all of a sudden from under the stage and sang the opening line "Drop everything now..." and the fireworks lit the entire stage. People were screaming at the top of their lungs and I couldn't believe there was nothing between me and Taylor (Usually the computer screen) and I looked in awe. She looked stunningly beautiful and it was probably the best I've seen of her. Those bangs made her look adorable. Lucky me.The stage was amazing, all the props and design made it looked absolutely fabulous. It had a Broadway theme. After Sparks Fly, she just stood there silently and looked around as she absorbed the atmosphere. People were screaming like mad again. Just as she looked like she was going to talk to the crowd, she took a stroll back, picked up her guitar and played Mine. I have to say she sings perfectly live, which I didn't really expect. I've seen her perform live in some music awards and some of them weren't really good, but her performance was nothing short of pitch perfect and wonderful.

After Speak Now she finally addressed the crowd. She talked about her first time touring in Perth, the beach she visited earlier in the day, the 16000 strong crowd in the venue and how she was about to share her stories with the crowd. She ended by asking "Are you ready?". It drove the crowd insane again and she started her song "The Story Of Us". She sang most of the songs on her Speak Now album.

It was one of the nights of my life. Stellar performance, superb choreography, great band members, great entertainment and outstanding songs by an extraordinary artist.I just couldn't ask for more, except that I had hoped she sang "If This Was A Movie". I'm still living the dream today and it is a wonderful feeling. Taylor, thanks for the fantastic show.


 
                                                              Our Song


I was enchanted to meet you, Taylor.
~deyao~