This post has been in the works since Taylor announced her Eras tour. It honestly feels like forever ago since I patiently sat at my computer, stuck on TicketMaster for about 6+ hours, only to snag some expensive, but somewhat mediocre seats.
But there is SO much more that goes into attending a Taylor Swift concert than just booking a ticket. Allow me to guide you through my experience, from beginning to end. Who knew being a teen parent required specific outfits and lyric learning?
Certainly not me.
PLANNING AHEAD
Admittedly, I am not a true Swiftie. I like and love a lot of TS songs, as I have grown with her in her artistry throughout the years. I think I'm about 4 years older than she is? My disdain for Kanye West is linked to Taylor (you know what I'm talking about). And her song Blank Space is number one on my European living 2014-2017 playlist. I dig her clothing style, and wish that I could play off a cool, ashy blonde, but that's as far as my knowledge goes. I don't heavily follow any celebrity's life. In fact, I find my own life to be entertaining enough. No shade, but honestly, celebrity gossip bores me to tears. I didn't even know shit about Joe Alwyn, let alone that she was in a relationship at all. Bro, I still don't even know who Joe Alwyn is, but damn straight I know every word to Blank Space & You Need to Calm Down.
First thing first:
Having traveled around the globe for both leisure and events, I knew once I snagged the tickets for APRIL 29th that I would have to book the hotel immediately. And that I did.
I made reservations at the 4 star Marriot Marquis in Downtown Atlanta for one night at $390. It's within walking distance to Mercedes Benz arena. Months later, while looking into the planning of other details, I was horrified to read some of the newer reviews about check-in.
Dozens of reviewers who were very recently in town for major events since I booked, like Post Malone and Comic Con, complained about check-in practices. Each and every person stated they waited HOURS before getting a room; some stating they were turned away, despite paying in full months in advance. Rooms simply weren't ready, nor guaranteed.
Look, my recent little internship taught me a lot about reservations. I KNOW that a reservation doesn't guarantee shit, even if paid in full. I've had to do callbacks and tell customers, "Sorry, I know you booked a car when Lincoln was president, and before cars were invented, but we have nothing available now." It was either that truth, or the next one I'm about to share...
Hotels and rental car companies have the ability to overbook and later cancel the cheaper reservations without much warning. It's all about the $$$
So aside from my fear of not checking in in enough time, I also know my $390 reservation is nothing compared to the $870 per night cost now for the same room that many late to the game are willing to pay. These hotels near the stadium jacked every price up the day after Taylor's tickets went on sale, which is why I booked immediately in the first place. As we edge closer to the actually event date, rates are even higher.
I am driving to Atlanta from Augusta, which is roughly a two and a half hour drive with no traffic. With a 4pm check-in that may potentially consume our prep time, we would be late to the party, and definitely not ready to party. And that's if we even got a room. So what's a Swiftie mom to do?
I cancelled that shit last night, but not before booking another.
Nestled in upper midtown near Atlanta SCAD, there lies a quiet, freshly renovated Motel 6 with nothing around it. No sketch corner stores, no busy streets. For $110 and free parking, I was surprised it existed for this date. Honestly, not a fan of motels, at all...BUT nearly everything else with early check-in allowed for that particular weekend is unavailable, unless I want to pay $1K per night. No thanks. I paid in full (a whopping $130 including tax and fees), and got to transportation research. For $45, we can park in the Blue Lot outside of the stadium, which is a 3 mile drive away from the motel. Straight shot, there and back. Paid for that as well. This motel ended up working out just fine, and we weren't the only Eras tour guests there.
PARKING
Buy your parking ahead of time if you plan to attend any huge event!!! I did, thankfully. About two weeks before the event, the venue announced ALL parking in near by areas was sold out. Also, ride shares, like Uber and such, will NOT be able to accommodate everyone. Keep that in mind. If you plan to purchase parking, only use official websites.
TIMING
With some research, I learned that the merch lines start early. That's if you can find them...
We were ushered to a certain line based on where I parked. Even though I tried to maneuver to a different area to find the merch truck, I was stopped by security. I understand every venue is different, but if you sincerely plan on the merch truck, find out exactly where it is and head there first. Otherwise, you may be caught up in a line that you didn't plan on. We literally had no way of getting around to the other side of the stadium, unless we wanted to walk a couple of miles out of the way.
WHAT TO BRING
I brought a shit ton of stuff, but I didn't use the half of it. I used my debit card (obv), ChapStick, hand sanitizer, and a few Jolly Ranchers. I never needed anything else. I didn't even crack open my water in the bag or use my portable charger.
OUTFITS
This is probably THEE hardest past about prepping for this concert.
My daughter kept talking about "Eras" outfits once the tickets were booked, and I was was just like 😧😧😧 Say what?
Sooo, I have a friend who is much cooler than I am, but the same age. I KNEW she'd be going to TS in Arizona as she's pretty darn savvy to contemporary pop culture, and also has a daughter about the age of my Swiftie daughter. No joke, I hit up her Insta inbox and asked, " Do mom's, or parents, actually dress up for these things?" She explained the entire situation, stating that dressing up, and -consequentially- people watching, is one of the best parts of these mega concert tours, like Swift & Styles.
She wasn't wrong.
Seriously, I was down to dress up, I just didn't want to look like Regina George's mom out in public: The 'try-hard' mom. Can you imagine being the only person over 35 dressed up in the line? No thanks.
Once I felt more secure about the dress up, play the part, thing, I got to Eras research. I wanted to stick with an era that I actually liked. I narrowed it down to Red, 1989, and Reputation. If I am being utterly honest, these three albums are the albums I know thoroughly, thus the albums I appreciate the most. They came to me in a time of need, but I digress...
With that said, I wanted to channel an outfit from these eras. 1989 is probably my favorite all-time TS album, but I don't exactly love the garb vibe associated with it. 10 years ago, I could have pulled off a hot Reputation outfit, but I'm pushing 40 now, so nope.
Red it was.
I kind of pulled from a few different Red looks. I wanted it to be 'me', but something that TS might actually wear. I do love and wear hats, lace is my thing, but I HATE high-waisted shorts/pants. I also hate the color red!
It all started with some Google. I searched TS Red tour outfits, and started drawing inspo. These were some of my favorite looks:
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Look three is my personal favorite, though finding a sequin, embellished bodysuits -or tops like it- proved difficult. I am a high-volume eBay seller, who literally gets paid to research outfits and sell clothing, daily. The nearest equivalent I could find for a look, and heavily sequin bodysuit was an Amen brand bodysuit that's about $600 used. That's more than my tickets! So I went with a blend of picture 2 & 3: Hat, glitter top (bodysuit), red shorts, ankle boots. Though, I initially had an ivory, lace bodysuit first. I also bought some 'Hooters' tights on Amazon that helped hide some emerging spider veins. That's enough on that topic.
Even though I hate the color red, I started there. I figured if one is representing the Red album, there must be red somewhere. Eventually I found these pull-on, deep red, sailor style shorts on Poshmark for $10, NWT. I decided to build my outfit upon them.
Next, I found a lace NWT bodysuit on Posh for $25 + shipping. It's originally from Lulus. When I got it, I was super disappointed that it's more of a yellow-creamy color than white or soft ivory. I resold that out of my memory quickly. I went back on the hunt, and found this Charlotte Russe lace bodysuit NWT from Posh for only $5 + shipping! BUT I still wasn't in love.
I did want something with more pizazz, like sequin or rhinestone detail, but most of what I found was too much or too little, or wouldn't fit the look quite right. I was 100% satisfied with my outfit until I wasn't...
A week before the event, I started to feel a bit blah about my ensemble, even though my own teen says she's jealous of it, as it -in her words- embodies Taylor Swift herself. But when my kid gave me a little fashion show of what she was wearing, I just felt like the sparkle was missing from my own outfit. So I went back to Poshmark (I know I'm a traitor in buying from them and not eBay) and bought this Bebe bodysuit for $15 + shipping.
OUTFITS FINALE
The hat came from Amazon for $15 w/ free shipping. And I already owned the leather boots: Calvin Klein Fiona. Already owned the high low open blazer (it's like 10 years old, Forever 21). And the burgundy-ish glasses are from eBay. I didn't want fire engine red for any part of my outfit. It's such an angry color.
GETTING INSIDE THE ARENA
The lines were LONG AF. But as soon as they opened the gates at 4:30pm, the lines moved pretty fast. Just remember if you're attending a future date, you'll get in and you have a seat saved just for you, even if you're at the back of a two mile line. We were in a 'one' mile line, and I think we made it inside around 4:45pm.
MERCH
Personally, I wasn't all about the merch. I did end up purchasing the gray quarter zip sweater and a black t-shirt. My daughter went merch wild, spending $300 of her own money on random stuff. Note: She regrets buying the black hoodie. The screen print on it is tough to see, especially after a wash.
We got to our section/concourse first before finding a merch line. Don't go to the first merch line you see at any event! It's always going to be the busiest because it's near an entrance. As for the elusive special merchandise, like the blue crew neck, I've been told it was only available at the merch truck outside. I will say this, out of everyone we saw wandering with merch on, not a single person was rockin' that blue crew neck. Not one. It's possible it sold out, but I can't say for sure.
The merch kind of runs big, IMO. What's great though is they let you try it on before buying, and the staff was accommodating when you wanted to compare sizes, at least at the Benz arena they were. When we got to the front of the line, I was sad to find out the size small in the gray 1/4 zip ran out. I went with a medium, and now I'm glad for it! When we got home, we ironed the screen printed parts of our merch and washed them. Each thing shrunk down nearly a size, so now it fits like a small (or a schmedium). Perfect.
At first, the merch looks cheap/low quality. But the items are made in Egypt and with super soft, quality cotton. The cream color tshirt almost feels like silk on your skin!
So if you're unsure about sizes, my recommendation is to size up if you plan to ever machine wash and dry it.
STARTING TIME
I had sent my daughter to get refills of our drinks around 7:45pm. Right after she left, the clock appeared and started counted down from 2 minutes and 40 seconds or so. I started to panic. I couldn't let her miss the moment TS popped out! Just as I started sweating at the one minute mark, I decided to ditch all of our shit and our seats to go find her. But as I started down the stairs, she was walking up! Thank goodness.
I thought it'd start at 8pm, but it officially, on my watch, began at 7:48pm. Others said night one began at 8:08pm. Just be aware that between 7:45 and 8:15, you may not want to stray too far from your seat if you're heading to her concert soon!
THE SHOW
Taylor doesn't let you down. Taylor also doesn't stop. There are no intermissions. She's like a ballerina in a jewelry box that just keeps moving. Aside from some short moments of set and costume changes, she's on the stage for three hours straight.
Look y'all. Real talk. I've given birth to four kids and can't hold it for too long. As the great Doctor Malcolm once said, "When you gotta go, you gotta go."
I missed the opening for Reputation because of a bathroom break. But at the end of the day, I wasn't mad about it. It was either that or sit in pee pee shorts for the rest of the night. My daughter never left her seat. Must be nice to be young!
People also talked about trading bracelets during the show. I didn't make any, but my daughter did. However, we didn't see anyone trading during the show, only before it while in bathroom, food and merch lines. If you have bracelets to trade, do it before! Once the show starts, you've forgotten who you are, your problems, your reason for being, and the fact that you're wearing bracelets.
Our secret songs: High Infidelity and Gorgeous.
It was kind of a no brainer that'd she'd do High Infidelity, as it was April 29th! It was probably one of my favorite moments of the night.
We also got a Taylor cat joke when there was a long pause because of a sound issue with the band. It was corny AF, but another highlight. She just started rambling for a few minutes about life and stuff. It was a humanizing moment. She's not just a performer, she's a person.
Our view:
We were on the top level of the Mercedes Benz arena. When I was purchasing tickets, I didn't have any other options available but the third level, so third level it was. But I did have the option to sit center stage, which was an amazing view! We could see everything from where we were located: Section 325, Row 10, seats 20 & 21. And because the Benz is one of the few stadiums in the world with the "Halo" screen, you could see her performance from any angle in there, even if you were deep side stage. I was not disappointed with our seats. The pics/vids below are not in order!
*All photos/videos were shot on a regular, old iPhone 11. Nothing fancy.
Floor seats were literal folding chairs, with each section facing the stage. These were not on risers or elevated in any way. We heard quite a few disappointed floor people when leaving the arena saying they could hardly see the stage itself from where they were located because of all of the people standing in front of them. They had to look at the screen or the halo to see anything at all, just like the rest of us peasants. Unless you were right in front on the floor, I can see how it'd be disappointing.
My favorite performance?
Cruel Summer, You Need to Calm Down, Out of Style, Love Story, Blank Space, Lover, High Infidelity, Anti-Hero. I can't pick just one!
Pay close attention during Lover if you're reading this and attending a future date! The light up bracelets create ginormous pink hearts in the crowd. But it doesn't last very long. It was so quick that I couldn't take a picture. And no, I didn't have my phone on the entire time. I wanted to be in the experience, not record it all.
During my bathroom break, there were NO lines for merch! And tons of merch left. Food lines were also non-existent.
My one huge bitch about this concert has nothing to do with TS, but everything to do with Mercedes Benz Arena. Lines for women's bathrooms were wrapped around several sections. Eventually people started forming lines for the men's bathrooms, too. I was in line for one of them, waiting for about ten minutes or so, before a security guard came and shooed everyone away, blocking the entrance, screaming "This is a MENS bathroom, and none of y'all look like men!"
Read the room, mother fucker. 95% of the guests at Eras identify as a woman/girl. It was ridiculous. The lady behind me said, "When NIN came here, no one told the men they couldn't use the women's bathrooms. They did it all night without a problem." Another double standard in the books, ladies. Ugh.
THE AFTER PARTY
There are no encore performances on this tour, at least thus far. When she's done, she's done.
We took our time leaving, as I knew all that awaited us outside was rain and traffic jams. When we did leave, it was still raining. Thankfully I planned ahead, so we busted out our little 97 cent Walmart ponchos and headed to the car. This was a moment I was happy as hell to own a minivan. We were able to change and lounge inside comfortably as we waited for the lot to mostly clear up. We waited about a good hour, just talking about the show, looking through photos & videos, and people watching.
Let me tell you something about some of the Atlanta Taylor fans. They are ruthless, mean girls with no patience or care about others. The amount of hate we heard after the concert was unexpected. We just left a stadium filled with love and tolerance, to find the same folks outside screaming profanities at each other in the parking lot, honking, giving people the finger, etc. We even watched one lady taunt a homeless man. Another woman pulled up on him with her car on purpose, as if she were going to run him over because he was crossing the road in front of her. Like his knees to her bumper close. She was screaming like a feral, crackhead at the poor guy. Half of what she was saying was hard to understand because she was so heated for no fucking reason.
We also saw a LOT of drunks. One woman drunk tumbled inside as we were leaving. It was kind of funny to be honest. She did it to herself. But the alcohol thing is also scary, knowing that some of these people were getting behind the wheel of a car when there are loads of pedestrians around and young teen drivers.
Call me a bore, but I never have and never will understand why booze is served at these giant venues, even during sporting events. It generally brings out the worst in people. And yes, I drink! I just don't fuck around with drinking and driving, ever. Arrive alive. If I ain't on my couch, I ain't drinking. I don't need it to have a good time. And if you do, you likely have a problem. Yes, I said it.
We got to our motel around 1:15am, took some after pictures, showers, and crashed for the night around 2:30am.
THE CONCERT HANGOVER
The next day felt like a hangover, even though I didn't drink. I'm just too old to stay up too late anymore. I expire at midnight like a fucking pumpkin.
We woke up around 9am, and even on a Sunday morning in Atlanta, traffic sucks! I decided to get out of dodge and stop for breakfast outside of the city on our way back. I really thought we'd be the only TS fans at an IHOP in the middle of nowhere, but nope. Ava and I had on our new TS Eras sweaters, and so did every other white girl in that IHOP. We all kind of just did the silent smile, head nod thing at each other.
Overall, our experience was beyond my expectations. We had so much fun and if I could do it all over again, the only thing I'd change was waiting in that men's bathroom line, as it ended up being a precious waste of time. That aside, every part of it was worth it; every penny was worth it.
As for my next big event at the Benz, my other daughter is patiently waiting for an American Billie Eilish tour announcement some day. We'll see...
Never say never :-)
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