10 Best Things I Saw and Heard at the Taylor Swift Show

Unless you spent your weekend under a rock or have some weird disease where your brain shuts down when listening to pop music like my boyfriend’s does, then you know Taylor Swift came to Philadelphia on her 1989 World Tour this weekend. Arguably one of the most successful and beloved musicians of our time, Swift blessed the Lincoln Financial Field yet again with her presence. Love her or hate her, the woman puts on one hell of a show. Here is a list of 10 great moments I witnessed at Friday’s concert as seen through the eyes of this devoted fan:

The Dad Representation

I have to say, the dads were representing at Taylor mad hard, which is always great to see. The true dad MVP would have to be Philadelphian Eric Kishbaugh, who accompanied his wife and daughter to the concert but had to sit by himself the whole night (the trio got three tickets, but only two of them were seated together). When I caught up with Kishbaugh, he was alone and holding this “Taylor Swift for President Sign.” Dad of the year award—and please buy this man a beer the next time you see him.

The Bracelets

I was hesitant when we handed over our tickets at the gate and attendants handed each of us a “a special gift” from Taylor. The bracelet that we received resembled a GPS tracking device, but I would trust Tay with my life, so I slapped it on. Once Taylor started performing, the bracelets lit up in unison across the stadium, creating a neon light show that was synched to the concert. But like, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bracelets were also hypnotizing devices used as part of Taylor’s plan to assemble the largest army of small girls that the world has ever known.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcG4krm4fCs

The Surprise Guests

I’m always that person who is never at the concert where surprise guests perform. Taylor changed all of that Friday night by surprising her audience with a brief performance by Echosmith, who belted out “Cool Kids” (an ironic song choice due to Taylor’s self-proposed normality and awkwardness) and cameos by model friend and eyebrow connoisseur Cara Delevinge, and Mariska Hargitay, aka Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Character Olivia Benson is better known as the namesake of Taylor’s cat. Which isn’t weird at all. Human names for pets are hilarious, okay?

The Flying Camera

Is that a drone? No, it was just a flying camera that followed Taylor’s every movement around the stage. I think it was controlled with strings, puppet-style, and though I honestly couldn’t tell you for sure, I can assure you it was cool.

The “Trouble” Remix

If you weren’t a Taylor fan before (I’m looking at you, mom in the bad mood who sat next to me cursing the wifi), you are one now. Taylor’s rocker cover of her own Red song “I Knew You Were Trouble” gave me chills and also sort of terrified me. I tried to take a video of this performance but upon review of it can only hear my own mangled screams and those of 50,499 pre-pubescents around me, so I’ll spare you.

Photo courtesy of Carissa Bailey

The Fan Costumes

If you were wearing anything other than a homemade outfit, a costume or a shirt with Taylor’s face on it, you were not dressed appropriately. Carissa Bailey and Josh Helfgott, a pair that traveled from New York to see Taylor in concert, abided by the notoriously crazy dress code. Bailey wore a fur wolf onsie in the hope of getting picked to meet Swift; Helfgott dawned full Red Riding Hood garb. For those of you unfamiliar with the album, there is a song on it called “Out of the Woods.” Get the costume references now? It’s punny. And it won them a trip backstage to meet Taylor. So how’s that for dedication?

The Costume Changes

Taylor can seriously rock any look. From her sweet-as-pie pink dresses to her don’t-mess-with-me-I-can-wear-leather-better-than-you-can getups to some seriously short shorts paired with seriously tall stilettos, the girl looked fierce (and walks really well in heels on a catwalk that spins high in the air).

The Man Selling Cowgirl Hats

This guy apparently didn’t get the memo that Taylor isn’t country anymore. He lands a spot on this list, because I appreciate his effort to bring the country theme back (to be fair, I’ll also admit that I wore my “cowboy” boots to the show). He served as a little reminder that just a few years back, Taylor was rocking a banjo and boots, now replaced by her crop top and skirt combos (which she looks fabulous in, by the way).

The Free Therapy

Say what you want about Taylor but she loves her fans and thinks we are special. I know. She told us. Multiple times. Why pay for therapy when you can pay for a concert that includes it?

When she Declared Philadelphia was the Best

Taylor said her hometown was the best and that we were the best (and loudest) crowd. She doesn’t say that to the other crowds, she promised. And she’s right, Philly—we are the best. Everyone knows we have the best fans for everything and Friday night proved that we train ‘em young.

More Taylor Reading: 

• Read our review and check out our exclusive photos from the Taylor Swift show on Friday night here.
• Cant’ get enough of the crazy Taylor fans? We’ve got a roundup of fan photos from the shows here.
• A couple got married at the Taylor Swift concert on Friday—then met her backstage. More here.