Attention, please. We interrupt this job-search blog to bring you our experience at last night's Taylor Swift concert.
Ever since Taylor's blonde curls bounced onto the music scene, my husband has been an unabashed fan. So in celebration of his recent birthday, our daughter gifted him with a pair of tickets to the pop star's concert last night at Cowboys Stadium. One ticket for him, and one for me.
Saturday afternoon, our inner 13-year-olds set out for Jerry's shiny, big gridiron palace. Fortunately the rest of us, which is 13 several times over, knows how to drive. We left in plenty of time, our anxiety buttons pushed a bit by media reports of predicted heavy traffic near Arlington's two mega-stadiums, where Taylor would be singing at the same time that the Texas Rangers played Detroit.
We were so early that the nightmare traffic had yet to materialize, and slid easily into Lot 12, waving our $35 parking pass. And because stadium food is pretty much a no-can-do for me and my gluten-free diet, we packed a cooler with a modest spread for our own Taylorgate party.
We watched the parade of fans as we munched. Have there ever been so many girls and young women in short, flirty skirts and cowboy boots? It's the Taylor fashion look, and most of the citizens of TaylorNation got the memo on what to wear.
Once inside Cowboys Stadium, we joined a line at one of the many souvenir stands. None of the Taylor Swift concert T-shirts had a design appealing to the mid-life male fan, so my husband passed on the shirts but opted for a "Speak Now" worldwide tour 2012 calendar ($10) and a souvenir program ($20).
Our seats on the top level must have been in section "V", for Vertigo. Once we found them, my husband plopped his center of gravity into the seat and announced that he wouldn't be moving again. That anchored center of gravity proved useful when he extended a hand to help a couple of slender, coltish fans who vaulted up over a couple of rows of seats to ascend to their perch in the seats beside us.
Demographically speaking, there are more slender, coltish female fans at a Taylor Swift concert than you'd ever see at a Cowboys game, or anywhere else. The menfolk, except for a smattering of husbands, boyfriends and granddads, must have been across the street at the Rangers game.
We did the wave along with everybody else while waiting for Taylor's opening acts, and finally, the big show. Taylor's fans went nuts when she appeared in her gold flapper-style dress, singing "Sparks Fly," and the singer looked genuinely wonderstruck at the size and scope of Cowboys Stadium filled with screaming, glowstick-waving fans.
From our seats in the aerie, the figures on stage were tiny, even when I used my opera glasses. But I'm sold on the Jumbotron, which brings every detail of a performer's face into high-definition focus. It is difficult, however, to keep track of the action on stage, where Taylor's band and dancers are putting on a great show, and keep an eye on the Jumbotron at the same time. So when Taylor comes to town for her next tour, we'll spring for pricier seats with a better view of the stage.
Meanwhile, the video of "Sparks Fly," which you can view at http://www.taylorswift.com/videos does a great job of capturing the essence of the "Speak Now" world tour experience in just a few minutes.
After the show, we spiraled our way down a long ramp to the ground floor, and through the massive wall of glass we saw that the promised traffic jam had indeed materialized, along with some welcome rain. We arrived home just before 2:00 a.m.
Returning for a moment to the original premise of this blog -- job searching -- there is news to report! I have a job offer, and when the details are all signed, sealed and delivered, I'll blog about it in an upcoming post.
