Sproutings Life - Sharing a city with Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is in Melbourne, Australia. I am in Melbourne!
Online news reports that Taylor Swift arrived in Melbourne (Naarm) in the early hours of some day/night this week – flying to Australia from the United States – a flight on which time and even dates cease to exist. This is February 2024. I write this on a Friday morning, Melbourne time, from my apartment balcony.
This apartment is in Melbourne.
Taylor Swift is in Melbourne.
We watch the same sunrise! We feel the arrival of the same cool change!
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Was it really only last Monday that I watched snatches of the Superbowl on my TV here? Kansas City versus San Francisco, played in Las Vegas. And there is Taylor Swift in the stands, cheering on Kansas City. There she is introducing someone to Paul McCartney. There she is as the game ends in a draw, triggering overtime. There she is when Kansas City wins on the last play of the overtime period.
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It is Christmas 2014 and I’m hunting around for CDs to give as presents to my primary school-aged daughters. A classic? Something new? I hedge my bets. Carole King “Tapestry” and Taylor Swift “1989.”
That 1989 CD becomes a soundtrack to our driving life.
“What shall we listen to?”
“Taylor Swift!”
==
It is 2020 and Melbourne is shutdown. The COVID years smash this city and smash the people of this city in ways collective and yet personally unique. In late July face masks are made mandatory.
And into the shared space of grief and introspection – and into the adjacent shared space of imagination and wonder – Taylor Swift unexpectedly creates and releases the kaleidoscopic stripped-back, story-telling “Folklore” album.
A few days later, a state of disaster is declared in Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne shifts to Stage 4 restrictions. A curfew across Melbourne from 8 pm to 5 am is imposed, a 5 km radius restriction is added, and other restrictions that had previously been applied only to selected postcodes are applied to the whole of metropolitan Melbourne.
“Folklore’ illuminates my winter like a jewel. Walking the darkened backstreets, face mask on, for my allotted daily exercise. Home before curfew. Wary nods to others on the path. All with those “Folklore” tales alive in my headphones.
We relate, right?
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Netflix and there is Taylor Swift in the Miss Americana documentary. Railing powerfully against patriarchal forces, “rules” of the entertainment world, norms of society. Calling them out.
Spotify and there is Taylor Swift fighting to regain the rights to her art. There she is re-recording her back-catalogue under her own control (amazing!), labelling each of these “Taylor’s version,” and putting them into the world side-by-side with the originals.
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Mid 2023 and Taylor Swift announces that her Eras tour will include Melbourne. By now my family situation has changed. I live in an apartment close by to the old family home. And from a desk set up in the living room, I channel Charlie Bucket in my quest for tickets to one of Taylor Swift’s two Melbourne shows. On two machines, I see nothing. The concerts are sold out. Ahh well.
A third Melbourne show is announced. Another day of Charlie Bucket. Another day of keeping hope alive in the face of random acts of the universe. It is late on a Friday. Allocations must be just about exhausted. And I have an appointment to keep. But I give it another few minutes. And then… the laptop screen changes. I see a different screen. This screen includes options for purchasing tickets. Tickets!!
This is NOT the time to accidentally close the web browser. This is the time for calm. This is the time for parts of my body and mind fizz and pop.
Click click click.
Only VIP tickets left.
- Holy price-gouging, Batman.
- Well, Robin. How much would you pay for the experience?
Click click click.
Done.
Done.
And on the family chat: “We’re going!”
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So Taylor Swift, you are here. Welcome.
Can I get you a coffee?
At once I find your music and your ways relatable, joyous, strong, mischievous and touching.
At once I find the hype around you and your ways bizarre, horrifying, scary and sad.
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Our tickets are to the Sunday show.
We’ll be on the footy ground, member’s side.
If we kick to the city end, you will be around about centre-half forward. I imagine kicking it to you, you collecting it, sidestepping your opponent and roosting it into the Ponsford Stand.
Taylor, I wonder how much you know of Peter Daicos. Of Josh and Nick.
You would be another creative ball winner, rour vision and imagination breaking people’s minds.
=
Play on, Taylor. Play on.
The MCG is just the place for you. I hope tonight and tomorrow night’s shows go well.
See you Sunday if not before.
Oh I’m excited - 6:47 pm Friday. The concert has probably started.
Check out Tony Wilson’s account of this lead-up
https://open.substack.com/pub/goodonewilson/p/today-is-our-day-day-for-tay-tay?r=2lkgud&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
That was astounding. Joyous. Fun.
Thanks T Swift.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️