I Don’t Know About You

Last night we took our niece Leah to London to see Taylor Swift at the O2 arena. We bought the tickets for a birthday/Christmas present for her and it seemed like ages until the day arrived but yesterday it finally happened! And it was amazing!

We arrived in time for Leah to get home from school and get changed and then we headed to the train station. We knew about the tube strike but still wanted the train journey to be part of the fun day out so arranged to go out on the train and then get a lift home. The wind was so strong and it was very cold but we kept busy chatting on the platform while we waited for the train. The journey was fun and before we knew it we were in London!

We took the busy underground to Greenwich and headed for the O2 where we made a beeline for the merchandise stand. We got very excited when we saw there were glow sticks! We got a glow stick each and a cool t-shirt too! Then we had a mooch for restaurants and ate dinner at Frankie & Benny’s.  Fed and watered we headed to our seats – we didn’t want to miss the support act.

Sitting in our seats, I was amazed at all the signs people had made – all of which were adorned or shaped with fairy lights! When the lights went down the effect was amazing – like a massive Christmas tree of shapes and words. People were dressed up too – we spotted a massive pumpkin, two bears and two women dressed in wedding dresses with veils! There were a lot of tiny red shorts and striped tops too! Everyone had put so much effort in. Our seats were really good too with mostly adults around us we were the most exuberant in our area!

The support act was The Vamps and only knowing two of their songs I wasn’t sure whether I’d enjoy it, but they were really good and sung two covers which I knew. Such a young group of lads but they really knew how to work the crowd and got everyone warmed up for the main event.

Candy floss in hand, we were all sugared up and excited for Taylor to come on stage. We didn’t have to wait long but were entertained by watching Momma Swift making the rounds in the seated floor area and taking photos with fans. And then finally the lights went down and the crowd went mental. Seriously the loudest crowd I’ve experienced – and that was including myself!

The whole show was amazing, with great sets and dancing, pyrotechnics and confetti. The songs were themed and included steam punk, circus and ballet with some amazing violin work mixed in with dancing from Caitlin – she’s amazingly bendy! Well known songs were performed in alternative genres and kept you guessing. Taylor spoke to the crowd too which was great and kept it interesting. She’d been having surprise guests at her London concerts just as she had in her US tour and I was a little nervous as to who she would choose – they’d all been British so far (Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith) and last night was Danny from The Script. They sang Break Even which I actually know, which was helpful! The crowd went mental for it!

After the show ended we were all hoarse and deaf but happy! Because of the tube strike they’d shut the station so it was a bit crazy with people and the weather had made a turn for the worst with torrential rain and gale force winds (not exaggerating!) But we eventually found our lift, and had the chance to shut our eyes for the journey home. Tired but content we arrived home and jumped into bed. We’d had an amazing time and had lots of memories of the night.

I can’t wait for my next concert!