Taylor Swift stole the show this week. Not just at the CMA’s (with her laugh out loud “highlight of my senior year” line and performance) but also at her most recent “Bonfires and Amplifiers Tour stop where she grabbed the audience from the first downbeat of “Our Song” on stage Saturday night.
It was clear to me than many of the fans that were in the seats (overall a much lighter crowd than I would expect for Brad Paisley) were there specifically to see her. Even in the hallways of the Coliseum a LOT of young people were singing along to ALL the songs. Even the album (non radio hit) cuts.
Here’s the Set List from the 11/10/07 show:
Our Song
Beautiful
Teardrops On My Guitar
Shoulda Said No
Tim McGraw
I Hate That
Backstage, Swift was as charming as any artist I’ve met. She was so genuine and warm she would likely get a lot of breaks even if her music wasn’t special. But it really is. On her bus she treated our radio winner to an exclusive performance of “Our Song” and was open to all questions. I was hesitant to get too personal but asked who sent her the 2 dozen red roses I saw on her bus table, “Trisha Yearwood sent me those.” She followed with “You can ask me ANYTHING like that – no, there’s not from a boyfriend – I don’t have a boyfriend right now.” I’m sure some of the guys our promo staff perked up on that.
Full disclosure: I didn’t really care for Taylor up until about two weeks ago. To me she was too “pop”. I guess I thought she was manufactured. “Tim McGraw” and “Teardrops” were straying too far from a traditional sound in my mind. Then, for some reason when I listened to “Our Song” it just clicked with me how amazing it is that this teenager is WRITING these clever songs. In fact she solo “wrote ‘Our Song’ as a little ditty for a 9th grade talent contest.” I had to go back and count the grades to remember 9th grade is a freshman in High School!
I no longer think Taylor Swift is too pop – rather she is the face, sound, and future of country. Two million cds sold…. and I’m just getting on… and we’re only on the third single. Horizon Award indeed.
Daniels, who just turned a hearty 71 years young last week, says he’s always proud to perform for the vets and our troops. “They’re the best we’ve got.” He Says, “There are no finer Americans than the ones wearing that uniform they’re just the best.”
