Ready to know more about San Diego?

Subscribe

Just Call Me Swiftie

A ‘San Diego Magazine' editor finds herself at the Taylor Swift concert
Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne | Photo by TAS Rights Management

By Kimberly Cunningham

We’ve got a girl crush on Taylor Swift. She’s the world’s biggest pop star. And after attending her concert on Saturday night at Petco Park, we now understand why.

First of all, she is beautiful.

But anyone who’s seen her on TV or photos of her in magazines knows that.

Also, her songs are quite catchy, and appeal to women (and some men) of all ages—from tiny youngsters to the moms who dropped hundreds of dollars on tickets, claiming it was for their daughters but were secretly dying to attend the show themselves.

We already knew that, too. (Cue sad drunken karaoke renditions of “You Belong With Me” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”)

But here are a few things we didn’t know, that we learned at Saturday night’s performance.

Just Call Me Swiftie

Just Call Me Swiftie

Photo by TAS Rights Management

Taylor Swift has legs for days. She’s tall. 5’10″! She towered over special guests Omi and Avril Lavigne (who’s a mere 5’1″). It’s really a sight to behold in person, and worth the price of admission just to see her outfits. I counted at least six costume changes, all of which showed off her flawless figure that we now believe is due, at least in part, to her supermodel height.

She is not a little girl anymore. Even though we still think of her as 16, Taylor Swift is actually 25. Her latest album, 1989, is named after the year she was born. At this point, she has been touring and writing music for more than a decade, shattering all kinds of records in the process. The T. Swift of today comes across as confident, wise, and very sure of the message she wants to send to her young fans.

But she is still cute. The very definition of cute. Like, if you looked up the word cute in the dictionary, it would probably have a picture of Taylor’s face. She literally skips down the stage and exudes that same doe-eyed innocence we saw the first time she won a Grammy. Her eyes twinkle. Really. They TWINKLE. And are so striking that you can’t help but stare.

She’s also a great dancer. Gone is the awkward girl of those early years and that unfortunate Valentine’s Day movie. She can really move. She struts down the catwalk and works a hair-flip like a pro. And she’s sexy—just the right amount. (See earlier points about her legs and her not being a little girl anymore.) The dance to “Shake It Off” is so fun, we are YouTube-ing and committing to memory ASAP.

Sometimes child stars turn out OK. Forget about Miley, Macaulay, and the two Coreys. Taylor seemingly knows the power of her fame and wants to use it for good. One of the concert’s most memorable moments was when she stopped the music to address her young fans. She said she worries about them—their heartaches and the times they were sad and turned to her music. She also encouraged them to never let other people’s opinions, especially cyber bullies, dictate how they live their lives. She really seems to understand the challenges kids face today, and leads by example. Mama Swift done raised her right!

Petco Park is an amazing concert venue. OK, we’ve said that before, but it bears repeating. It is so cool to be downtown, surrounded by the lights and high-rises. The energy was a little younger than a Paul McCartney or Stones concert—but that just made the beer line shorter. Plus, seeing the awe and wonder in all those little girls’ eyes was magical—a magic matched only but that luminous blonde girl skipping down the stage.

Rock on, Taylor!

Just Call Me Swiftie

Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne | Photo by TAS Rights Management

Share this post

Contact Us

1230 Columbia Street, Suite 800,

San Diego, CA