RAZZLE-DAZA - Pat-P Daza - The Philippine Star
November 18, 2024 | 12:00am
Back in August 2023, my 32-year-old stepdaughter, Alexa Bonnevie-Milmont, invited my daughter Gabbie to join her for Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert last Oct. 27 in New Orleans. Alexa — who lives in Denver — managed to secure two VIP floor tickets. Though Gabbie had already seen the “Eras” show in L.A. last Aug. 4, 2023, she couldn’t resist the chance to experience it again. Since then, Gabbie has been saving up for the trip and the concert, excited to relive “Eras” in a whole new city.
Every month, Gabbie would set aside a portion of her salary specifically for this trip. I made it clear to her from the start that she would be responsible for covering all the expenses — including airfare, concert ticket and even pocket money — so she has been diligently saving up ever since.
Gabbie finalized the itinerary for her trip with New York (her favorite city) as the first stop. She spent over a week there, embracing the magic of the city in the fall, enjoying the crisp air, the golden leaves, and all her favorite New York activities. She spent time with friends, watched three Broadway shows (“The Notebook,” “Wicked” and “Romeo and Juliet”), and just soaked in the city’s vibrant energy. A huge thank you goes to my dear friend Angel Gamez for graciously hosting her in his beautiful apartment during her stay.
After New York, Gabbie flew to Denver to meet up with Alexa, and together they headed to New Orleans for the “Eras Tour” concert. After the concert, she spent some quality time in Denver with Alexa, her husband David, and their two adorable little girls Sienna and Athena, before returning to New York for the final leg of her trip.
After a great week in New York and a fun, full day in Denver, I could hardly believe it was finally time to see Taylor! Ate Alexa and I boarded a 6 p.m. flight to New Orleans, and to our surprise, the plane was filled with Swifties! It was easy to tell — everyone (including us) was decked out in “Eras” merchandise or sporting friendship bracelets. The air was already buzzing with excitement. As we were getting off the plane, our United Airlines flight attendant even joked, “Looks like we’ll all be seeing each other tomorrow!”
At the NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana) airport, there was even a Taylor Swift standee, the city’s way of welcoming the pop sensation to the city. At our hotel, we were greeted by another delightful surprise: the entire hotel was fully decorated and themed for the “Eras Tour”! It was such a fun and immersive experience, and it made us feel even more excited and safe as we settled in.
And then, the concert day arrived! Because we wanted to start the day with beignets for breakfast, we headed to the famous Café Du Monde. The line was long, but as we looked around, we realized everyone in line was a Swiftie! When we finally got our seats, we were so glad we stayed because it was the perfect way to load up for the night ahead.
As we walked around afterwards, we could feel the excitement in the streets of New Orleans. Everyone was buzzing with positive energy, and the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming. But we didn’t want to burn all our energy too soon, so we headed back to the hotel to rest up before the big night. Around 1:30 p.m., we started getting ready. I wore the same dress I had for the L.A. “Eras” show, but this time I added eye gems for an extra touch. Additionally, Ate and I both wore face sparkle freckles from the brand Fazit (which Taylor herself has been seen wearing). We were beyond excited and totally pumped for the concert.
We wanted to get to the venue early because I was eager to buy merchandise. When we were ready, we took an Uber to Caesars Superdome. Our driver shared something that warmed our hearts. He told us to thank Taylor when we got there because she had made so many people happy and provided jobs for so many over the weekend. It was a lovely reminder of the incredible impact she has.
We were told that the gates would open at 4:30 p.m. and we arrived a bit before 4. We spent the time chatting with people in line and admiring everyone’s amazing outfits. When the doors finally opened, I quickly headed to the merch line, which was still short. Luckily, I was able to snag all the designs I wanted in the sizes I needed.
Afterwards, we made our way to our seats. And my oh my… we were seated in the row 4 VIP seats, right by the diamond stage! When we saw how close we were to the stage, we couldn’t contain our excitement and screamed so loud. This was truly a dream come true! We were so close…I couldn’t even imagine how I would feel when Taylor finally emerged.
Since we arrived early, we had plenty of time to settle into our seats, enjoy an order of chicken tenders for dinner, and most importantly, make friends with the Swifties around us who also couldn’t believe how incredible the view was! I was handing out friendship bracelets left and right, even to the venue security guards nearby. It was Taylor’s third and final night in NOLA, and the excitement was absolutely contagious!
At 7 p.m., the opening act, Gracie Abrams, took to the stage. I’ve been a huge Gracie fan since 2020 and seeing her perform live was such a joy. She was absolutely incredible and so beautiful, and I had the best time during her set! By the time she finished, there were only about 30 minutes left until Taylor would take to the stage. And when she finally appeared, I was absolutely speechless. I looked to my right and saw that Ate was already in tears. There was so much to take in — Taylor Swift was right there, so close, and it was overwhelming!
Seeing the show in the Big Easy was a completely different experience for so many reasons. First and foremost, the fact that I was so close to my all-time favorite artist felt almost illegal. There were moments when it felt like she was singing just for me, looking directly at me. I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan since I was seven years old, and now that I’m 23, having her right there in front of me — singing only for us — was indescribable. It’s a feeling that will stay with me forever. Growing up with her music, watching her evolve, and having this connection is something so special to me.
Since it was the final leg of the tour, I also got to experience the newest addition to the “Eras Tour” — the “Tortured Poets Department” set — and it was surreal. For the highly anticipated surprise song acoustic set, Taylor did a mashup of Afterglow and Dress. I completely lost my voice because I love those songs so much and hearing them live on guitar was something I’ll never forget.
Another thing that made the show special was that it marked the 10th anniversary of her iconic album, 1989. During the piano set, she performed a 1989 medley of How You Get the Girl and Clean. It was a jaw-dropping mashup, and of course, it went viral afterwards!
For four hours, I was just in awe, taking in the magic and dancing and singing along to unforgettable favorites. I’m so grateful I got to share that most special night with Ate Alexa; it truly was a precious core memory that I’ll hold onto forever.
After the concert ended, it was time to head back to the hotel. While we were initially nervous about how we would get back considering there were over 65,000 people at the show, we ended up walking back to the hotel. Not only was it relatively close, but almost all the Swifties were walking, too. That’s one of the things I love about the Swiftie community… it just radiates with so much positivity and warmth. That weekend, everyone was incredibly sweet, nice and fun, and Ate Alexa and I agreed that we would never experience New Orleans that way again.
When I explored New Orleans the next day, I had a poem written for me on-the-spot by a poet-for-hire, and she said this was the most fun weekend she had had in a very long time. That’s the Taylor Swift effect for you.
