Why Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour took me back to the darkest moment of my life

Note: This article was originally published on July 1, 2023, one day after Taylor Swift’s first of two concerts at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium. The Enquirer is bringing back this story in honor of their final Eras Tour show on December 8, 2024.

Taylor Swift opened her Eras Tour show on Friday with the line “It’s been a long time coming” from her song “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince.”

It seemed fitting. It’s been five years since their last tour.

But this line had a special meaning for me.

I saw Taylor go on stage in my hometown. In the city where I raise my family. In the city where I work (I could literally see our office window from my seat at Paycor Stadium). And when she sang her first note of the evening, I immediately got goosebumps. My wife Macey looked at me and said, “I’m trying not to cry.”

I’m not an emotional type. I cried when my dog ​​died a few years ago, but that was it. Even I started crying.

Taylor Swift’s music has touched people all over the world. My wife and I have listened to her most of our lives. But even though we’ve both been fans for as long as we can remember, Taylor has meant more to us in recent years than ever before.

Sure, she was there when we were in high school and our teenage relationship grew, but she also helped us overcome a torturous obstacle: infertility.

Taylor Swift’s Fearless era took me back to middle school

I listened to Taylor long before I knew my wife. The artist’s self-titled debut album was released in 2006 and her second album, “Fearless,” was released in 2008.

After opening the evening with her “Lover,” Taylor brought 12-year-old David to life as he sat in the backseat of my grandparents’ car listening to “You Belong With Me” on my MP3 player. I forced myself to remember all the words because I had nothing better to do. We were on a road trip and they didn’t listen to the radio for the entire eight hours we spent in the car.

It seemed that everyone at this concert had a similar memory. We all danced and sang like we were 12 years old.

More: Our 5 favorite moments from Taylor Swift’s Friday show in Cincinnati

But for me, “Fearless” isn’t just a memory of those middle school days. I was a huge Taylor fan growing up, but I wouldn’t have considered myself a Swiftie until I started dating my wife in 2011. She had every single Swift album and we listened to them all while driving around Piqua. Ohio, in her Ford Focus (she’s older and got her driver’s license before me).

These songs took me back to those young days of love.

Taylor Swift’s “Red” evoked simpler times

As soon as Swift walked out in her signature “22” look — a hat and a white shirt that said “Not much going on right now” (though that shirt removed the “not”) — the crowd started dancing (yes, like we 22). The record is full of breakup tracks, but many of the songs are fun and dance-worthy, so it’s hard not to move when they come on.

And this “fun” atmosphere fit my 2012 era like a glove.

My wife looked at me when the “Red” part started and said, “That was the first album that came out when we were together.” We immediately remembered our hasty drive to Target to get it. We had to hear these bonus tracks.

Life was simple back then. I sang these songs while driving to school or with Mace on the way to the movies (she worked there and we could see unlimited movies for free).

But not every “Red” song is suitable for a party. “All Too Well” is a beautiful but painful track that has taken on a different life since Taylor released the 10-minute version in 2021. Her performance of this on Friday was perhaps her most powerful of the night, and the addition of the snow-like confetti was an incredible touch.

The stark contrast between this song and a song like “22” was a reminder that not everything was bright and cheerful back then. I had to deal with my parents’ divorce. My wife also had family problems. And overcoming these challenges only prepared us for what lay ahead.

“Folklore” and “Evermore” got us over our biggest obstacle

Taylor’s other eras also brought back memories. Reputation boosted my confidence after a falling out with my father. “1989” was the first Taylor Swift concert Mace and I ever attended, and we sang those songs when I was in college (I even remember begging my friend for a line in “Blank Space.” “so fiery” after hearing a few of these beers).

However, when we heard our favorite singer perform songs from “Folklore” and “Evermore”, we remembered the most difficult period of our lives.

Taylor released these albums when everyone was struggling with anxiety: in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cabin she had on stage during the “Folklore” portion of the show seemed appropriate considering we were all suffering from cabin fever at the time.

But Mace and I had a lot more to do.

After trying to conceive for six months this year, she finally had a positive test in October. Less than 24 hours after we celebrated with a big fried chicken dinner, she suffered a miscarriage.

This was just three months after the release of “Folklore.” Hearing Taylor sing “My Tears Ricochet” took me back to moments of comforting my crying wife. Or times when I prayed and begged God to just let us be parents.

The next album, Evermore, came out in December 2020. I remember reading Taylor’s surprise announcement on Instagram (not knowing the other person was reading the same thing) and saying “holy shit” at the same time.

At Christmas I sang “‘Tis the Damn Season.” And next Christmas, another holiday without a baby.

For two years we tried (and failed) to achieve a successful pregnancy. We went through seven months of fertility treatments only to get negative tests every month.

We were hopeless. But Taylor’s music gave us an escape. “Folklore” and “Evermore” were all we heard. And hearing it live, seeing Taylor sing these songs that mean so much to us personally; it was surreal.

My father’s era

My wife woke me up from a deep sleep when the world learned that Taylor Swift was releasing a new album called Midnights, which would be released on October 21, 2022.

This date was just 10 days before our first child was born.

In February 2022 we finally took a break from fertility treatments. We wanted to try in vitro fertilization maybe in a few months, but we needed to save money. It’s incredibly expensive.

Somehow we got pregnant during that break. And Marty James Wysong was born on October 31, 2022.

This era was much, much different than the last. As I listened to “Midnight Rain” and “Lavender Haze” on Friday, I remembered driving back and forth between our house and the hospital, running from little to no sleep, screaming those songs to wake up to stay. When Taylor heard “Karma” at the end of the show, we conjured up images of our little boy’s smile as we sang those songs to him.

That was a good era. A great era.

I’m not sure what Taylor’s next will be. As for me, I’m working on becoming a father of two soon. Five months after Marty, or MJ as we call him, was born, we unexpectedly became pregnant again. This time we didn’t even try.

It’s funny how life works. The due date for baby Wysong #2? December 13th – Taylor Swift’s birthday.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour took me back to my darkest moment