Maya’s First Concert- Taylor Swift Red Concert @ Nationwide Arena

Maya at Taylor Swift's Red Tour

I remember my first concert like it was yesterday.  Since I am a thirty something girl you can probably guess who’s show I saw.  Of course it was New Kids on the Block! Our ten year old daughter, Maya, is a Taylor Swift fan in a big way.  She sings along to all her songs, hangs her posters on the wall and reads everything she can about her. I think Taylor Swift is a positive role model in many ways- she has an admirable work ethic and is a talented song writer. Say what you want about her love life, she tells it like it is and I love her girl next door persona. As far as pop princesses go, she has maintained her humility and seems to genuinely care about her fans. I have no problem encouraging Maya’s interest in her.

Last Christmas in an effort to stop buying so many things for presents and instead focus on experiences, we bought Maya tickets for Red, the concert for Swift’s latest album which took place on May 8th in Columbus, Ohio.  It was her big gift and we packaged the tickets in a gift bag with a Taylor Swift T-shirt, her perfume, a head band and a shuffle with all of Swift’s songs loaded on it. It would be a Mom and daughter solo trip which made it even more special. As Christmas is a ways away from May, Maya counted down the days and was absolutely giddy when the day for the concert was finally here and I picked her up early from school to make the 2 hour drive from Cincinnati. Deciding to stay overnight in Columbus rather than drive back late at night, I was able to book the Sheraton Suites Columbus through Hotwire the day before we left for a great deal.  At only 68 bucks a night it was perfect for us and I will book through Hotwire last minute every time we are heading somewhere that it doesn’t really matter which hotel we stay at.  We loved the hotel plus saved some money which is a definite win-win.

Maya and I at Taylor Swift Red Concert

We had a couple hours to kill after checking in so headed straight for the workout room and pool.  Both were great and we had fun racing each other on the fancy treadmills with a “trail run” on the screen in front of us before spending a while playing in the pool. Once it was time to go, Maya picked Tim Horton’s for dinner since we don’t have them in Cincinnati and we ate grilled cheeses and doughnuts before heading downtown.  By this time, Maya was overwhelmed with excitement which was pretty infectious!

It was easy to navigate the downtown area and we parked close to Nationwide Arena for 12 bucks before heading inside which was buzzing with various advertising giveaways. For full disclosure I will admit that I haven’t personally been a big Taylor Swift fan as her songs cater to the younger crowd, but the show was so much fun! Girls go all out for seeing her in concert and tons of them were decked out in various light up signs and costumes. The crowd loves her and the enthusiasm is contagious.  Florida Georgia Line and Ed Sheeran both opened and got the crowd energized and by the time Taylor Swift came on the crowd was roaring. And I gotta say, the Taylor Swift Red Concert was awesome!

Taylor Swift's Red Concert Tour

Whatever you think about Taylor Swift, she aims to entertain the crowd and puts on a 2 hour energy filled show complete with all kinds of special effects, costume changes and beautiful set designs.  She stayed classy and while definitely growing up, you could still imagine her as an angst filled teenager pining away for the boy next door. I really enjoyed the Taylor Swift Red concert and Maya was mesmerized! This was the perfect choice for a girl’s first concert and I am so glad we went.  Anything to stay away from the One Direction madness or God forbid, a Justin Beiber scream fest! Thanks for being such a class act Taylor! You lived up to Maya’s expectations and surpassed mine.  It was an awesome night.

Have you seen Taylor Swift? What did you think?  I’d love to hear about it!

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2 replies on “Maya’s First Concert- Taylor Swift Red Concert @ Nationwide Arena”
  1. says: tia

    what a lucky girl!! i am 26 and would love taylor swift concert tickets for my birthday! 😉 sounds like a fun mother/daughter mini trip!

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