Since I got such positive feedback from the last time I shared a story about Taylor Swift I figured it was time to share another one.
This one is from the summer of 2010, the summer before Taylor Swift dropped her third album entitled “Speak Now,” but at the time no one knew anything about it. We didn’t know anything about the title of the album or a single.
I was already in Nashville, Tenn., for CMA Fest week when a friend of mine asked if I wanted to be put on the list for a secret event and all anyone knew was that it had something to do with Taylor. That is all.
And, of course, I said yes.
Everyone in attendance was told to park their cars on the top floor of a random parking garage downtown and wait for further instruction.
We then had to show a photo ID and were told we couldn’t bring anything with us – no phone, no wallet, nothing.
The people we met then loaded all of us up onto coach buses, still having no idea where we were going or why, and we took off to our destination.
About 30 minutes later we arrived at a warehouse in the middle of nowhere and we all got off the buses and lined up outside, we were then handed lanyards that said “Taylor Swift – VIP” and were lead through multiple security checkpoints to ensure we hadn’t brought anything with us and made us all sign confidentiality contracts.
Once we got inside we were told the actual reasoning for being brought to the middle of nowhere without any knowledge – Taylor was filming a segment for the CMA Festival television special of her newest single off her new album, and we were going to be the first fans to hear it.
They led us through some hallways and past all kinds of television cameras and then led into a set decorated exactly like Taylor’s T-Party room, her meet and greet room backstage on her tours.
I stood in the front row in the middle at the end of the catwalk; I had the best spot, for sure. They explained to us a bunch of rules and how we couldn’t tell anybody anything that was happening until the show aired in September.
Taylor came out and played “Mine” for the first time ever. She looked down and saw me standing at her feet and got on her knees and asked me what I thought.
I told her it would be an instant hit, so she hugged me and handed me her guitar pick she had just been using and played the song about five more times.
The whole thing was so surreal. Out of the 75 people who attended no one said anything about the song until it leaked in August. I got the chance to talk to Taylor about it again a few days later and I hadn’t ever felt more special for being a part of something like that.
There’s never a dull moment being a Taylor fan – she makes sure of that.
Column by Breanna Sill, Assistant Features Editor