Why I Cried at a Taylor Swift Concert in Mexico & It’s Not Why You Thinkfeatured

If you know a little about me, you know that I am a sucker for good lyrics. I have studied them all my life. I can listen to certain lyrics and they can transport me to an exact moment in my past. Suddenly, I can feel like I am 16 years old getting ready for the homecoming dance while singing at the top of my lungs.

My love for lyrics has led me to become a Taylor Swift fan. No, I don’t think she is the most amazing person in the universe, but I do think she is one of the most dynamic musicians I have ever followed in my lifetime.

Her lyrics have carried me through some of my darkest moments. They have been there for me when I broke up with him or when I left that one toxic job. They have been there for me to endlessly digest and dissect – only to realize I was trying to learn myself better all along.

And so 2023 was the year of T Swift.

Love her, or hate her (not sure how you could hate someone with her level of talent?) she can play multiple instruments, she has written every single one of her songs, and she has been authentically herself throughout her entire career. Her consistency as a human is unparalleled and the stuff of ideal role models.

I was lucky enough to go to not one, but two, of her concerts this year, one in Las Vegas and the other in Mexico City. I could ramble to you about how cute and sweet she is on stage but I really don’t care about all that and I doubt you do either.

The build-up to buying tickets was beyond an ordeal – I mean, she literally broke ticketmaster.com. Fans went batshit over getting tickets and some paid thousands of dollars for nosebleeds. My heart goes out to those who were not able to go to any of her live concerts.

I got the tickets, I waited months and months, I bought the “on-era” outfits.

I got to Vegas and saw the grandest spectacle you could ever imagine. No, not because of Taylor, but because of her fans – the infamous “Swifties.” Vegas Swifties were DECKED out. I felt like a poser in the midst of it all… with my little red hat and sparkly shirt, I was underdressed and completely irrelevant to say the least. I had good food, a good seat, good company, and a spectacular time. Vegas + Taylor = Sparkly Magic.

Months later, I was lucky enough to get tickets to her Mexico City show (for 10x cheaper, thanks Mar!). I went with my Mexico City co-worker and the whole logistical experience surrounding it all was 10x harder.

Entering and exiting the venue took longer than you could ever expect, we almost got trampled multiple times, I had food poisoning the entire day before, one of us had to walk barefoot through the streets because of new boots that were worn, it almost rained on us, the list goes on. You may have guessed that Vegas was my favorite version of the Taylor Swift concert… It most definitely was not.

The moment we arrived on the Mexico City scene, Swifties without tickets were standing in bleachers OUTSIDE the venue screaming “Taylor!”

And that’s when I knew I was home.

My memory took me back to day one of kindergarten when I pleaded with my mom that she please leave immediately because she only spoke Spanish, and if all the other kids heard her they would “make fun of me” for being a weirdo with a mom from another planet. Those Swifties in the stands had an accent, just like my mom.

It was overwhelming for me to be surrounded by my heritage on the night of Taylor Swift’s concert. Mexico City fans were not dressed anything like the Vegas ones, they had hand-stitched their jeans with patches they had made themselves, they were wearing outfits from her simple country era – lots of jeans, lots of t-shirts, but SO MUCH DAMN SOUL.

We walked into the stadium and you could just feel Mexico was there. My heart flooded with absolute joy for my people, my parents’ country, our shared traditions, and now – I got to share an entire night of dancing and singing with thousands of Swifties who learned English as a second language. They knew every single lyric, they shouted every word with their beautiful accents and I felt so much Mexican love.

In this very moment, my life came in full circle. I was 5, I was 16, I was 22, I was 34 all at once. Her lyrics moved me, sure, but her Mexico City fans moved me even more.

I thought of what it took for many of the fans to get there. It was more than an investment for them – it was a testament of their love for Taylor’s music. Her lyrics transcend countries, cultures, and languages.

As I stood there hearing every lyric in the way my mom speaks English, I realized I was crying because her Mexican fans showed so much authentic and humble love for her and I was so proud of where I came from, where we all came from, just to be by Taylor.

Taylor represented so much more to this crowd than a blonde, blue-eyed girl with a guitar and some words to sing, she represented a night of whimsical dreaming, reminiscing, connecting, and understanding every single person around you…because we all, in that very moment, spoke only one language – LOVE.

Love Deeply and Forever,