Friday Dispatch: July 7, 2023

Reporting live from I-70

Late this morning, my dad called my mom.

“You guys should leave now,” he said. “Traffic is already out of control.” Momma, Sophia and I were working, so we didn’t leave until around 3:30. And now, we’re ambling down the highway, part of a slow but steady stream toward GEHA, the arena where the Chiefs usually play, where tonight, Taylor Swift plays instead.

If you look at my chest and my nose, you’ll see I’m a little pink! That is sunburn. I’ve become rigorous about sunblock, but yesterday, I wound up outdoors in the sun for three hours. I didn’t KNOW the line at the merch truck would be so long, *the day before* the actual concert! But it beats missing part of the concert due to long merch lines.

I got a poster, because I wanted something that said both “Taylor Swift” and “Kansas City.” Thing I didn’t buy this week: the Eras shirt I wanted, because it’s not available except online!

But that’s alright — a souvenir is a souvenir. Okay, okay, 30 min later and we’re in the stadium parking lot, waiting to park. That’s not so bad! And the show doesn’t start for a while so we have time to drink hard Mountain Dew.

Wish us luck! I hope she plays Speak Now. I hope Hayley Williams of Paramore shows up. I hope you have a great weekend and I hope this concert is as fun as the last time I saw Taylor Swift!

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