September 5, 2009, a 19-year-old country pop singer played her first headlining show at what was then called Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte. That 19-year-old was Taylor Swift who made a stop on the first leg of her Fearless Tour in Charlotte on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend 14 years ago. Even 14 years ago she was playing to a sold-out crowd, one that sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale.
The opening acts for that tour? Country band Gloriana (Wild At Heart) and North Carolina’s own Kellie Pickler. Her hit songs Love Story and You Belong With Me made her a household name. Later that fall she would go on to win the VMA where Kanye West famously interrupted her on stage. But more importantly, she would also go on to win 4 CMA’s and Grammys that year as well as several American Music Awards. All this to say, the fall of 2009 was a fun time to be a Taylor Swift fan.
But the Fearless Tour in Charlotte, it was my favorite concert I’ve ever been to. And I’ve seen Taylor 17 times since that day, including the Eras Tour multiple times. Nothing, nothing will ever compare to that September night for me. And I’ll never pay those ticket prices again either. Those first tickets? Some were as cheap as $25 a ticket. The fees on my Eras Tour tickets were 3 times that. I paid $70 per ticket resale- again cheaper than the fees on my Eras Tour tickets.
The production value of that arena show was what you come to expect from a Taylor Swift show- numerous costume changes, intricate sets themed to each song, and a b-stage acoustic set. The setlist included some of my favorite songs that I rarely get to hear anymore. There were two portions of the show where she actually walked through the crowd and hugged fans. Something I was lucky enough to experience later in the tour in Raleigh in May of 2010.
Since then she has gone on to become the biggest artist on the planet. The three-time Grammy Album of the Year winner can’t satisfy demand when it comes to tickets. She debuted album after album at 1 million sales and is currently re-recording her first six albums. If you told that 19-year-old Taylor or 19-year-old me the things that would come I don’t think either of us would have believed you. It’s been the adventure of a lifetime and one I’ll never take for granted. Take a look at the setlist from that Taylor Swift Fearless Tour stop in Charlotte. Can we go back to this time? I knew we were lucky, but what I wouldn’t give to see her in this small of a venue for that price again.
