The Taylor Party’s Taylor Swift Night came to Columbia on Feb. 11. The event, hosted at The Blue Note, allowed local fans to celebrate their love for Taylor Swift as they sang and danced alongside friends and other Swifties.
Hundreds of Columbia Swifties sang and danced away on Feb. 11 at The Blue Note during Taylor Swift Night, hosted by The Taylor Party. With sparkly outfits and pure enthusiasm, the fans’ energy filled the venue. The event provided attendees with a safe space to indulge in some of their favorite music.
The Taylor Party: Taylor Swift Night travels across the United States, bringing Taylor Swift-themed fun to different cities along the way.
Fans enjoy the music throughout all of Taylor Swift’s eras during the Taylor Swift Night at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO on Saturday, February 11, 2023. “Swifties,” a word trademarked by Taylor Swift herself, is a title worn proudly by the entire Taylor Swift fan community.
The Blue Note’s doors opened at 8 p.m., and Swifties began to file in. An eye-catching photo op background encouraged fans to snap some memorable pictures before shuffling toward the stage area.
The Blue Note’s concert venue wholly embraced the theme.Red strobe and disco lights scattered across the walls and ceiling asred balloons littered the floor, one side reading “Taylor Swift Night” and the other featured a variety of different lyrics. The stage setup included a large projector screen that read “Taylor Swift Night,” a DJ booth table and two large light-up “T” and “S” letter decorations.
Fans gathered with friends, grabbed drinks and took photos while they waited for the event to begin at 9 p.m. The pre-party music selection ranged from ABBA to Whitney Houston and various other female music icons.
Footage from Taylor Swift’s Speak Now world tour plays on the big screen during the Taylor Swift Night at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Following her third studio album, the Speak Now world tour was Swift’s second concert tour which visited Asia, Europe, North America and Australia earning over 40 million dollars.
At 9 p.m., the DJ emerged from backstage and gave a short introduction before kicking off the night. She explained that the night was for the fans to sing and dance out any and all emotions with new and old friends. The projector then displayed an interview of young Swift where she famously said, “If guys don’t want me to write bad songs about them, they shouldn’t do bad things.” After the delivery of the iconic line, the projector switched to the music video of the night’s first song.
Appropriately, “Ready For It?” was the first song of the evening. As soon as the song’s opening notes met the ears of attendees, fans squealed in delight and started to enthusiastically sing along. Throughout the night, the projector displayed lyric and music videos, as well as a variety of different tour and performance compilations.
The Blue Note saw no lack of glitter and sparkles as Swifties dressed up in themed costumes for the event. From recreating different iconic Taylor outfits to dressing up as a favorite era, Swifties paid homage to the artist in a multitude of different ways.
MU freshman Sigi Ris and a friend who she attended the event with made sure their outfits were Swift appropriate and hinted at some of Swift’s different songs and eras.
“I am wearing a silver sparkly dress, kind of like the ‘mirrorball’ vibe, and then this pink cowboy hat to reference ‘cowboy like me’ and Taylor’s country roots, so it’s just like homage to Taylor in all,”Ris said.
Allie “DJ Allie” Robertson prepares the next song in between sets during the Taylor Swift Night at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
While outfit styles varied from person to person, the enthusiasm and energy remained ubiquitous across attendees. Due to the Blue Note’s close proximity to MU and Stephens College, college-aged students made up the majority of the crowd.
Although the majority of the attendees were college-aged, there were some notable outliers. Aliece Barklage, Farrow Carson and Katie Hastings traveled from St. Louis and Springfield to experience the night’s festivities. Carson and Hasting are proud MU alumni who graduated in 1999 and 2000, and Barklage is a neighbor who jumped at the opportunity to visit Columbia.
“We are Mizzou alums, so this is our old stomping grounds,” Carson said.
Hastings added that she “met [Carson] in 1996 in Columbia, and we still love Taylor Swift.”
The three friends said they were “feeling 22” and sang and danced the night away while celebrating both their love for eachother and Swift. Carson and Hastings have additional travel plans this July to see Swift live at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Allie “DJ Allie” Robertson sings with the audience during the Taylor Swift Night at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Robertson, based out of Southern California, and specializes in elevating experiences for her career in DJ and MC services.
For fans without tickets to Swift’s upcoming tour, Taylor Swift Night served as a way to similarly embrace and celebrate their love for Taylor..
“Spending the evening with my best friends getting to sing our hearts out together is what made it memorable for me,” MU freshman Kate Kelsey said. “What is so unique about sharing a room with all Swifties is that every person there has been affected by this one artist and her art, and that shared bond creates a rare and comforting energy in the room.”
Allie “DJ Allie” Robertson sings “Lavender Haze” from Taylor Swift’s Midnights album during the Taylor Swift Night at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
Those who did not have the chance to attend Taylor Swift Night, and those hoping to go again, can try to catch one of two more Missouri Taylor Swift Night events this year. The Taylor Party travels to Kansas City on March 3 and St. Louis on May 19.
Edited by Savvy Sleevar | ssleevar@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Mary Philip