New York City’s Biggest Swifties gather for a concert-like experience.
The Gramercy Theatre hosted a sold-out “Look What You Made Me Do – The Taylor Swift DJ Night” for Swifties ages 16 and up on March 4.
The event, organized by the company If You Know It Sing It, brought together Swifties of all ages to belt out Swift’s top hits and deep cuts inside the Manhattan music venue.
A crowd of about 650 people screamed the lyrics to Swift’s music, proving to be a cathartic experience for many. Fans were invited onstage to dance and sing to the crowd. The fans onstage and the fans in the crowd connected with each other, even if they were strangers; they sang lyrics to each other and meant it.
Event organizers chose an array of songs that fans seemed to enjoy. They tossed cowboy hats into the crowd during Swift’s country songs like “Picture to Burn” and “Our Song.” They released red balloons over the crowd, who passed the balloons over their heads to one another.
Many fans at the event were diehard Swifties who knew the words to every song played and danced their hearts out. Sam Montana, a 22-year-old Swiftie, attended the event with friends. Illustration by Caitlin Du and Caroline McKenzie
“Taylor makes me feel insane,” Montana said. “I need to experience that with other people in a room — I need it. I need it like water.”
Fans donned red lips, cardigans and homemade recreations of outfits from Swift’s music videos.
John Thomas, a 34-year-old Swiftie, wore a “forgive Kanye” shirt, a nod to the long history of the Swift-Kanye feud. In small print, the shirt read “jk.”
“[The shirt is] from the reputation tour — I made it for the tour,” Thomas said. “I went to one show and I thought I’d get beat up for fun and I could sue her but it didn’t really work out; people loved it.”
Bars on both sides of the room featured Swift-themed drinks such as “Champagne Problems” and “Sparks Fly,” referencing songs by the singer-songwriter, and the “Scooter Sux Spritzer,” a reference to Swift’s former manager, who is reviled by some diehard Swift fans due to a longstanding feud between the two over rights to previous song recordings. The drinks each cost $13, Swift’s lucky number. The “Finally Clean” drink was the only alcohol-free option and cost $6.
Holly Turner, a 25-year-old photographer, captured the magic of the night. Turner has a background in concert photography and works with If You Know It Sing It for many of their events.
“I do a lot of concerts, that’s where the bulk of my income comes from but I’m always the most excited for these,” Turner said. “I really just have fun the whole night and talk to people and take photos which is awesome.”
Recently, the company hosted more events at the Gramercy Theatre, including “Be Our Guest: The Unofficial Disney DJ Night” on March 19 and they plan to host another “Look What You Made Me Do – Taylor Swift DJ Night” on June 10.