For the last year and a half, I’ve been in a beautiful relationship with my partner LilyFish. I’ve been fortunate to learn from them, and specifically there are three topics that they have educated me about: Judaism, queerness and Taylor Swift.
LilyFish was brought up in the Reconstructionist tradition of Judaism and identify as non-binary who uses they/them pronouns.
LilyFish has been a “Swiftie” since they were 9 years old, listening to “Teardrops on My Guitar” on repeat at camp.
They listened to “Speak Now” and “Red” on their way to the bus stop each morning.
On the car ride home, when they opened the college decision email from their dream college, Brandeis University, “Bad Blood” blared in their mom’s Silver Toyota Minivan speeding down I-90.
“Guess who got into freaking Brandeis!” LilyFish shouted upon learning that they got in.
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Scream-singing along to “Bad Blood” before finding out big news has become a tradition for LilyFish, as they did the same thing while waiting for a decision from their grad school.
Early on in our relationship, we realized that we shared a favorite song from Swift’s album “Folklore,” “Invisible String.” During our first Valentine’s Day together, we dubbed it our song. That was just the beginning of my Taylor Swift education. Every time we’re in the car LilyFish plays Taylor Swift music – even on the 16-hour drive to their parents’ house in Boston.
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Last Friday night, I put those lessons to the test when we went to the first of three Taylor Swift sold-out “Eras” concerts at Nissan Stadium in downtown Nashville.
LilyFish’s father knitted an exact replica of a top Swift wore for the “Lavender Haze” music video. They’ve been waiting for the concert to wear it.
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Something I love about them is that they want everyone to be a part of the fun.
“Which Taylor Era are you dressing up for the concert?” LilyFish asked me the morning of the concert.
Stunned as if I was asked to solve for x, I responded with: “What do you think babe?”
They decided I could pull off the aesthetic from the “Midnights” album, so I went with it.
“I think a purple glitter beard would look great on you,” they said, “it could be the cloud from Lavender Haze!”
“Sounds good babe,” I said. The things I do for love.
Before the concert we visited Bluebird Café in Green Hills, where Swift was “discovered” in 2003. I took a picture of LilyFish at a café, excited to be where one of their heroes got her start.
Then it was off to the concert!
Swift knows how to make an entrance
Once we got inside Nissan Stadium, we walked the ramp all the way to the top, section 310.
When we reached our seats, LilyFish traded compliments on Swift-themed outfits with the people around us. They also traded friendship bracelets with other Swifties as part of what has become a concert tradition in honor of a lyric from Swift’s song “You’re On Your Own, Kid.”
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As the countdown clock on the jumbotron reached 10 seconds, the crowd erupted. LilyFish looked towards me, screaming with excitement. The clock hit zero and the lights went down.
The dancers came out on stage each holding giant flower petals with Swift hidden underneath. They reached the middle of the catwalk, the petals settled and Swift appeared. She certainly knows how to make an entrance.
Swift then began her three-and-a-half hour performance, going through all 10 of her “eras.”
Towards the end of her spectacular, Swift announced the July 7 release date of “Speak Now” (Taylor’s Version). At this point I was regretting not having brought a pair of earplugs.
If not for LilyFish, I wouldn’t be a Taylor Swift fan.
Just like their smile, LilyFish’s infectious love for Swift’s music had me hooked.
It was an incredible experience, sharing the love and admiration for Swift’s music with 70,000 fans on Friday. For me, it was even more meaningful to be sharing it with my partner who I love dearly.
LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and the curator of the Black Tennessee Voices newsletter and Instagram account. Feel free to contact him at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter at @hill_bron or Instagram at @antioniohill12.
