Swifties Emerge With Dollars To Honor Taylor Swift’s Court Anniversary In Tampa

The Mars retrograde has reached this particular snake, I’m afraid. (A small reminder for those who are just joining. My name is Dale. I am diarying my way through Taylor Swift’s 2018 reputation tour. My close friends — which includes Taylor — call me Karyn.) The reality is that four months on the road can really take a toll on a snake. Add to that a monthslong retrograde and Mercury in retrograde, and you have a recipe for one very tired serpent. During “Look What You Made Me Do” last night, I was on the verge of tears!

I should add that recently, I learned that a great enemy of mine is getting work. We all have enemies, even if they are benign. I would like to add that having an enemy sometimes nourishes the soul more than having an idol, especially when thine enemy is there almost purely for theatrical purposes. All I’ll say is that Moulin Rouge: The Musical is in the middle of pre-Broadway tryouts in Boston, and a certain elephant is very visible on stage. I am also getting great work — thank you forever to Taylor Swift and the reputation tour for giving this reptile a salary and a reason to get out of bed before noon! — but Moulin Rouge is a favorite musical of mine. Would that me, a massive animatronic snake, could also be on stage for it. What can I say? I have a lot of feelings about Ewan McGregor! I don’t have a brain.

Thankfully, the retrogrades didn’t affect the Tampa show. I have been extra careful about signing contracts, using technology, and retrogrades. Before the show last night, I went over my blocking one more time just to be sure. As far as my (admittedly minor) part of the show, everything went smoothly.

Seeing as this was the one year anniversary of the Mueller v. Swift trial, Taylor did say a few words to the crowd. She thanked them for standing with her, and apologized to the people out there who haven’t been believed. In honor of the anniversary, some fans came to the show with dollars. (Taylor won a symbolic single dollar in the case.)

For her secret song, Taylor sang “Invisible,” one of her earliest singles. She’s been on a retro Taylor tear recently — last week, she sang “A Place in this World,” another deep cut. “Invisible” is a proto-“You Belong With Me.” In this song, the protagonist is more of a wallflower, though. (In “YBWM,” the protagonist is ostensibly best friends with the man of her affections.)

The chorus goes:

“And I just wanna show you
She don't even know you
She's never gonna love you like I want to”

Instead of this, though, the couple is “invisible.” Presumably, the protagonist is invisible to the person they are describing.

This may be a good moment to admit that, yes, I have a crush on Taylor’s tour bus. That stays between you and me, though. Okay?

‘Til next time, babysnakes. Don’t let the retrogrades get you down.