Purring for her idol

Purring for her idol

She forked out $6,000 to see Taylor Swift in Singapore, Malaysia and Singapore again.

This, including flight and accommodation for Thailand before Swift's show there, initially slated for yesterday, was cancelled due to the political instability.

That was not all.

Including VIP, pit or front-row concert tickets to four Australian shows last December as part of Swift's Red tour, Australian student Libby Cohen has spent a whopping $11,000, funded by her salary and birthday money.

"I don't even want to think about it, it's crazy I know," said the fan, who is awaiting admission into Monash University to study medicine.

Miss Cohen, 18, who lives in Melbourne, arrived in Singapore yesterday from Bangkok - where Swift was supposed to have performed and where she was supposed to catch the singer - just in time to catch her extra show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium yesterday.

And she will be catching Swift again on Thursday - up close, no less, having bought the most expensive $288 tickets.

"I just really love it. Even if I see her a million more times, I will never get sick of it," said Miss Cohen after last night's concert.

The avid fan even came dressed for the occasion.

When most fans came clad in red to match the name of the tour, Miss Cohen came creatively dressed as Swift's beloved Scottish fold cat Meredith.

Yes, in a furry catsuit despite the sweltering evening heat.

She had bought the off-white onesie for $175 online and spray-painted it herself so that it will resemble Meredith's white-and-grey fur.

CLUB RED

"I bet Taylor would be missing her cat so there's me, I can fix that," said Miss Cohen prior to the show, hoping that her efforts will pay off.

Swift's crew has been known to pick fans for Club Red, an exclusive meet-and-greet session and a post-show party with the Grammy-winning star. Miss Cohen wasn't so lucky, but she said she'll keep trying.

But before that, some lucky fans managed to hug and exchange a few words with their blonde, red-lipped idol prior to the show. Swift, dressed in white and towering over most fans, was sincere, although the meeting was brief.

She mentioned Meredith, which she missed, and her intention to try chicken rice - "I think I can handle that," she told a reporter. At the same time, a backstage tour with another group of fans was happening, led by Swift's mother.

Shortly after, the show kicked off with local opening act Imprompt-3, who had won the Cornetto's Ride To Fame competition.

Swift then took to the stage, kicking off the first of her eight outfit changes in a black bowler hat, shorts and sparkly red shoes as she belted out State of Grace from her fourth album Red (2012).

She sang mostly hits from that album like Holy Ground, The Lucky One and I Knew You Were Trouble and All Too Well, but also treated fans to earlier hits like Love Story and You Belong With Me.

In between songs - and outfit changes that included lace, floor-sweeping gowns, a simple shorts and T-shirt combo and a sexy embroidered black romper - Swift high-fived fans and took the time to address the "beautiful" 8,000-strong crowd.

"When I was 12, I started writing songs because I never fit in, had many friends or got invited to stuff... and I got home and wrote poetry and songs as a coping mechanism. The funny thing is the thing that I started because I didn't fit in led me to you and with you, I always feel like I fit in," said Swift in one of her moving monologues.


This article was first published on June 10, 2014.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.