My favorite radio station, Q104, had paired with then KC Chief Jared Allen to put on a charity concert to benefit Juvenile Diabetes. This event took place on October 29th, 2006 at "The Peanut" in Shawnee, Kansas. Of course by this point I had purchased Taylor's CD and knew all the words to every song. The benefit took place on a Sunday evening--two days before Halloween. Concert goers were asked to dress up in costume. I was scheduled to have a soccer game that evening and so my costume was easy. I was a soccer player. A few days prior to the concert, I was faced with a big problem. No one wanted to go to a bar on a Sunday night to hear a singer who was 16 years old. I was just about to go by myself when my friend Scott said he would go. I was thrilled! We got there early and drove around to the back of "The Peanut." I wanted to see if any of the tour buses were parked behind the bar. I later came to realize that Taylor had no band and no bus. It was just her and her guitar.
The show started and no one really seemed interested in Taylor or her music. However, I was one of the few people standing in front of her during her 5 song set. I felt an instant connection. To this day, connecting with fans is something that Taylor is absolutely extraordinary at. Although there were hundreds of people in the bar, I felt like she was singing just to me. And you have to remember, she was 16 at the time, singing in a loud bar to a crowd who couldn't have cared less about her or her music. At one point, near the end of her set, she mentioned her record that had just been released the Tuesday before. She pointed right at me and said, "And I know you have it and I love you for that!" I wonder how she knew I had bought her CD--perhaps it was the fact that I knew every word of every song that she sang that night. :)
Her set ended and it was announced that she would be signing autographs after the show. I immediately told Scott that I wanted one and he agreed to wait in line. I expected the line to be a lot longer but it wasn't. I had told my mom about Taylor and how great she was. I had even bought Taylor's CD for her. I remember we listened to the entire CD while lying on my bed. When I met Taylor for the first time, she gave me a big hug and thanked me for coming to the show and for buying her CD. I made a $10 donation to Juvenile Diabetes in exchange for the autograph. I asked if I could get another autograph for my mom and she said yes. So I donated another $10 to the cause. I also I had prepared a letter for Taylor. In the letter I told her how much her music meant to me and what a great role model she was for little girls. I also shared with her my dream of working in the music industry--not as a singer or musician! Let's be real, my musical talent goes no further than singing in the shower or in my car with the radio so loud that I don't have to subject myself to my voice. However, I figured she was a new artist and might need someone to run a fan club for her. So I left my name and cell phone number in the letter. What happened next is something I would have never imagined would happen.
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| Taylor Swift & Ann (Heidebrecht) Dark October 29th, 2006- The Peanut Shawnee, KS |
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