Taylor Swift hosted a free concert and pizza party for foster kids
Pop superstar Taylor Swift recently kicked off her “Reputation” tour, and in preparation, she was rehearsing and giving fans sneak peeks online of her costumes. But when it came time to run through her concert in full effect, Swift went above and beyond for her fans.
Instead of performing in front of an empty stadium, on May 5 the singer decided to invite foster and adoptive families to see the “Reputation” set before anyone else. There were over 2,000 people in attendance by invitation of the Arizona Association For Foster And Adoptive Parents.
Parents posted photos to social media showcasing the kids posing with Swift:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BicPxfilrVy/?taken-by=kellidillon
They also took the time to thank Swift for her kindness.
“Thank you Taylor Swift for an amazing night,” foster parent Kelli Dillon of Phoenix, Arizona, wrote on Instagram. “She gave the girls a huge hug and said ‘I hope I get to see you again at my next concert!’ On cloud 9.”
Another parent acknowledged Swift’s kindness on Twitter, referencing how the singer visited one 8-year-old fan in the hospital as well.
Thanx 2 @taylorswift + crew for a sneak peak of a #reputationstadiumtour It’s going to be incredible! U didn’t need to visit the hospital, to give anybody free tickets that night, to feed us pizza, and to stay 3 hours later just to take pics with everyone….but you did! 💛💛 pic.twitter.com/D5v0Uk0fzZ
— Ken Tram (@tramken) May 6, 2018
“U [sic] didn’t need to visit the hospital, to give anybody free tickets that night, to feed us pizza, and to stay 3 hours later just to take pics with everyone….but you did,” Twitter user Ken Tram wrote.
Thanks @taylorswift13 for allowing us to be the first to see your #reputationtour ! For foster/adoptive families she gave us a private show, freedom to roam around the Cardinals stadium, bought everyone pizza, picture with us, and everyone got an autograph. Our girls loves you! pic.twitter.com/4oIgLtK4oZ
— Ken Tram (@tramken) May 6, 2018
Clearly, Swift made dreams come true for plenty of deserving children — and that’s all the more reason to be a fan!
It makes sense that Swift has a lot of compassion because she’s been open about her own “really low times” in life. When she officially kicked off her “Reputation” tour on May 8, she talked to the audience about her trademark snake imagery.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYI48JxniO3/?taken-by=taylorswift
“A couple of years ago, someone called me a snake on social media, and it caught on,” Swift said, according to a video tweeted by a fan. “Then, a lot of people were calling me a lot of things on social media. And I went through some really low times for a while because of it. I went through some times when I didn’t know if I was going to get to do this anymore.”
Swift said she decided to embrace the snake concept rather than continue to allow it to hurt her. The snake imagery can be seen in her music videos and shows for the “Reputation” tour.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcp653qn_jf/?taken-by=taylorswift
“I wanted to send a message to you guys that if someone uses name-calling to bully you on social media, and even if a lot of people jump on board with it, that doesn’t have to defeat you,” she said. “It can strengthen you.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiKnYhcnuy0/?taken-by=taylorswift
The audience cheered, and Swift went on:
“And I think something that came out of it that was good is that I learned a really important lesson that I’ve been telling you from the stage for about 10 years, but I never had to learn it so harshly myself. And that lesson has to do with how much you value your reputation.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbTRsz7nndG/?taken-by=taylorswift
She concluded with a message that is valuable for fans, particularly the young girls who tend to idolize Swift:
“I think the lesson is that you shouldn’t care so much if you feel misunderstood by a lot of people who don’t know you, as long as you feel understood by the people who do know you — the people who will show up for you, the people who see you as a human being.”