The dinner took place in the backstage area of the arena which was huge and it was easy to get lost. She was brought there just before 8pm by a driver and was relieved when she met one of Taylor’s backup-singers in the hallway. “Hi! I am Melanie, nice to meet you.”, she welcomed her warmly. Melanie had been on tour with Taylor before and knew where the dinner took place. They arrived on time and entered a big rehearsal room which was more like hall and was filled with tables and a buffet in the left corner. There were already a lot of people, some Evie had saw before and some new faces. Taylor’s face was the one she recognised instantly. She was now dressed in a black skirt and a white t-shirt and she looked really happy while she talked to all these different people who were all there to support her on tour.
After everyone arrived, Taylor began with a short speech. “Hi everyone! It’s happening! I can’t believe that tomorrow is going to be the first show. I have dreamed about this particular tour for so long now and we have all worked so hard to be where we are now. I want to say thank you to each and everyone of you, I couldn’t do this without you and I don’t want to do this without you. So, let’s enjoy tonight and let’s get this party started!!!”. Everyone cheered, hugs were exchanged and the room was filled with joy. And Evie was part of it all.
“Let’s get some good food and find a seat.”, Melanie said to her who was still by her side. The buffet was huge and there was so much variety, nothing like the catering at award shows and nothing she had ever experienced before. After they filled their plates they sat down at one of the many tables which happened to be the table Taylor also chose. She was very close to her backup-singers who had already supported her at many other tours. They started talking about the short time-off they had between the studio rehearsals and the stadium rehearsals and laughed about old memories from previous tours. “This feels like family.”, Kamilah said, another backup-singer. “Well, welcome to the Fam Evie!”, Taylor suddenly announced, smiled at Evie and raised her glass. Evie smiled back at her and the others at the table and was grateful that she could be part of this experience. This dinner felt like a safe space for everyone and it was incredible to be part of it.
After they had finished eating, people switched places, talked or danced to the music that filled the room. Evie got to know some of the dancers who she had already met before but had not talked to before. They were all open-hearted people and shared their love for the arts just as Evie did. Most of them had not done a tour of this extent and were also a bit nervous for the day that laid ahead. But the excitement was definitely dominant. After an interesting conversation with a dancer called Jan, who told her a lot about his way into the showbusiness, Evie made her way to the provisionally bar that was placed near the door of this huge rehearsal room. Evie helped herself to a drink when she saw Taylor who had just gotten herself one.
“You were right earlier; This dinner is an amazing tradition!”, Evie told her because she had the feeling she needed to express her impressment. Taylor nodded proudly. “Yeah, we started it on the “Speak Now” Tour and I always look forward to it. Even though my vocal coach hates it.”, she laughed. “I mean, ideally I’d have to rest but it just feels right to have this family-like event where everyone can just forget about the stressful rehearsal time. And I also try to not sing along to any music…which is hard!”, she added and leaned herself back at the wall behind her. “I see what you mean. Of course, you need to be prepared for tomorrow but it would be a bummer to not end the preparation process without this.”, Evie said and gestured towards the room. “Sooo…Do you feel prepared for tomorrow?”, Taylor asked her while she played with her wine glass filled with alcohol-free wine because she wasn’t allowed to drink before a show. “I guess I can’t do more than I have already done now…”, Evie expressed and it was true; she prepared a lot and she could only wait for her set to come to show the audience her work. “I am sure it’ll be great. Make sure you enjoy it and have fun. That’s all that counts.”. Taylor had the talent to reassure people and to make them feel safe, Evie thought. She was still nervous but at the same time she knew that Taylors fans were nice people, everyone who worked for Taylor had been nice to her so far and Taylor believed in her.
They continued talking about their shared passion which was music and the conversation ran naturally as if they had known each other for quite a while. They exchanged their sources of inspiration for their songs and Taylor shared with her that she had allowed herself to work less autobiographically for her album “Folklore” and also “Evermore” because she had read a lot of books during the covid lockdown which inspired her a lot. Evie also loved to read and wanted to become an author when she was younger, luckily she didn’t as she was quite happy where she was at the moment. But still, she never left the house without a book in her bag, just in case. “I guess we share a lot of similar interests. Fortunately, we have a lot of time ahead of us to discuss them!”, Taylor said excitedly, still playing with the wine glass in her hand.
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