Harmony and Discord

A Taylor Swift Night in the Heart of Toronto

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Toronto, ON. The city itself has grungy vibes, like a blend of Greenwich Village and Burlington, VT, with skyscrapers and a booming construction economy.

It’s a transient and historic city, but the same tell-tale signs of change are there.

While on my trip, I had the very fortunate opportunity to attend my first show of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. What has previously been described to me as magical, has proven to be 1000% accurate. Beatlemania is alive and well when the pop icon takes the stage, but it’s the magic in the moments beforehand that makes this phenomenon what it is.

Women of all ages offering one another handmade friendship bracelets adorned with the songs of the legend or motivational phrases. This 52 year old felt like the “badass” reminder she wore around her wrist.

A young woman who made her own “Eras Tour” jacket handed it to my own daughter to wear, so that the “jacket” could see another show. After the show, my kiddo passed it to another concert goer that would take it to the next performance. The kindness among the fans was palpable. It was a stark contrast to the crowd beyond the stadium.

Upon exiting the show, we were greeted with an almost immediate assault of ideology. A young man on a makeshift platform with a megaphone lecturing us of the sins of abortion and same sex partnerships.

I was reminded of a comment about Canada possibly feeling as if they were “living above a meth lab,” because of the high decibels of disruption in the American political narrative during 2024. But, on reflection, if we look beyond our own boundaries, it is clear the rising of strong voices with strong opinions is increasing.

This specific onslaught of opinionated siege was an unwelcome jolt to the positivity that started our evening and a reminder that the alternative views of others is - in fact - not uniquely American.