[Toronto] — Mallory, Ally and Cat Niekro, along with Kenna McDermott, daughter of Cat’s friend Kara Rodis, made epic memories attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Toronto on Thursday, Nov. 21.
The group met in Buffalo, arriving from Madison, Wisconsin; Champaign, Illinois; and Charlotte, North Carolina. From there, they rented a car and drove to Toronto, stopping briefly at customs where they were greeted by an intensely grouchy border agent.
“I literally thought all Canadians were friendly,” said Mallory, noting that the agent literally rolled his eyes at them when they pulled up and didn’t immediately hand over passports.
“Usually it’s the Americans who are mean,” Cat said, recounting that in 2002 the American border agent who was working the lane she used to return from Windsor to Detroit scolded her for getting married in Canada, saying “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Mom, that is so sad.” Ally said. Sadder still has the backstory that Cat had gone to Windsor that night for a tasting for her upcoming wedding. She had not, however, realized that she was supposed to bring a group with her. So while the table next to her was filled with a happy bride-to-be, groom-to-be, and family and friends, she was alone. The chef and wedding planner joined her out of pity. Do not plan a wedding in tax season if you’re marrying a CPA, friends, or you too can experience the crushing awkwardness of eating with people who are being paid to be nice to you.
Back to 2024. The happy travelers didn’t let the agent’s surly attitude bother them for long though, quickly returning to loud music and arrived at their hotel about 1:30 am.
The Swifties woke Thursday to continued cold rain.
“What are we going to do today?” Asked everyone repeatedly.
“Did no one consult my travel itinerary that I sent out two weeks ago?” Cat asked, greeted by a deafening silence.
Upon arriving at the Rogers Centre, the women went directly to the merch line by their section in search of the elusive and exclusive “blue crew.”
“We aren’t going to get it.”
“We are going to get it.”
“Should we try a different merch line. This one is so long.”
“It’s not that long really.”
“The line is moving so slowly.”
“The line is moving!”
Cat quickly bought a “Shake It Off” Mich Ultra to tolerate the line, and 37 minutes later: success! The women acquired their merch and made their way to their seats. To wait.
Swift arrived on stage almost exactly at 8 pm and the next 3.5 hours passed in the following way for all 45,000 fans: screaming, singing and “oh my god!”
“It beat all my expectations. The surprise songs were perfect. It was perfect. Best. Night. Ever,” Mallory said.
“I’m dead,” Kenna said.
“It was everything,” Ally said.
“What did you ask?” Cat said. “I think my ears are broken.”
Sources confirm that the group survived the 27-minute walk back to their hotel despite feet that hurt and more rain.
Contacted by phone the next day, this reporter asked if there was anything more to say with time to process it all?
“It was amazing. So perfect. Unable to put it into words,” Ally said.
“Obviously I’d like to thank my amazing mom and dad for making this possible. They are the absolute best,” said Mallory.
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