On September 25, 2015, Taylor Swift played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and I had the privilege to attend. After being a “Swiftie” for seven years now, I can tell you that I was more than ecstatic when I bought $400 pit passes last November. The pit is standing only and is right beside the stage. I was within 20 feet of Taylor Swift, and to say I was freaking out would be an understatement.

I arrived at the arena two hours before the doors opened. When I got there, I stood in line and met some other fans who were just as excited as I was. Once the doors opened, I ran to the pit so we would get right in front. I ended up being a few people back, but the stage was right in front of me and before the opening act even came on, I was losing my mind.

The first opening act was Vance Joy, and he blew me away. I had heard his other songs before, but seeing him live was a whole different story. I was the only one dancing and singing to all of his songs, and he kept looking at me and smiling. That was one of the biggest highlights of the night for me.

After Vance, the girl band, Haim, came onto the stage. Haim is a band made up of three sisters, Este Haim (bass), Alana Haim (percussion and guitar), and Danielle Haim (lead guitar and vocals). As I watched the group, I wasn’t very impressed. The girls’ music was very different than what you’d expect to hear for an opening act at a Taylor Swift concert, and it left me a little disappointed.

Once Haim finished their set, it was time. You could feel the crowd’s anticipation, and I felt my racing heart sink into my stomach as the lights went down. The intro of Taylor’s “Welcome to New York” came on, and her dancers rose from underneath the stage. After twenty or so dancers came up, Taylor came out. The crowd went wild. I stood there in awe, and I couldn’t believe what was happening. Nine months ago I bought the tickets, and now I was here, finally seeing in real life what I normally only see on my phone or TV screen.

After she played her number one song “Blank Space,” she told the crowd, “If you guys are as loud as you’ve been so far for the rest of the night, I might not bring out one guest, I might not bring out a couple guests, I might just bring out three special guests for you,” and that’s exactly what she did. The first special guest was up and coming country star Kelsea Ballerini, and they sang Kelsea’s song “Love Me Like You Mean it.”

After eight more songs (and more tears from me), Taylor then brought out none other than Steven Tyler. They performed Aerosmith’s hit “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” and the crowd went crazy. The performance was one of the most iconic moments in The 1989 World Tour so far and proves how impressive this tour is.

Taylor then sang her hits “Bad Blood” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” before she slowed it down by bringing the piano out and singing the first verse of “When You Say Nothing At All” by Alison Krauss. Before the chorus came, Alison came out with her violin and sang with Taylor. Although I’m not a very big country fan, I was in love with the performance. Alison finished with Taylor and Taylor returned to the piano. She sang her newest single “Wildest Dreams” and her vocals were astonishing. She then sped things back up by singing her song “Out of the Woods.”

Taylor finished the night with her hit song “Shake it Off.” She, her band, and her dancers all took their bows and the night was finished.

This night was a night I will never forget. The electricity that ran through me was a feeling I can’t fake and can’t find anywhere else. If you are wondering if $400 pit tickets are worth it, I’m going to tell you that it 100% is. You not only get to see the show closer, but you get to have a personal connection with the people on stage. This is by far one of the best nights of my life, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.