– Taylor Swift In Concert at BBC Radio 1 – Big Weekend – Earlham Park, Norwich – UK – May 24, 2015 – BBC Radio 1 –

I know what you’re thinking; “oh no, Past Daily has gone mainstream”. True, I almost never post any current mainstream artist because; a: I tend to dislike what the mainstream likes – and b; the mainstream doesn’t need me or Past Daily when armies of publicists are working overtime and artists managers are spending oceans of money to promote said artists to a mass audience.

That said – I fully believe in the motto of Past Daily which is; “Ignorance of Your Culture Is Considered Uncool” and also to give those who swear up and down, and proudly proclaim they have never heard a Taylor Swift song to actually have the opportunity to sit and listen to a concert and at least base a judgement on actual hearing.

There is one thing about avoiding the mainstream when there are so many worthy artists whose careers are dead or dying due to lack of recognition but it’s another thing to proudly boast ignorance of something you don’t fully get.

I have huge admiration for Taylor Swift. Forget she comes from money – forget Time Magazine has proclaimed her Person Of The Year – those are things that can’t be helped and have no bearing on what she is as far as an artist is concerned.

My admiration is for her work ethic – the fact that she spent years working on her craft – playing all over the place – trudging to get the message out. Those are all things that are givens if an artist, any artist, is to become recognized by a mass audience.

The work is the assurance – the acceptance is the coin toss. Even The Beatles, who were the ones who changed the way music was presented and how it was listened to have often said it was sheer luck that all the hard work and endless nights achieved an unexpected result. They too got the crowds of people who proudly disliked them, not on the basis of ever hearing them, but on the basis that being contrary is one aspect of human nature. Being smug is a thing and it is all too often employed to annoying affect.

Sure, you don’t go into something expecting to fail – but there is the reality that there are a LOT of musicians out there and they all can’t be Taylor Swift. It’s just the luck of the draw.

But to dislike an artist like Taylor Swift because it’s not cool to like somebody who is on the cover of Time Magazine is just bogus.

I will admit, Taylor Swift is not my go-to artist, not the music I wake up to in the morning – I spend most days listening to the up-and-comers – searching out the ones who never got the chance and need to be heard and making as many people I can be aware of what else is out there. But I have a lot of respect for her because she is honest and what she does she does from the heart – and that’s the place that is crucial in any genre and any creative endeavor and to any person attempting it.

So, all that said – if you haven’t heard a single song of Taylor Swift’s – been isolated these past 10 or so years or are not familiar with this particular concert (I don’t think it’s been broadcast in the U.S. – but thank god for streaming), then take a half hour, grab a seat, press play and be informed.

You have absolutely nothing to lose and new insights to gain.

Enjoy the concert.

Past Daily is trudging along and we’re always looking for your help. We don’t run ads so we need contributors to keep us up and running. Costs even more now than it did this time last year. But we’re still offering you the best of what’s in the archive – yes, this is all from our Collection (except the sessions and concerts – gotta give credit where credit is due – BBC 6 Music and Radio X in London and RNE In Madrid are essential sources of finding new music) but everything is the result of yours truly digging into boxes, climbing over shelves, falling into dumpsters. It’s history, it’s important and it’s yours if you want it. All you have to do, if you’re up for it, is subscribe via Patreon (that little box at the bottom of this post) – click on it and you’ll be taken to their site where you can subscribe to Past Daily, let them know how much you want to donate – or check us out for free, test drive our site as it were and decide to become part of the Past Daily experience. Simple, painless and we’ll love you for it. Do it if you can and you’ll be able to download your own copy of all our posts and new ones as they appear. Kind of cool, don’t you think? But you have to become a Patron in order to do it. Think about it – no pressure – honest – really . . no pressure. But there’s this landlord . . . .