Music

Meet the mother-daughter duos going to Taylor Swift’s Gillette concert

These women share how the singer-songwriter’s lyrics “transcend generations.”

Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her "Eras Tour" at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 31, 2023. Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images

By Shira Laucharoen

May 11, 2023

4 minutes to read

In a little over a week, Taylor Swift will be coming to Foxborough to perform “The Eras Tour” at Gillette Stadium. From May 19-21, she will be playing three shows, highlighting songs from all of her albums. Fans are getting ready, and for those who navigated the Ticketmaster fiasco and also how to get to the stadium, their efforts have paid off.

We asked readers for their favorite Taylor Swift hits, as well as how they’re getting to the concert, and we heard back from over 100 fans. Among those who responded to our survey were mother-daughter duos who will be going to see Swift at Gillette. We spoke with six women about how they’re preparing for the concert and how they’ve connected with their mother or daughter over the singer-songwriter’s music. Swift, who has won 12 Grammy Awards and recorded 10 albums, is widely acclaimed, and her songwriting ability speaks to listeners across generations.

Reader Lejla Huskic told us about how she finds meaning in Swift’s music. “I think it goes back to her control over language,” she said. “I think she’s able to take a lot of personal experiences, synthesize them, process them, and then she’s able to write about [them] in a way that shares universal truths that we all go through.”

Below, meet some of the mother-daughter Swifties who will be in the crowd at Gillette.

Karen Wang and Sophie Wang

Sophie and Karen Wang — Karen Wang and her daughter Sophie Wang. – Photo courtesy of Karen Wang

Sophie Wang, 24, grew up listening to Swift’s music, and her mother Karen Wang, 56, became a fan as a result. When Sophie created a Tumblr blog dedicated to Swift, the artist ended up following it and communicated with Sophie directly. “She took that into a more conversational relationship, which was the craziest thing that ever happened to me,” Sophie said. Swift invited the Wang family to her apartment in 2015.

“She greeted us at the door. She screamed out Sophie’s name, gave her a huge hug, like they were long lost friends,” Karen said. “… She said that she cooked us grilled cheese. We were only supposed to go for lunch. We ended up hanging out with her the whole afternoon.”

To prepare for Gillette, Sophie and her sister, who will also be attending the show, both have matching shirts, and Sophie may try to incorporate an outfit originally planned for Swift’s Lover Fest, which was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Karen will probably wear an “old, classic t-shirt” from past tours.

Erin Columbare and Norah Columbare

Norah Columbare and her mother Erin Columbare. – Photo courtesy of Erin Columbare

Erin Columbare, 40, considers herself to be an “elder Swiftie.” After hearing “Teardrops On My Guitar,” her brother gifted her Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut album for Christmas. Ever since then, Erin has been a fan, and she and her seven-year-old daughter Norah have bonded over Swift’s music.

“She and I would listen to Taylor, from the time she was little, until she could talk,” Erin said. “We have so much fun, singing and dancing to her songs. Every time we’re in the car, it’s, ‘Mom, can you put Taylor on?’”

The mother-daughter duo will be dressed as Swift during the “Red” and “1989” eras, respectively. Erin said that she feels Swift’s music brings people of all ages together, something that both she and Norah can appreciate.

“Her lyrics really transcend generations. They’re timeless,” Erin said. “They don’t just speak to Gen Z or Millennials. I feel like anyone can read the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song — and not even know that it’s a Taylor Swift song — but relate.”

Senka Huskic and Lejla Huskic

Senka Huskic and her daughter Lejla Huskic. – Photo courtesy of Lejla Huskic

As a teenager, Lejla Huskic, 29, would attend Swift’s concerts with her friends, while her mother Senka Huskic, 55, would wait in the parking lot. It wasn’t a question of finances, Senka said, but as a refugee from Bosnia, she always tried to find ways to save money. Hearing the songs and cheers of fans from a distance was enough, she added.

“She has been such a great influence to multiple young generations,” Senka said of Swift. “Even for moms, we relive issues from our youth, from our teenage years.” She added, “She’s a good example of how to, as a girl in a man’s world, stand up for yourself… not to be afraid to make your choices.”

Lejla and Senka, who will both be at Gillette, and looking forward to songs such as “Dear John” and “All Too Well.” Lejla described a memory of how growing up, she and her mom would connect over Swift.

“If I was having a bad day or would come home from school, and something [difficult] happened, my mom and I would text back and forth and be like, ‘okay, we’re jamming tonight,'” Lejla said. “We would get in the car and drive around aimlessly for however long we felt like it… We would blast Taylor Swift and sing at the top of our lungs, and that’s how we would decompress.”

Cora Curtis and Courtney Curtis

Courtney and Cora — Courtney Curtis and her mother Cora Curtis. – Photo courtesy of Cora Curtis

It wasn’t until recently that Cora Curtis, 47, became a Swift fan. Her daughter Courtney, 15, is the one who inspired Cora’s appreciation for the singer — when Cora gifted the teenager with tickets to the Eras show, Courtney began to give her “Taylor lessons.” The two watch YouTube videos together, listen to playlists, and read articles about Swift.

“Through that, I realized what my daughter was talking about,” Cora said. “My daughter is very into poetry, and I realized what [she meant] lyrically about how she’s [amazing].”

Cora and Courtney are preparing for the concert by making bracelets that spell out names of albums and phrases from songs. While many fans struggled to get train tickets to the show, Cora, who will be traveling from Vermont, was able to secure them pretty quickly.

“I didn’t know what time they were going on sale. I’m generally a night owl, so I was up at midnight,” she said. She added, “I got them at 12:05 a.m., so I didn’t have any problems getting my rail tickets.”