The day of the show we woke up at 4:30 AM and were downtown at Conseco around 6:45 AM. Her crew sometimes gives out pit or meet and greet passes to the first people there and we’ve known people who have gotten stuff by arriving early at other shows. We waited outside by the buses for 12 hours in hopes of getting something or at least to see her drive in. We met several of her band members who gave us Speak Now tour guitar picks and loved our shirts and even sent a picture to Taylor herself. Also, we were filmed for her website and an IndyStar reporter talked to us and took some pictures. That was enough for us though I will admit that we were slightly disappointed.

After a 12 hour wait on the back corner where the buses entered, we finally decided to go inside around 6:45 PM. Before we went all the way into the arena we decided to go to the box office and see if there was any chance of upgrading out seats. We upgraded all the way from balcony to 17th row on the floor for no extra cost. We were beyond excited. When we got in the arena Hunter Hayes’ performance had already started but I will say that he has an amazing and very country-sounding voice. His performance was really fun and he is super talented. Next Need To Breathe hit the stage. I also really enjoyed their performance and would recommend everyone check them out as well if you haven’t already.

When the lights finally dimmed for Taylor’s performance, the crowd went wild. Taylor opened with her newest single “Sparks Fly” and performed almost 20 songs mostly from her most recent album “Speak Now” but she also included singles from her earlier albums. She ran right through the crowd and touched people’s hands and sat on a small rotating stage on the other side of the floor for several songs as well. Taylor also sang a little mash-up of songs originally done by artists from Indiana. It seemed the entire crowd sang along to every single word she sang. That truly shows the power of music. She even said she felt like coming back to Indiana was like visiting old friends (13,500 of them) and she could now call us “Indy.” During one of the last songs Taylor stepped into a small “balcony” and flew right above us and all around the arena. All of the special effects were amazing and her outfits were just as beautiful. The stage setup and props were fantastic and I felt like I had been placed right into the middle of a fairytale. Several of the songs were even acted out by dancers and told the story right in front of us. I can also say that I’ve heard quite a few rumors of Taylor’s live voice not being very good but her voice sounded perfect. She is seemingly flawless and her performance was stunning. I go to a lot of concerts but I’d definitely say this was one of the best. Taylor Swift’s show was phenomenal and I absolutely cannot wait for my next chance to see her.

Shoutout to Rachel for the concert review!

Hopefully you can see from the above that the tickets go on sale Saturday April 30th!

As Written on Popeater

Don’t fret. If you’re going through Charlie Sheen’s ‘Two and a Half Men’ withdrawal you’ll have a chance to see the warlock in action as he embarks on a live tour titled, ‘My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option Show.’

Sheen announced the tour by tweeting, “Fastball; My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option Show LIVE Detroit/Chicago on sale Sat … The REAL story c.”

The talkative (to say the least) star will step out from behind the cameras of his online chat show, ‘Sheen’s Korner,’ and onto a Detroit stage on April 3, followed by a show in Chicago. Ticketmaster has the tour listing with Sheen’s description: “I’m going on the road. LIVE. Will there be surprises? Will there be guests? Will there be mayhem? Will you ask questions? Will you laugh? Will you scream? … This IS where you will hear the REAL story from the Warlock. Bring it. I dare you to keep up with me.”

The ex-star of ‘Two and a Half Men’ is out upwards of $30 million in potential earnings after his antics led to his dismissal from the show. So is this live tour a chance for Charlie to connect with his fellow tiger blood-drinking warlocks or is Charlie desperately trying to latch onto any project that could bring in some dough?

Either way, we’re sure that when tickets go on sale tomorrow they’ll be sold out faster than you can say, “Resentments are the rocket fuel that lives in the tip of my saber.”

Lady Gaga could not remember much about her celebration on Sunday night after winning three Grammy Awards, but during a Monday appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” she did manage to recall that she had yet another big announcement to make.

“Oh, this is a very exciting new announcement,” she said during the appearance, in which she revealed that she and Madonna have no beef over Gaga’s smash single “Born This Way,” which some critics and fans have said resembles some of Madonna’s 1990s work. “I am going to be taping a special for HBO of the Monster Ball.” HBO confirmed on Tuesday (February 15) that the singer’s first solo HBO concert special will air on May 7. The program will be taped during Gaga’s February 21-22 shows at Madison Square Garden and will be titled “Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden.”

“Lady Gaga is the single most exciting music talent on the scene today,” said HBO president Sue Naegle in a statement announcing the deal. “We’re especially thrilled that she’ll be creating unique new elements for the special that will make the show an even more memorable experience for our viewers.”

The HBO show will begin airing a few weeks before the release of Gaga’s highly anticipated Born This Way album, which hits stores on May 23. It will be directed by Laurieann Gibson, who has choreographed most of Lady Gaga’s videos, including “Poker Face,” “Paparazzi,” “Telephone,” “Alejandro” and “Bad Romance.”

Gaga also dropped the news that the “Born This Way” video will be out soon and that it is a collaboration between her own Haus of Gaga and fashion photographer Nick Knight. There was no mention, however, of director Jonas Åkerlund, who reportedly lensed the clip.

The singer admitted that she didn’t remember much about Sunday night’s post-Grammy party, but she remembers that “it was fun. I do remember being called ‘drunky Gaga.’ ” Renowned for her elaborate entrances, Gaga said that Hussein Chalayan, the Turkish designer behind the egg-shaped device in which she was carried into the Grammys, wanted to make sure everyone knew it should be referred to as a “vessel.” Joking (we think), Gaga told Leno she spent three days inside the temperature-controlled device.

Gaga also explained that the “vessel” was intended to signify rebirth, specifically the birth of a new race “with no prejudice … against anyone.”

Rihanna and Drake will team up to rock the Grammy stage on Sunday night, but while both have stayed mum about the show, if previous performances — and their obvious chemistry — are any indication, these two will likely bring some hip-hop and R&B-tinged heat.

In 2010, Rihanna circled the world on her Last Girl on Earth Tour, vamping it up in sharp-shouldered, leg-baring bodysuits and straddling bubblegum-colored tanks. A Rihanna show, however, isn’t always a mélange of militant moves and space-age sexpot grooves. The “S&M” songstress went tribal with a drum-heavy throwdown at the 2010 American Music Awards, gyrated under bright-red lights for a flirty rendition of “What’s My Name?” on “Saturday Night Live” and played a flower-laden princess at the MTV Europe Music Awards. A restless chameleon when it comes to her aesthetic, the most consistent aspect of the superstar’s stage turns is the flash of her famous legs.

While high-concept set design and elaborate outfits typify Rihanna’s stage shows, Drake gets concertgoers hyped with high-wattage cameos. When the Young Money hitmaker’s Light Dreams and Nightmares Tour touched down in New York City in September, Drizzy trotted out Jay-Z, Fabolous, Trey Songz and others. Swizz Beatz and Mary J. Blige helped him out for a throwback-themed set at the MTV VMAs, fellow Canadian ladykiller Justin Bieber showed his precious mug at the Indiana State Fair and Lil Wayne chose the MC’s Las Vegas date to hit the stage just days after he was released from prison. Drizzy’s sets aren’t just live posse cuts though, as the rapper has also said the Light Dreams trek was inspired by rock icon Jimi Hendrix’s freewheeling stage style.

Each artist has rocked bodies at the Recording Academy’s annual trophy handout as well. Drizzy pulled off a performance of “Forever” alongside top-flight lyricists Eminem and Lil Wayne, with Travis Barker on the skins, at the 2010 awards show. Rihanna has entertained her industry peers at pre-Grammy bashes, but Sunday’s show will allow the pop megastar to show off her skills after her 2009 performance was famously thwarted following an assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown.

So Rihanna is usually good for an outrageous costume and an eye-popping set, while Drizzy tends to have a famous face in the wings ready to kick up the star power. Yet their most high-profile onscreen collaboration is low on big-budget tricks, and is instead a portrait of the pair’s close relationship. When they combined forces on the songstress’ Loud hit “What’s My Name?” — after being dogged by rumors of an undercover fling — they kept the video intimate and low-key, flirting in a bodega on New York’s Lower East Side, sharing wine and Chinese food and cuddling on the couch.

Come Sunday, the pair’s collabo promises to be a big moment: It’s the first time they have performed together live, and it will be Rihanna’s chance to finally take over the Grammy stage. And since they’re up for four awards each, it’s possible their stage show will be a celebration after they’ve snatched Grammy gold.

Rihanna is ready to make some noise road stateside this summer. The Barbadian songstress announced on Wednesday (February 6) that she’ll bring her Loud tour to North America in June. The superstar will kick off the trek in Baltimore and then head to Toronto, Los Angeles, Oakland, California, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. Tickets go on sale for the “Only Girl (In the World)” singer’s U.S. and Canadian dates on February 14; additional dates will be announced later.

For those who saw the Loud diva rip the stage last year on her worldwide Last Girl on Earth Tour, the upcoming trek is slated to feature brand new costumes and set design, and the megastar has promised American members of the Rihanna navy that she’s ready to get rowdy.

“We’re creating an incredible ride with this tour. I’m excited to get out on the road and share my new music from this album,” Rihanna said in a statement. “We are going to have an amazing time and I know my fans are ready to get LOUD!”

The poptress will rock some Down Under dates in Australia at the end of the month but fans unwilling to make the long flight can catch Rihanna onstage before her summer dates kick off. The fashion-forward singer is set to perform at the Grammys on Sunday, where she’s also up for four awards: Record Of the Year, Best Rap/ Sung Collaboration and Best Short Form Music Video for “Love the Way You Lie” featuring Eminem, and Best Dance Recording for “Only Girl (In the World).”

» 6/4 – Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
» 6/7 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
» 6/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
» 6/30 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland, CA
» 7/19 – Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
» 7/21 – East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
» 7/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center