The Virginia-Pilot article: The Band was Almost Swift

The Swiftie Experience: A Night to Remember

Taylor Swift's music has a unique way of bringing people together, and a recent tribute concert in Norfolk proved just that. Featured in The Virginian-Pilot, the event saw hundreds of Swifties gathering for a night of pure joy, nostalgia, and singalongs. From glittering outfits to heartfelt performances by the tribute band Midnight Rain, the atmosphere was electric. This blog dives into the highlights of that unforgettable night, exploring the magic, the music, and the Swiftie spirit that filled the venue. Here's the full article !

The Band Was Almost Swift

By Colin Warren-Hicks Staff writer - The Virginia-Pilot

Hundreds of fans gather in glee, with a misfit or two. Thirty preteen Taylor Swifts fidgeted by the stage in glittering dresses, forming a makeshift squad.

The tribute show was about to start, and the fans—Swifties dressed in cowboy boots and fringed skirts, and Adidas Americana sneakers and neon-blue eyeshadow—buzzed.

The band Midnight Rain, a Taylor Swift cover band, took the stage for its second and biggest tribute concert on July 14 at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk.

Two middle schoolers held "Midnight Rain" cutout letters high, and fans in 2000s-era prom dresses held signs professing their devotion to Swift and her music. "Shake it Off" manicured nails flashed in the soft pink stage lights.

Teenagers, whether in pastel-colored eye shadow or cowboy boots, giggled and danced.

At center stage, Janice Chandler, the band's frontwoman, paused to soak it all in.

"It's just great," she said.

A moment later, the opening beats of "You Belong With Me" started up, and the crowd erupted.

The venue—the Half Moone—was perfect for a Swift-themed party. Fans strutted along the boardwalk, showing off their handcrafted Swift-era outfits. The vibe was a mixture of Eras Tour excitement and prom night nerves.

The crowd roared when Midnight Rain started its set. Tour-like friendship bracelets flew as secondary market prices soared into the thousands.

Chandler thought, Let's do this ourselves and create that vibe for the Swifties here that want to be Taylor Swift.

Alongside Swiftie herself, the Norfolk musician became a defining voice in local fan circles by belting out the pop star’s 2007 country song "Our Song" back in 2009 when she brought her own tribute act to The NorVa. She’s been making her presence known in the local scene ever since.

Some concertgoers took it to the extreme, dressing up as Swift or one of her music video characters. One group of friends arrived in matching costumes from Swift’s “22” music video, while others showed up in sequined bodysuits that mirrored Swift’s 2014 1989 tour outfits.

Midnight Rain made its way through a catalog of Swift’s greatest hits, performing fan favorites like “Anti-Hero,” “All Too Well,” and “Love Story.”

Fans waved their hands, swayed in unison, and belted out lyrics that resonated deeply.

During "All Too Well," one group of Swifties linked arms, tears forming as they sang the 10-minute ballad’s gut-wrenching final verses.

As the show neared its end, the crowd’s energy never waned.

“Are you guys tired of singing yet?” Chandler asked.

“No!” the crowd shouted back.

About 20 minutes into the show, Chandler stopped singing and laughed, throwing a fist into the air.

From across the venue, a sea of Swifties, dressed in dramatic Warriors jerseys, looked up at her.

"You guys look so good out there," Chandler said. "And all the outfits!"

The concert's pink-tinted lights reflected off thousands of sequins and rhinestones.

The fans brought beloved Swift traditions to the event—bracelet swaps, outfit showcases, and, of course, ear-shattering singalongs.

A street over, the block from the venue, several rooftop revelers danced, singing along to every word.

For those at Courtyard Marriott balconies, the Midnight Rain concert was a moment of Swiftie bliss. Swift was everywhere.

Concert 

The crowd shimmered in sequins and glittering pink.

There was a “dark and stormy” sleek green dress worn for Swift’s Midnights album. The “cute, pink, sexy” tight dress that stopped above the knee was chosen because her friend Rebecca Chandler was, Epps explained, all about Swift’s album Lover.

About a third into the show, the lights dimmed, and the first strains of Enchanted trickled through to play. A clique began to glow in the dark.

A little boy wearing a blue Midnights tour shirt looked up, puzzled, brow furrowed.

Then he started to sway to the ballad, too, before giving up and putting his hands in his pockets.

His sisters, Abby Adams, 13, and Maddi Linn, 11, sat on a metal table.

Maddi, wearing a pink cowboy hat, sighed.

"A fan knows some songs," Maddi noted, nodding toward Abby. "But she's only going to look at her sister."

"Sheeee's a Swiftie."

Abby nodded, then suddenly stopped and tilted her head in contemplation.

"I'm not just a Swiftie, Maddi. I'm a die-hard Swiftie."

The difference between a Swiftie and a die-hard Swiftie is a Swiftie might go to a Taylor Swift concert and be like 'really, really excited,'" Abby said. "But if I saw her in real life, I'd just, like, DIE."

Maddi rolled her eyes, this time arching her brows higher.

After Lover ended, Chandler disappeared. The band stayed on the stage and emerged minutes later, dressed in black trenchcoats for Midnight Rain.

As the song reached its chorus, Chandler reappeared, and fellow Swifties, Emma Jenkins and Adams, twirled in unison.

The glow of wristbands on their spinning dancers’ hands burst in waves.

The concert continued in dazzling fashion, as Maddi and Abby threw on their pink cowboy hats and twirled again.

The tribute band’s version of The Archer was met with thousands of dance floor beams of phone flashlights.

Overheard from a security guard at Waterside’s News 3 rooftop: “I mean, I don’t know any of these songs. But it looks really, really cool.”

Inside, every fan held onto a moment they would not soon forget.

The night ended in friendship bracelet trades, pink glow stick waves, and an encore that had the entire floor swaying in time.

“I think this is what a Swiftie dream looks like,” one young fan said, voice barely above a whisper.

Jenkins had been making friendship bracelets all week to give them out to strangers at the show.

"The Swiftie arena," she said, "is a safe place where everybody knows how you feel."