I'm a New Orleans Swiftie who went to the Eras Tour. Here's what I thought of the magical show.

If you had told me months ago that, despite not getting tickets for night two of the "Eras Tour" stop in New Orleans during Ticketmaster's initial sale, I would still attend, I probably would have believed you. That's because, like many other Swifties, I believe in miracles.

As a devoted Taylor Swift fan, I've been manifesting for over a year to see one of the final shows of her record-breaking tour.

So after telling my boss the first few hundred times that I would report on whatever he needed if I could get a media pass to see Dr. Taylor Alison Swift in concert at the Caesars Superdome, he finally said yes.

When I received the email from Taylor's team with the details of where to pick up my ticket, it hit me that I would become part of history, joining the hundreds of thousands of Swifties attending the last leg of this once-in-a-lifetime tour.

Saturday afternoon, I put on my "Running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming, 'but Daddy, I love him!'" outfit accessorized with my "All the wine moms are still holding out" socks — all referencing Taylor's song "But Daddy I Love Him" from her newest album "The Tortured Poets Department."

I drove to The Times-Picayune office downtown to park, and then excitedly joined the hordes of mostly women, dressed in exceptional outfits adorned with dozens of friendship bracelets, marching to the Dome to scream/sing our hearts out, cry a little and dance the best that we can while crammed together.

First, a thank-you to Gracie Abrams

In all of the "Eras Tour" shows, each concert has had exceptional opening acts. Most artists featured as openers in the over 100 tour stops have been major artists who could draw large crowds independently.

Gracie Abrams was one of those acts. While a few concertgoers sat down during her set (likely to save energy for the following three-hour show) or didn't know her music, several thousand still stood engaged with her peaceful but angsty songs.

From "Risk" to "Us" to "Close to You" and every song in between, Abrams gave us her all. I tried to give her everything I had in return, swaying and singing with the other fans near me on the floor of the Dome.

The best moment was when fans lit up the space as ahe sang?"Let It Happen," from her new album "The Secret of Us."

Abrams?said New Orleans was magic?but, for me, the true magic was in her performance Saturday.

Friends we made along the way

Watching the "Eras Tour" isn't just about seeing Swift and her ensemble perform exceptionally; it's also about who you get to watch it with. It's the people you will turn to when something crazy happens, like Sabrina Carpenter taking the stage, or when you need to make eye contact with someone while you sing along to "Lavender Haze."

And thankfully, even though I was there alone, I was able to experience my show with great neighbors.?

Thank you to David Liu, who came here from New York and shared his first big concert experience with me. And thank you to Shelly and Alexis Ziegler, the mother-daughter pair from Houston who put up with me screaming the curse words from Taylor's songs along with a few other loud expletives when Carpenter surprisingly took the stage.

By the way, Carpenter unexpectedly performing in New Orleans on one of her off days for her Short n' Sweet Tour is a big deal, and I will not stop bringing it up anytime soon.

Another hero of the night was the girl behind me who had to explain multiple parts of the tour to her concert buddy and displayed a hint of shame when said concert buddy exclaimed that Swift's "Folklore" cabin was something "straight out of the Hobbit."

Overall, getting to trade bracelets with the people nearby and seeing people's fun song-related costumes?was all part of what made the tour experience as magical as it was.

All the friends I made along the way made me so grateful to be a Swiftie.

The reason for the season: Taylor Swift

Despite Swift's performance being 3? hours long, the "Eras Tour" second night in New Orleans felt like the shortest performance of my life.

I wanted to soak in every feeling and etch into memory every twist and turn Swift and her dancers made, from the hand movements to the exaggerated facial expressions.

Ever since I started listening to Swift's music, she has felt like the older sister I never had as the eldest daughter in my nuclear family. It was a dream to see once again my pseudo-sister sing songs with lyrics that reminded me that I am a fabulous human being and to not settle for poor treatment from potential suitors.

Somehow, I teared up only twice during the show as I thought about how this is nearly the end of the "Eras Tour" and there will be only 13 more shows for me to watch on grainy concert livestreams.?

I did cry about seven times leading up to the concert and, as I wrote this, a couple more tears ricocheted off my keyboard. But that's not a lot when you cry tears of joy, right?

I was also thankful to be one of the few U.S. cities to see Swift perform the reworked concert that now includes her latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department." Hearing her live during this portion of the show was a fantastic experience that I wouldn't have traded for anything except, maybe, the opportunity to meet Swift herself.

Also, yes, I am bringing it up again. Carpenter came out to sing a duet with Swift! I still can't believe I was there for this.

Thank you to New Orleans

Since I moved to New Orleans, I have felt a sense of community and support from many across this lovely city.

Though I knew watching the "Eras Tour" would always feel special, I couldn't have predicted the immense joy I felt from seeing my fellow New Orleanians get in on the Swift mania.

It has been lovely to be unapologetically my most authentic Swiftie self all across the city, from Bourbon Street to my front door, for a whole week. And everyone who has had an influx of tourist customers or held Swift-focused events in the past week deserves more than a three-minute standing ovation for their work to make us feel special.