The Eras Tour Ticketmaster fiasco was a defining moment in pop culture last year, when the ticket-seller was overwhelmed by the demand of fans clamoring to see Taylor Swift live and in person. Many Swifties were left empty-handed, but for some people — say, of the celebrity nature — there are different avenues one can attempt in order to secure the year’s hottest ticket. Stranger Things star David Harbour explained how he was able to provide his step-daughter with the experience of a lifetime, which included a pretty sweet surprise from the “Look What You Made Me Do” artist.
David Harbour earned some big-time brownie points with one of his step-daughters, when they recently attended one of Taylor Swift’s 3-plus-hour concerts. So how exactly does one come by the coveted ticket to allow the little girl the opportunity to exchange friendship bracelets with thousands of other Swifties and possibly have her brain chemistry altered? The Gran Turismo actor said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast:
Honestly, like a lot of favors, you gotta call in a lot of favors.
With the number of celebrities who have been seen rocking out to Taylor Swift this year, I can only imagine how many VIP requests her people have had to sort through. That means even those like David Harbour — who in addition to being in the cast of one of Netflix’s best binges has starred in Violent Night, We Have a Ghost and the upcoming Gran Turismo this year — didn’t have an easy time procuring a ticket.
But if he now owes favors to a lot of people in Hollywood, it sounds like it was worth it for the Step-Dad of the Year, as he said Taylor Swift had an extra surprise for his little one when they were unable to actually meet the superstar. David Harbour continued:
It was extraordinary because I did say as we went in, ‘If there is an opportunity to say hello,’ I was like, ‘Please.’ And they said, ‘She’s leaving on a plane right after the concert, and I was like, ‘Oh then [never mind]. We sat there for about 30 minutes of the opener and then a woman came out with a letter. I’ve never seen my step-daughter speechless. She did say in the letter at one point, ‘I’ll give you a wave from the stage.’ And at one point, during the beginning of one of her numbers she did turn to our little tent and [waved].
While it might have been a little disappointing that they didn’t get to go backstage, I’m sure a personal letter from Taylor Alison Swift herself made up for that! Then on top of that, to have the singer single them out in the crowd to give a little wave? It sounds like a pretty special experience overall.
David Harbour married singer Lily Allen in 2020 and is now step-father to her two daughters, 10-year-old Marnie Rose and 11-year-old Ethel Mary. He’s one of many dads who can now call themselves Swifties, along with Kevin Costner, who had a pretty funny reaction to being seen at the Eras Tour, and Josh Gad, who saw the show with his own family.
It may be a while before we see David Harbour reprise his role as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things Season 5, but Gran Turismo hits theaters Friday, August 25, and as for Taylor Swift, she’s always got plenty of new music and other projects to look forward to.
