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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Simon McCarthy

Newcastle Swifties Faith and Elkie's first live concert was seeing Taylor Swift in Sydney

Cousins Elkie Rowe and Faith Foster's first live show was seeing Taylor Swift rock out in Sydney for her record-breaking Eras tour. Picture supplied

At one stage late last year, Naomi Foster had five laptops on the go, waiting for that fleeting chance to get tickets to the biggest show on Earth.

The Medowie mum had missed out on the first round but was lucky enough to get through in the second round and travelled to Sydney on Friday afternoon with her four-year-old daughter Faith and niece Elkie Rowe - who lives at Boolaroo - to see Taylor Swift take Accor Stadium by storm.

It was Faith's first live concert, and she danced the night away.

"They were so excited," Ms Foster told the Newcastle Herald after arriving home in the small hours of Saturday morning. "Faith was up and dancing and jumping around. She had a bit of a nap about halfway through and was good to go for the rest."

Both girls have older sisters who are committed Swifties. Elkie's older sister lined up at the merchandise tent to get Faith the shirt she wore on Friday night over a pair of denim jeans the family painted with patterns from Swift's albums and a pair of bright red heart-shaped glasses.

The family arrived at the stadium about 4.30pm on Friday, just before a sudden downpour of rain forced a brief evacuation inside the open-air stadium. Luckily, the Fosters' tickets were undercover, though, and the tumultuous storm only delayed the show by around 20 minutes.

Faith Foster was decked out in bright red heart-shaped glasses, jeans that she painted herself with Swift's album covers, bedazzled boots and a concert shirt that her older cousin scored for her at the merch tent. Picture supplied

"Everyone sitting on the floor was wet, but we were happy to be there," Ms Foster said. "It was amazing. I feel like it was every little kid's dream.

"Taylor dived into the stage at one point. I took so much footage; I've been spamming Instagram all day."

The local family were among 80,000 fans to see Swift's first of four Sydney shows on Friday night. The second was to kick off at 6.30pm on Saturday, February 24.

Despite a medium chance of showers, the Bureau of Meteorology's Angus Hynes said it should be dry.

"Temperatures will be down a little bit, but it will hardly be a cold night," told AAP.

The weather is also looking good for the Sunday and Monday concerts.

The local girls had the full Swiftie experience, trading friendship bracelets with other fans according to a long-running tradition. Picture supplied

Both Faith and Elkie had the full Swiftie experience on Friday night. Faith's favourite song, Paper Rings, sadly didn't make the set list, but the youngest fan rocked out to Shake It Off and traded friendship bracelets with the army of fans who turned out to see the show.

"Everyone was just walking up to us and asking if we wanted to trade," Ms Foster said. "It was so nice. We'll make the girls a little frame now with all their bracelets."

The show was filled with fans and some celebrity appearances, including Swift's NFL sweetheart Travis Kelce, who arrived in Sydney on Thursday to join the popstar.

US pop icon Katy Perry, UK singer Rita Ora, and Ora's husband, filmmaker Taika Waititi, danced through the show.

Perry posted photos with Swift on Instagram and moments during the concert, including exchanging a friendship bracelet with an overjoyed fan.

Faith Foster danced all night (less a little nap in the middle) to all her favourite Taylor Swift songs. Picture supplied

She captioned the post: "Got to see an old friend shine tonight."

It comes after the pair were reportedly stuck in a feud a decade ago over backing dancers, but Friday's post shows they are back in each other's friendship circle.

Ora also posted on Instagram with a reel of images from the concert, including her with her husband, Perry, Kelce and Swift.

"It's fair to say Sydney always delivers - or shall we say our TayTay always delivers," she captioned the post.

Faith Foster danced all night (less a little nap in the middle) to all her favourite Taylor Swift songs. Picture supplied

Although he is not an A-list popstar, admitting so himself, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly was among the Swift fans on Friday night after confirming earlier he was attending.

"I am very much looking forward to it. I'm a Swiftie, so it will be great," he told the Sydney radio Nova 96.9.

His attendance sparked some controversy with calls to give his ticket to a younger, die-hard fan.

Former PM Scott Morrison was also there, sporting a bright pink shirt and hat, with his family enjoying their third Swift concert since the 1989 tour in 2015.

With reporting by AAP

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