What Happens When You Buy Your '1989' Tickets Late

I don't know about you, but when Taylor Swift first announced the 1989 tour last year, I knew going to at least one of the shows was nonnegotiable. I haven't missed a single show in (or near) my city since first seeing a 17-year-old country singing Swift open for Rascal Flatts in 2007, and I'm not about to stop now. I might live in Atlanta, but it's a tradition of mine to make the four hour trek to Nashville when Swift's tour stops there, too. What's better than seeing her perform in her hometown? But as the big day approached, there was one small hiccup in my plan: I didn't have any tickets.

I'm not sure if you know this about Swift, but she's a pretty popular girl. Tickets to every show on the tour sold out in minutes, and if you weren't successful at the Ticketmaster Hunger Games at the end of last year, you were pretty much out of luck — and that was me. However, being that I am a longtime unhealthily obsessive concertgoer, I have a strategy I use when buying tickets the day they go on sale fails me. Occasionally, Ticketmaster will release more seats closer to the day of the show, which is a great way to get tickets late and for face value. And then, if that doesn't work, there is always StubHub... and this time, that ended up being my way in.

This story does have a happy ending: About 12 hours before I had to leave for Nashville, I finally scored tickets (for about twice the price of face value, of course). But if you're planning on going to the 1989 tour and you don't have tickets yet, I want you to be prepared. Getting tickets at the last minute is totally worth it, but prepare to be emotionally destroyed by the time your tickets are in your hands.

1. The Moment You Realize You Cannot Miss This Tour

The special guests have been insane , the YouTube videos of the performances are incredible (especially the "Enchanted"/"Wildest Dreams" mashup) and if you're like me and haven't missed a single tour in Swift's career, the idea of missing this one seems even more impossible. No matter what you need to do to get there, you are prepared to do it.

2. And Then You Realize How Serious The Situation Actually Is

Wait, the show is in three days, no one you know is selling tickets, and Ticketmaster is still coming up empty? This has reached emergency level heights. Time to start panicking!

3. The Initial Sticker Shock

Since paying face value is out — and you've already entered just about every contest or ticket giveaway that exists — you have to start researching alternatives. This includes but is not limited to StubHub, researching how much someone would pay for your kidney, bothering random Swift fans on Twitter, and realizing that there are people selling nosebleeds for more than five times what the tickets cost originally. In Nashville, a single 24th row seat was on eBay for $4,000. WHAT?

And yes, this is a very real Craigslist ad I had the pleasure of encountering during my search:

Hear that, ladies? Possibilities are endless!

4. Then, It's Time To Refresh StubHub Every Five Minutes

Prices always go down the closer the day of the show gets, but once they're low, they're gone. Refreshing constantly (and using the app) is a must. A stressful must, but a must nonetheless.

5. You Begin To Hate Yourself For Supporting Scalpers

The more people who pay them for tickets, the more they continue to jack up prices for concerts in the future, and then everyone loses. You're officially a horrible person.

6. But You'd Hate Yourself For Missing Taylor Swift More

There are no moral victories here, y'all.

7. Finally Finding Tickets & Anxiously Checking Your Bank Account

At this point, my inner monologue went something like this: "Can I really afford this? OK, I can afford this, but it means I am basically confined to my living room for the next month. But that's fine, since all I do is sit on the couch anyway. I can do this. No I can't, that's a lot of money. Yes I can. BE A WOMAN AND BUY THESE TICKETS!"

8. The Moment You Decide To Pull The Trigger

Select your quantity of tickets, gasp in shock at how many surcharges broker sites charge (for me, it was $121 in fees on two tickets — and yes, that is insane), close your eyes, and click. You did it!

9. Then, Pure Exhilaration

At this point, if you want to do a victory lap around your apartment screaming the lyrics to "Blank Space," that's fine too. You earned it!

10. The Regret Sets In At How Much Money You Spent

This happens around the time the charges hit your bank account. Your "oh crap" levels are through the roof, and you can feel your heart sink into your stomach. Already, you can almost taste the amount of Ramen noodles you'll now be forced to eat for the next several weeks.

11. The Stressful Moment Before Your Ticket Is Scanned

What if this is fake? I know that StubHub guarantees your money back, but if the ticket's a fake, you still can't go in to see Swift. Are we out of the woods yet?

12. And The Amazing Moment After, When You're Finally In The Arena

In The Clear Yet? GOOD.

13. And The Best Part Of All: When Swift Comes On Stage

The lights go out, the screams get louder, and then there she is: This beautiful blonde glowing orb of all things pure and wonderful, welcoming you to New York so genuinely that you don't have the heart to remind her she's actually in Nashville. Suddenly, your face is wet. Are these tears? Yes, but of joy, not sadness. The person you came with mocks you endlessly — and if that person is my fiancé, he will point to the floor and tell you to pick up the pieces of your life — but it doesn't matter.

Taylor Swift is in front of you, and the world is good.

Images: Screenshot/Craigslist , Giphy (13)