Look at the way Taylor Swift’s blue eyes shine, putting those Ohio stars to shame… that’s not a lie.
On Thursday, the Chillicothe Gazette published never-before-seen photos of the “Tim McGraw” singer performing at the Ohio University-Chillicothe Shoemaker Center back in September of 2007.
If you can believe it — with Eras Tour tickets going for $2,000 and up for her fall U.S. shows — tickets to the university show were only $20.
The Gazette posted about 50 photos of a 17-year-old blonde starlet in the prime of her country era. At the time, Swift’s “Teardrops On My Guitar” was 50th on the Billboard 100, Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry” was No. 1. Swift’s debut, eponymous album was released less than one year prior.
Many of the photos are similar and serve like a picture flip book of her and her guitar. Swift smiles, holds up a rocker sign and strums the guitar as her lithe blue dress with frill trim sparkles in the harsh light.
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The Gazette’s headline “Making her mark” is nostalgic, but also a stark contrast to the global success of the singer-songwriter. If only that writer and Swift could peer into a crystal ball to see her blockbuster fame 17 years later.
Swift shared a stage with Cincinnati-based singer Jonalee White.
The Chillicothe Gazette is a newspaper in south-central Ohio, about an hour 15 minutes drive from Columbus.
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