We Went To Taylor Swift's Concert | The Official Podcast

In episode 378 of the official podcast, Jackson shares his transformative experience attending a Taylor Swift concert, describing the vibrant energy, impressive performance, and diverse crowd. Despite initial skepticism, he and the other hosts, including Charlie, discuss the surprising demographic, Taylor's dedication, and the staggering 48-song setlist. The conversation shifts to the opening act cancellation due to lightning, with humorous speculation on the unlikely odds of being struck by lightning at the concert. They touch on the cult-like celebrity worship observed, the emotional impact of Swift's music on fans, and the overall value of the concert experience. The hosts also delve into a discussion about the potential for celebrities like Swift to appear in video games, pondering the high costs of likeness rights and the absurdity of such deals.

• Jackson attended a Taylor Swift concert and had a transformative experience.
• He describes the experience as akin to a religious awakening and expresses his newfound admiration for Swift.
• Jackson is open to discussing the concert and answering questions about it.

"I'm a converted man I've been to Taylor Swift I've seen the errors to it and it's it's like seeing Jesus for the first time I've found faith I'm I'm I am a changed man it was a fantastic experience if you guys want to ask me any questions about it I'm here to answer them."

Jackson likens his experience at the Taylor Swift concert to a spiritual revelation, indicating a profound impact on him.

• The concert was described as having a raw energy and an enthusiastic crowd.
• Jackson was impressed by the size of the crowd, noting it as possibly the largest he's seen in Australia.
• He observed the demographic to be predominantly female with a mix of ages and some men present.

"I actually had a lot of fun I think it's impossible to have like no fun at a concert with those kinds of Vibes and stuff like that kind of raw energy you have to be like a real stick in the mud to go there and not at least wag your finger at the songs when there's just so much like you know energy in the stadium it was crazy it was like an enormous crowd 100,000 people."

Jackson emphasizes the high energy and enjoyment of the concert, suggesting that it would be difficult for anyone not to have fun in such an atmosphere.

• Taylor Swift's performance was praised for its talent and dedication.
• She performed for 3 and a half hours without breaks, singing 48 songs.
• Jackson was surprised by the non-stop nature of the concert and Swift's ability to entertain for such an extended period.

"I was like actually like super impressed at the raw level of I don't know if Talent. yeah. Talent dedication shown by Taylor Swift I was expecting her to like uh just half ass. it. basically. but she was up there for 3 and 1/ half hours uh seeing her guts out dancing doing all this [ __ ] chaotic."

Jackson expresses admiration for Taylor Swift's talent and commitment, highlighting her continuous performance without intermissions.

• The concert featured quick costume changes, elaborate set design, and thematic representations of Swift's different musical eras.
• The staging included elements like a log cabin for the folklore era, demonstrating the attention to detail in the concert's production.

"So she does all of her all of her albums basically like the best songs from each album and in between albums there's a quick costume change so she'll she'll go to like a a point in the stage. and she'll [ __ ] like get teleported below the stage and run off into a quick costume change."

Jackson describes the dynamic staging and costume changes that complemented the performance of songs from various Taylor Swift albums.

• The opening act for the concert in Australia was Sabrina Carpenter.
• Due to lightning in the area, the stadium was evacuated and the opening act was canceled.
• Jackson humorously discusses the logic of evacuating the stadium due to lightning and the potential for a dramatic incident.

"There was lightning in the area like before the concert started so they kicked us out of the stadium once we got got in like they evacuated the stadium because there was lightning in the area they didn't want us to get zapped so the opening act got cancelled like she couldn't come out."

Jackson recounts the unexpected evacuation of the stadium due to lightning, which led to the cancellation of the opening act's performance.

• Some concertgoers were moved to tears by the performance.
• Jackson observed people crying during the concert and groups listening from outside the stadium.
• The emotional response of the audience underscores the deep connection fans have with Taylor Swift's music.

"Yeah there were people there were people crying in the in the stadium in the chairs and stuff people the the outside of the stadium during the concert like I've seen videos uh there were just groups of people outside just listening to the music from outside the stadium like hundreds of like probably thousands of people just trying to like listen from the outside."

Jackson notes the emotional reactions of fans both inside and outside the stadium, illustrating the powerful effect of the concert on attendees.

• Jackson and Charlie discuss their favorite Taylor Swift songs and eras.
• Jackson prefers the "reputation" era and the song "Midnight Rain," while Charlie is fond of "Wildest Dreams."
• The conversation reveals personal tastes and highlights from the concert experience.

"I think my favorite era is reputation though that's the snake one if anyone is familiar the kind of fun songs. but I I think I think my favorite is midnight rain if I had to choose a specific song."

Jackson shares his favorite Taylor Swift era and song, providing insight into his personal preferences from the concert repertoire.

• The concert included impressive pyrotechnics, lighting, and special effects.
• Jackson felt the production value justified the cost of the concert tickets and recommends the experience to others.

"There were like fireworks and stuff like giant fireworks at the end of it giant flamethrower like uh pyrot Technics that you could feel the heat of everywhere the lighting was insane."

Jackson highlights the impressive production elements of the concert, such as fireworks and pyrotechnics, which added to the overall spectacle.

• Jackson observes the intense celebrity worship at the concert, particularly when Travis Kelce was spotted.
• He comments on the ephemeral nature of celebrity relationships and the anticipation for new music from Taylor Swift.

"I'll tell you this the amount of like cultish celebrity worship though still definitely like creeps me out like Travis Kelce walked through the stadium to get to like the um well he didn't walk through the stadium he was very guarded he went through like a tunnel but people saw like a glimpse of his head and there were people like screaming and freaking out and crying and stuff like that over just seeing her boyfriend."

Jackson reflects on the extreme reactions of fans to celebrities, noting the intense level of adoration and the oddity of the phenomenon.

• The loudness of the concert led to temporary hearing difficulty for Jackson.
• Charlie and Jackson joke about the merits of wearing ear protection at concerts, with Charlie advocating for it and Jackson initially rejecting the idea.

"I couldn't hear after the concert the screaming and stuff was. so [ __ ] loud like so much louder than any other concert I've ever been to could you hear the music properly or was it mostly just screaming I could barely hear Taylor Swift during some songs it was that loud."

Jackson describes the overwhelming volume of the crowd's screaming during the concert, which impacted his ability to hear the music and left him with temporary hearing issues.

• The group discusses "The Beekeeper," a fictional movie starring Jason Statham.
• They humorously dissect the plot, characters, and absurdity of the film's premise.
• The conversation shifts to the topic of bee behavior and the concept of worker bees assassinating their queen.

"I'll tell you this the amount of like cultish celebrity worship though still definitely like creeps me out like Travis Kelce walked through the stadium to get to like the um well he didn't walk through the stadium he was very guarded he went through like a tunnel but people saw like a glimpse of his head and there were people like screaming and freaking out and crying and stuff like that over just seeing her boyfriend."

The group engages in a light-hearted critique of "The Beekeeper," a movie they find entertaining despite its ridiculous plot, and they relate it to actual bee behavior.

• The character is referred to as "The Beekeeper" and is involved in keeping bees and making honey.
• The Beekeeper is portrayed as a powerful figure with "infinite resources" and "total card blanche," allowing him to make his own decisions.
• There is a discussion about the absurdity of a character who can assassinate the president without consequence.
• The concept of "resetting the hive" is mentioned metaphorically in relation to the president's approval ratings and assassination.

"So he technically sits up the president then hierarch he doesn't what a stupid decision to make some like really powerful dude outside of the limits of control."

This quote highlights the disbelief at the narrative choice to have a character with unchecked power who can even target the president.

"Wouldn't the presidents know about this as well? Wouldn't like the presidents know that there's beekeepers around so they try harder to keep their approval rating higher so that they don't get assassinated by The Beekeeper trying to keep them in line."

The idea is raised that presidents would be incentivized to maintain high approval ratings to avoid assassination by The Beekeeper, illustrating the influence of this character.

• The president's son is involved in a scandalous business, running a call center that scams old people.
• The president is unaware of her son's actions until it is revealed, leading to the fear that The Beekeeper will punish them for the scandal.

"But he ran this leazy scummy Outlets where you know um the call center like Charlie said where they just scam old people out their money and she finds out. And she's like The Beekeeper will punish us for this."

This quote conveys the revelation of the president's son's corrupt activities and the anticipated retribution from The Beekeeper.

• Jason Statham is acknowledged for his consistent performance in action movies.
• His movies are described as fun and entertaining, though not critically acclaimed.
• The "Crank" series is specifically mentioned for its over-the-top action and unique concept of adrenaline-fueled survival.
• There is a consensus that while Statham's movies may not be high art, they are enjoyable and do not take themselves too seriously.

"It's fun to see Jason Statham still going. He's actually like whatever he is in it's usually decent to watch agreed I agree it's never like good acting or like an actually good movie. But it's always far like fun."

This quote summarizes the general opinion that Statham's presence in a film guarantees a certain level of entertainment, despite the quality of the acting or film itself.

• There is a discussion about the editing style of action movies, particularly comparing the "Crank" series to "Hobs and Shaw."
• "Crank" is described as intentionally disorienting and akin to a music video, while "Hobs and Shaw" is criticized for its editing, making the action hard to follow.
• The conversation highlights the importance of editing and stylistic choices in the reception of action films.

"Let's not pretend that that was edited like a masterpiece when he's having sex there's like five cuts to the tourist cheering him on."

This quote points out the rapid editing style of "Crank," which is part of its intentional aesthetic, contrasting with the criticism of "Hobs and Shaw."

• The participants discuss actors whose charisma or presence draws them to watch any movie they're in.
• Brendan Fraser, Anthony Hopkins, Mads Mikkelsen, and Christoph Waltz are mentioned as examples of such actors.
• The conversation reflects personal tastes and the impact an actor can have on an audience's movie-watching choices.

"Jason Stam has so much Charisma I'd be happy to watch him even in his worst movies."

This quote expresses the sentiment that certain actors have a magnetic appeal that can transcend the quality of the films they're in.

• The "Fast and Furious" franchise is discussed, with opinions varying on the quality and enjoyment of the films.
• The conversation touches on the theme of family in the franchise and the over-the-top action sequences.
• The "Fast and Furious" ride at Universal Studios is brought up as a memorable experience related to the franchise.

"Probably the ride at Universal Studios is the best fast and furious experience I think that's the best experience you can ever have in the Fast and Furious Universe."

This quote highlights the enjoyment derived from an attraction related to the "Fast and Furious" franchise, indicating the cultural impact of the series.

• There is a critique of the tendency for games and media to be burdened with social debates and issues.
• "Starship Troopers" is used as an example of a work that is both a satire and a source of entertainment, with a discussion about the balance between the two.
• The group expresses frustration with the expectation for media to always carry a message and the impact this has on enjoyment.

"I'm so tired of every game coming Shackled with like debates and social issues and everything ever."

This quote encapsulates the weariness felt by the group towards the politicization of entertainment media.

• The conversation begins with a critique of censorship in media, particularly how it affects the portrayal of historical events.
• Concerns are raised about unrealistic depictions of historical armies, such as the German Army in World War II.
• The speakers highlight the issue of companies altering historical representations to avoid accusations of racism or insensitivity.

"Duties they censor all of that it's all gone there's nowhere to be seen and that's when you get the goofy. [__] of like oh this is our German Army featuring a whole platoon of black people and women like that's not it's not what happened it's really not."

This quote expresses frustration with the censorship of historical facts, leading to inaccurate and anachronistic portrayals of historical events or groups, such as the German Army during World War II.

• Google's AI, Gemini, is criticized for being unable to generate images of white people, producing images of other races instead.
• The AI's limitations have led to people intentionally creating historically inaccurate images to highlight the issue or for humor.
• The conversation touches upon the absurdity of AI-generated content, which includes a Homer Simpson meme altered by the AI to avoid perceived gang violence or prejudice.

"Google unveiled its uh image generation thing last week called Gemini the issue is that they lobotomize that so bad that it's literally not allowed to generate images of white people at all like whatsoever."

This quote points out the perceived extreme measures taken by Google's AI Gemini to avoid generating images of white people, which is seen as an overcorrection leading to bizarre and unintended outcomes.

• The speakers discuss the AI's inability to make certain moral judgments, such as distinguishing between petting a puppy and committing a heinous crime.
• The AI's restrictions are seen as excessive to the point of rendering it incapable of basic thought or historical accuracy.
• There is mention of Google's potential need to reevaluate their leadership due to the AI's perceived failures.

"Somebody asked it so which is worse um like giving a puppy head pets or raping a baby and it can't decide like it's just. so [__] stunted by whatever breaks they put on it that it just cannot think at all."

This quote illustrates the AI's limitations in making moral judgments, which the speakers find absurd and indicative of the AI's inability to function effectively due to its ethical programming constraints.

• The AI is criticized for its tendency to rewrite historical narratives, such as generating images of non-white historical figures in historically inaccurate contexts.
• The speakers express disbelief at the lack of self-awareness and quality control within Google, which allowed the AI's flawed output to be released.

"So it also refuses to condemn pedophilia so apparently a user on Twitter went through like a a bunch of tests on the Gemini to see if it'll just say like pedophilia is wrong and it just keeps saying that it can't do that and that uh hate or whatever is against people."

The quote discusses the AI's failure to take a stance on moral issues, even when directly questioned, which is seen as a significant flaw in the AI's design and programming.

• The AI's overcorrection in avoiding racism is seen as leading to more issues, such as the generation of racist imagery when given specific prompts.
• The speakers discuss the AI's tendency to "nag" users with excessive warnings and disclaimers, which affects the user experience negatively.
• There is a discussion about the potential use of AI for practical purposes, such as scriptwriting and fact-checking, but the AI's limitations and censorship hinder its usefulness.

"So Nvidia released their own um language model that you can download on your own computer it's like 35 gab but you can download it and run it on your own graphics card offline."

This quote introduces the topic of AI used for content generation and analysis, as well as the limitations imposed on the AI that prevent it from being fully effective for these purposes.

• The speakers criticize the AI for treating users like children, with constant safety warnings and disclaimers that are seen as unnecessary and patronizing.
• The conversation touches upon the idea that AI's excessive caution may be a result of liability concerns, similar to warnings on product packaging.
• The speakers suggest that accepting terms and conditions upon signing up for AI services should be sufficient to waive liability without the AI needing to provide constant disclaimers.

"So when you go and ask this thing for like legal not even legal advice like. literally I. I I'll ask something like which states uh have uh legal concealed carry uh. well you know you should really consult a real lawyer this is not legal advice boiler plate it. [] paragraphs and then it gives me like two states and I go okay full list. please []."

This quote highlights the frustration with the AI's tendency to provide excessive disclaimers instead of straightforward information, which is seen as a hindrance to obtaining quick and clear answers from the AI.

Reddit's Financial Situation and Public Offering

• Reddit has been reportedly losing money.
• Reddit's CEO received a significant compensation package, potentially in stock options.
• The company has filed to go public, allowing people to buy Reddit stock.
• Reddit reported a net loss of $90 million for the year 2023.

"Reddit has apparently losing money too according to paying it. CEO like $185 million or like $185 million salary in terms of like stock or whatever. They just filed to go public. So you can buy Reddit stock now if anybody I don't know why. But um they reported a net loss of 90 million doll for 2023."

The quote discusses Reddit's financial losses and the CEO's high compensation, juxtaposed with their decision to file for a public offering. The relevance lies in the contrast between the company's losses and the CEO's earnings, highlighting potential concerns for investors.

Reddit's Business Model and User Moderation

• Reddit relies heavily on volunteer moderators for content management.
• There is confusion over how Reddit is not profitable despite minimal expenses on moderation.
• The discussion suggests that high executive pay may contribute to Reddit's financial losses.

"How can it they don't even pay their employee like the the mods literally do it for free the jannies are losers it's fat. Losers doing the job for free what is your expense like we like I just said like if they had a loss of $90 million he's his salary is like $180 million so."

The quote questions Reddit's significant net loss given its reliance on unpaid moderators, implying that the financial issues may stem from high executive salaries rather than operational costs.

Google's Deal with Reddit and Data Crawling

• The participants are skeptical about the value of Google paying for API access to Reddit's data.
• They discuss alternative methods companies use to gather data, such as web crawling.
• Concerns are raised about data privacy and the ethics of selling user-generated content.

"I just don't understand the deal Google is making like okay scan our site for all of the content isn't that like a onetime thing it's not like there's ongoing you're going to scan it but plus couldn't you have just done that like had your Bot craw the s."

This quote expresses confusion about Google's decision to pay for something that could be achieved through other means, like bots crawling the site. It questions the necessity and the rationale behind the deal.

NBA's Spider-Verse Filter

• The NBA introduced a Spider-Verse filter for games, which has received mixed reactions.
• There is a debate about whether it is fair to charge for such a filter and its impact on the viewing experience.
• The discussion touches on the evolving nature of sports entertainment and consumer choice.

"You can put the spider verse filter on your games. Yeah it's just like a filter over the NBA match it's not even AI is it it just looks like using the. Yeah. Buzz just to sell this kind a lot of people dun on it cuz it looks bad."

The quote describes the NBA's new Spider-Verse filter feature and the public's reaction to it. It highlights the commercial aspect of the feature and its reception by fans.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Series Critique

• The live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is criticized for various aspects, including dialogue and character development.
• Concerns are raised about changes to the original characters and story, such as Aang's ability to fly without his glider.
• The adaptation's approach to sensitive topics like sexism and violence is discussed.

"It's so bad I hated listening to the characters talk because they don't talk it's just the vomit of exposition back and forth into each other's mouths like baby biring it."

The quote criticizes the dialogue in the live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," suggesting that it lacks natural interaction and relies too heavily on exposition. This is relevant as it reflects on the quality of writing and character development in the adaptation.

Casting Choices and Character Representation

• The participants discuss casting decisions in the "Avatar: The Last Airbender" live-action series.
• They express disappointment with certain casting choices that they feel are inconsistent with the characters' original traits.
• The conversation reflects broader concerns about authenticity and representation in media adaptations.

"For no reason they just casted a bunch of fat girls for that like these acrobatic Mega assassins. And it's a chubby girl did they make Ty fat."

This quote addresses the dissatisfaction with casting choices that seemingly do not align with the characters' physical attributes as established in the original series. It highlights the importance of faithful character representation in adaptations.

Netflix's Programming Strategy and Future of the Avatar Series

• The discussion touches on Netflix's tendency to cancel good shows and the uncertain future of the "Avatar" series on the platform.
• The participants express skepticism about whether the live-action series will be able to capture the essence of the original animated series.
• There is a critique of Netflix's content strategy and its impact on the quality and longevity of its programming.

"Netflix's dilemma is if it's good it gets cancelled. Yeah cares. It doesn't matter it it doesn't nothing Netflix does is worth investing yourself into anymore."

The quote criticizes Netflix's pattern of canceling successful shows and suggests a lack of confidence in the platform's commitment to quality programming. It reflects a broader sentiment of frustration with Netflix's content management decisions.