Taylor Swift concert a display of joy and raw emotion

Nearly every possible angle of Swift's visit to Australia has been published so I am not going to regurgitate what you have been swamped with via traditional and social media channels.

However, there was an article published last week in The Saturday Paper criticising the artist. "Swift's audience is overwhelmingly white women and girls," wrote Santilla Chingaipe. "She exists in an apolitical world that refuses to engage with the social and political issues around her."

To be frank, and although extremely well-written, this is very different to what we witnessed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was inclusion.

Women and girls - unashamedly, yes - as a collective - assertive, empowered, and most telling of all, safe.

Safe to walk to the MCG, safe to line-up, safe to engage with fellow fans who they may not have known, and safe to be overcome with emotion. They were free to express themselves; free of judgement, free of society's expectation to conform, and free to move and sing and jump and hug and cry and experience a state of utter happiness for three-and-a-half hours.

The fans put in days/weeks/months in preparation for the concerts.

From friendship bracelets to outlandish outfits, often created in partnership with friends, it was their time to shine.

Nor do I have a comparison to the outpouring of emotion when concert goers felt overcome.

Prior to Taylor Swift's arrival on stage, fans, unaware and swept up in the moment, found themselves swaying and using their hands and bracelets to calm and soothe their bodies and their minds.

They were inadvertently moving in time to the rhythm and beat of the build-up music to maintain a sense of composure.

More importantly, there was unbridled happiness.

The crowd didn't harbour the hostility that is so evident at an AFL game between two rival teams.

Swift changed the mood and tone of the MCG because everyone won.

There were people who could not explain nor put in words how they felt when Taylor Swift appeared on stage.

Their bodies were shaking as eyes welled, they sobbed as tears streamed down their cheeks, but when asked to explain why, they couldn't adequately describe their feelings.

Why did you cry was a question posed with very few explanations provided nor required.

There was a build-up for three hours after the gates opened, it wasn't immediate, rather the emotion began down low in the stadium and built over time.

The MCG began to fill, first the stands and then the floor seats, as fans streamed in, and a nervous excitement built until Swift rose from beneath the stage and pandemonium set in.

And when the lights and wristbands took over, the scene was glorious, a sea of purple and orange and red and green; bright colours that heightened senses and reminded fans of the enormity of the event.

The MCG crowds were the largest that Taylor Swift has ever played.

The event was also bigger than anything we had ever experienced with some describing Swift as The Beatles of our generation.

The Beatles landed in Sydney during June 1964 to perform six concerts.

The largest stadium in the city, Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay, held 12,000 revellers for a total of 72,000 over six nights.

The photographs and black and white video from the time showcase women and girls overcome with emotion as thousands screamed and sobbed while some even reportedly fainted.

The Beatles changed music and popular culture. They were heartthrobs who wrote and performed songs that captivated audiences around the globe.

Many at the time, probably still to this day, thought the lyrics simplistic and without depth, but that was misunderstood and dismissive of their meaning.

Sure, they were catchy like many pop songs continue to be, yet they were more than that, a nod to their generation, songs which have continually delivered new legions of fans who continue to fall in love with their catalogue of work.

I have been extremely fortunate to visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Anzac Day with a crowd of about 95,000 and a Grand Final crowd of nearly 100,000, but nothing prepared me for the pure emotion, elation, and joy that a Taylor Swift concert (96,000) delivered in Melbourne just over a week ago.

We were incredibly fortunate to attend Swift's concert on a mild summer evening in Melbourne. And although the tickets weren't premium, they were still expensive and we were privileged.

There were thousands of adoring fans outside the stadium without tickets who were, 'Tailgating' - just to experience the magnitude and joy and raw emotion of the event.

Swift sings in her mega-hit, The Man: I'd be a fearless leader, I'd be an alpha type. When everyone believes ya, what's that like?"

Either like Taylor Swift and her music or detest it with every fibre of your being, you can't ignore her and that's why it mattered.

The inclusive crowds at the MCG last weekend were in total control and they didn't miss a beat.