The Dads of Taylor Swift: Why these South Florida fathers became Swifties for their daughters

Nigel Woods and daughter Brooke will not be at Taylor Swift’s concerts at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens this weekend, the singer’s first performances on the final leg of her record-shattering Eras Tour. While he’s happy not to be dropping another bag of money on tickets and merchandise, Woods is wistful as he looks at the end of his own era.

For more than a decade, the single dad and yacht captain from Oakland Park has lived to the beat of Brooke’s Taylor Swift playlist around the house and in the car. As a reward for her work ethic and excellent academics, Woods has spent as much as $10,000 to take his daughter to Taylor Swift concerts over the years, including shows in Indianapolis and Nashville.

He knows that sounds crazy — but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I know it’s ridiculous. I really did go overboard. But it was worth it. She’s earned everything she does in life,” Woods says.

The Eras Tour is likely Swift’s last for some time, so Woods doesn’t know if or when he will see another concert with his daughter. Brooke started at Florida State this fall, leaving her room lined with pictures and posters of Taylor Swift. Her dad is in no hurry to disturb these memories.

“The excitement, spiritually, emotionally, physically, to be able to experience that with her was worth every bit,” Woods says.

Before Taylor Swift became a pop-culture phenomenon and, more recently, a political football, she was merely one of the greatest songwriters in pop music history, a sensitive guide to a panorama of modern female dreams and ambitions, her lyrics a balm for emotional wounds and a road map to fearless self-reliance. To attend one of her concerts is to be immersed in a bubbly sea of mothers, daughters and girlfriends who sing along, often through tears and hugs, in a deeply communal way.

But if you look closely, you also will see young girls accompanied by their fathers, who have set aside stereotypes and broken the bank to witness the magic as their daughters are embraced by Swift’s music. These are bonds that will last a lifetime.

Here are four South Florida fathers describing their experiences with Taylor Swift — including one Delray Beach dad who is trying to trade a rare bottle of bourbon in exchange for tickets to her concert this weekend.

Tom Jones, Fort Lauderdale: Concert dad

When Tom Jones’ daughters were growing up, his wife wasn’t big on live shows, so he designated himself “concert dad.”

Molly, a 21-year-old senior at Florida State University, and Abigail, a 17-year-old junior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, have been in the audience with their dad for everyone from Coldplay and Chris Stapleton to Miley Cyrus and Carrie Underwood.

“I’m not one of those guys, afraid about having to check my man card. At the end of the day it’s about having a good time and seeing that joy on my daughters’ face,” he says.

Back in 2013, Jones took Molly, then around 10, to see Taylor Swift at AmericanAirlines Arena (now Kaseya Center) in Miami for a stop on the Red Tour. This was a time when Swift was still threading a needle between pop and country (her previous release, “Speak Now,” had been Grammy-nominated for Best Country Album), and her opening acts in Miami were Brett Eldredge and Ed Sheeran.

Accompanied by a buddy and his daughter, Jones recalls being impressed by Swift’s ability to keep adults entertained with a concert that also stayed on the right side of appropriate for younger fans.

“It was a lot of moms taking their daughters,” he says. “There weren’t a whole lot of dads, so we were joking like we were Dad of the Year because all these moms were coming up saying how impressed they were that we did this for our daughters.”

Jones says his reward was immediate and enduring.

“I still have those memories of that pure joy and excitement on Molly’s face. She knew every song; she knew this was one of the biggest shows of the year; she couldn’t believe that she was there. There was just that level of gratitude and excitement,” he says.

“That was her introduction to what a large concert is all about, with the lights and the noise and the energy. To this day, she still talks about that being one of her favorite shows.”

Molly and Abigail are still Swifties but won’t be making the shows this weekend. Their dad has checked ticket prices and decent seats are running $2,000 to $3,000 each.

“I told the girls, ‘You’re out of your mind,’ ” Jones says, laughing. “Trust me, if I had a money tree and I could go shake it, they would absolutely want to be at that show.”

Evan Darnell, Delray Beach: Red meat lover

Evan Darnell represents a lot of guys out there who have been on the fence about spending big bucks on Taylor Swift tickets. It likely will be years before the singer performs in South Florida again — will this be his only chance to see Swift with 16-year-old daughter Sammy?

So Darnell is all in on a last-ditch effort to score tickets for one of Swift’s concerts this weekend. The founder of the Red Meat Lovers Club, a South Florida-based social club of carnivores with a heavy charitable component, made his play in a Facebook post this week.

In return for two Swift tickets, Darnell is offering a bottle of exclusive 10-year-old Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon (also known as Pappy 10) or two cases of Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon; 5 pounds of A5 Japanese Wagyu strip steak from Easy Meats Butcher Shop in Boca Raton; a box of Red Meat Lovers Club cigars; and a pastrami sandwich from Beauregard’s Fine Meats & Butchery in Boca Raton.

He puts the price of the package at around $3,000, though “the pastrami sandwich is priceless.”

This is Darnell’s second attempt at tickets for these shows — he didn’t make the cut when Swift’s Hard Rock Stadium tickets went on sale via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan lottery in August 2023. Sammy is aware that her dad is trying to get tickets, but Darnell did not tell her about his Facebook post.

“Like most dads, you’re motivated by the happiness that you can provide for your kids,” he says. “But I’m a realist. Look, the cheapest tickets are probably $3,000 with fees, maybe more. I’d rather go to Nashville with my family and discover the newest Taylor Swift, but I’m going to try to do everything I can do to get a couple tickets.”

Darnell’s own musical tastes run the gamut from Adele and Sade to Wu-Tang Clan, Nine Inch Nails and Metallica. He’s intrigued by what he’s seen and heard about The Eras Tour.

“The show looks amazing,” he says. “I’ve heard it’s just a really good, positive vibe. I would probably be the old man wearing earplugs, and I would take out a few dance moves that would only embarrass my daughter.”

But can a guy who worships at the altar of red meat, bourbon and cigars go to a Taylor Swift concert without forfeiting his man card?

“Look, my man card is more than intact. I lead a club of 5,000 men. I’m very secure that my man card, with or without Taylor Swift, is still on lock,” Darnell says. “I don’t care about that stuff. I’ll get more joy out of seeing my daughter at a Taylor Swift concert then I will about having to explain that I went to a Taylor Swift concert. Because, secretly, most dudes, given the opportunity, would go to a Taylor Swift concert.”

Dave Lorenzo, Miami: Zoom showman

Dave Lorenzo is that dad. Fearless with the karaoke microphone, he is a self-described Taylor Swift superfan who knows all of her lyrics and has no problem using them to embarrass those around him.

Lorenzo owns a business strategy firm and runs a monthly networking meeting on Zoom for anywhere from 50 to 100 people. At each meeting, they are required to sing a chorus of a Swift song of his choosing.

“If I notice somebody not singing or turning their camera off, we spotlight them,” says Lorenzo, who calls it a team-building move. “It’s to bring everybody together, because they’re all equally bad at it. And I’m probably the worst of everybody.”

Lorenzo and his wife took their daughter, Dahlia,13, to see Taylor Swift at Hard Rock Stadium during the 2018 Reputation Tour to celebrate her 8th birthday. Dahlia’s then 11-year-old brother reluctantly came along.

“He was mortified when the three of us were singing and dancing. I can’t tell you how embarrassed they are when I know the words to every Taylor Swift song and I’m screaming them at the top of my lungs,” he says.

Lorenzo says he got into Swift’s music around the same time as Dahlia did, but he also was drawn to her approach to business — from the bond she has created with fans to the strategy she used to take her music back from former producer Scooter Braun.

“It’s gonna sound nerdy, but I was attracted to the Taylor Swift business model and her focus and dedication. The fact that I liked the music is a bonus,” he says.

A rock fan who has seen dozens of concerts, from Billy Joel to Van Halen, Lorenzo says the Reputation show is in his Top 5 concerts of all time, from the wardrobe changes and Swift’s ride over the crowd in a glittering gondola to the energy in the audience.

“It’s one of those things like you see in a college bar when ‘Sweet Caroline’ comes on at 2 in the morning. That’s a Taylor Swift concert wall to wall. Everybody knows every word to every song,” he says, laughing.

His most memorable moment from the Miami concert is probably Swift’s least favorite. While performing the song “Delicate,” the singer and her gondola got stuck over the audience. While repairs were being made, Swift went off script and segued into a second song.

“She continued to sing, and I looked down, my daughter was awestruck,” he says. “Now whenever we hear ‘Delicate,’ she’ll look at me, like, ‘Yeah, I know, that was the song when …”

Nigel Woods, Oakland Park: Traveling man

Nigel Woods took daughter Brooke to her first Taylor Swift concert on Aug. 18, 2018, at Hard Rock Stadium, still his favorite concert, maybe ever.

Calling it “the most spectacular concert I’ve probably seen, and I’m a rock ’n’ roll guy,” Woods was more impressed by the effect it had on his daughter. “Brooke is screaming her head off the whole time, going crazy [in] 100% pure, joyful and happy emotional outbursts.”

While Woods was gearing up to take her to that concert, he’d also spent the previous six months planning for her birthday a few weeks later. It was her 13th, which demanded an expensive, elaborate event, he thought.

The day after the Swift concert, Brooke asked her dad to cancel the party. She wanted to go with him to Indianapolis, where Swift was performing on Sept. 15, the very day she’d turn 13 (a special number for Swifties). Woods says Brooke had done the party-vs.-concert calculation and made a compelling argument.

“It didn’t make sense to fly to Indianapolis. But I asked her how much it was and she had it all figured out. It was a no-brainer. I had to go,” he says, laughing.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.