NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) – As fans flock to New Orleans for a sold-out weekend of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts, one family is attending the show as part of a loving gift from a later relative.
Kayla Zlatkin and her family had tickets for the final Eras Tour show at Caesars Superdome.
The seats were last year’s Christmas gift from her uncle, Mike Diveley.
“He was kind of like the Santa Claus of our family,” Zladkin said.
The family’s matriarch, Anita Baker, said the family flew to New Orleans from New Jersey, landing Thursday to make the trip bigger than just the concert.
“We looked around at a bunch of different cities, a bunch of different dates, and New Orleans was an adventure, so we came here,” she said.
At breakfast, there was an empty seat around the table where their Uncle Mike should have been.
Diveley died from cancer about seven months before the concert.
“But we’re here still and we’re living out his dream to come with us,” Zlatkin said.
Diveley was diagnosed with pediatric cancer early on.
It came back in October 2023 and took his life less than six months later.
Baker, his mother, said she thinks of him always.
“His total joy in life was bringing joy to [his nieces and nephew] and making them happy and making memories for them,” Baker said.
Zlatkin remembers her uncle as loving and sweet.
“He loved to make jokes,” she said. “He was very funny.”
The family is sparing no expense to take in all of the culture New Orleans has to offer. They’re trying beignets, taking a riverboat cruise, and riding in a French Quarter carriage.
The family have more plans to keep Diveley’s spirit alive on the trip.
“When we’re going to this concert, we’re all getting ready together and we’re just kind of going to take pictures, and we’re going to pray for my uncle,” Zlatkin said.
While their concert only lasted one night, the family said this memory of a special trip in a special place is timeless.
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