Taylor Swift Once Played Obscure Michigan University Auditorium as a Virtual Unknown

Today you need no introduction to Taylor Swift. Her stardom has soared past the upper echelon of popular music and transcends popular culture from football to politics. But nearly 20 years ago she played a small Michigan university auditorium as a virtual unknown.

It happened in 2008 at Miller Auditorium on the campus of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. WMU's social media marked the anniversary of the show by sharing some blurry early iPhone images.

This was an era when Taylor was known for country music. She had just released her debut album. The Kalamazoo Gazette reported at the time on Taylor Swift's rise to 'Teen Queendom.'

Taylor's rise was spurred by early social media sites like MySpace. Today her early legacy lives on thanks to social media accounts like Taylor Thowbacks who has a bootleg of the Kalamazoo show with a cover of Rihanna's Umbrella.

Top-priced tickets for the show? $40. Quite the bargain looking back, ain't it?

Considering the heights Swift has soared to since the 2008 appearance at WMU, it's likely Southwest Michigan won't be seeing her touring any local venues anytime soon. Smaller cities like Kalamazoo will have to suffice with tribute shows like the one planned for Bell's Eccentric Cafe in April.

The photos that accompany this article are from another Michigan appearance during that era: Taylor was a performer at a Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day game in 2006.