Around 92,000 Swifties turned up to watch Taylor Swift resume the world’s most lucrative concert tour amid tightened security. Three gigs scheduled in Austria last week were called off by organizers.
Taylor Swift performed at London’s Wembley Stadium on Thursday, a little over a week after police in Vienna foiled a terror attack plot that led to the cancellation of three of her Eras Tour concerts in the Austrian capital.
In addition to events in Vienna, the shows come two weeks after three girls were killed in a mass stabbing at a dance class themed around her music in northwest England.
The US singer-songwriter appeared on the Wembley stage for her hit song “22,” wearing a T-shirt bearing the words “a lot going on at the moment” — interpreted as a reference to both incidents.
“Fancy meeting you here at Wembley Stadium, London,” she told 92,000 cheering fans at the stadium, video clips posted on social media showed.
Later during the gig, Ed Sheeran joined Swift onstage as a surprise guest. Together they formed two songs they collaborated on, “Everything Has Changed” and “End Game,” before finishing with a rendition of Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.”
Security tight at Wembley
Three alleged Islamic State group sympathizers have been detained in Austria in connection with the Vienna plot.
London police said there was “nothing to indicate” any links between the Vienna events and Swift’s gigs in the UK capital.
Tight security was, however, visible at Wembley Stadium, the final European tour stop before Swift headed back to North America on the first music tour ever to gross more than $1 billion in total revenues.
Swift has not herself commented on the apparent plot against the Vienna shows but said she was “completely in shock” after the UK knife attack.
Swifties worried but not deterred
The cancellation of three shows for Swift’s “Eras” tour caused major disappointment in Vienna. However, fans at the London show expressed unwavering support.
“The main thing that I’ve felt is that Swifties have come together, and there’s a real sense of solidarity between us that I think makes me not afraid,” Iggy Wilde told Reuters.
“In the back of your head, there’s still worries. But there are a lot of people here to keep it safe,” student Brodie MacArthur told Reuters.
