Taylor Swift made her comeback on Thursday evening, August 15, 2024, as part of her “Eras” tour. It was in London that the pop star reunited with her fans, commonly known as the “Swifties”. She had not reappeared on stage since the cancellation last week of her three concerts planned in Vienna (Austria), targeted by a suicide bombing plot.
In addition to the events in Vienna, the American star’s London concerts come two weeks after the death of three girls in the northwest of England, stabbed to death while they were taking part in a dance class based on the pop star’s music. It was therefore on the fringes of this tumultuous period that the singer returned to the stage at Wembley Stadium with her hit 22 wearing a T-shirt with the inscription « a lot going on at the moment » (there’s a lot going on right now).
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Police beef up security, Swifties cooperative
From the beginning of the afternoon, hundreds of “Swifties” had gathered around the London stadium, which is expected to welcome some 90,000 people each evening for the last concerts of its tour launched almost a year and a half ago in the United States, reports theAFP. “The wait for the concert was nerve-wracking. But here we are at last!”rejoices Juan Ramirez, a 28-year-old ambulance driver, afraid that the star will cancel his concerts in the British capital. “After what happened in Vienna, it is reassuring to know that security has been strengthened”explains another Swiftie, Brodie MacArthur. “We always have worries in the back of our minds, but there are people there to ensure our safety.”
Taylor Swift fans react outside Wembley Stadium ahead of the first of the current Eras Tour concert series at Wembley Stadium, in London, Britain, August 15, 2024. | ANDY RAIN/EPA/MAXPPP View fullscreen
Taylor Swift fans react outside Wembley Stadium ahead of the first of the current Eras Tour concert series at Wembley Stadium, in London, Britain, August 15, 2024. | ANDY RAIN/EPA/MAXPPP
London police said they were ready for the event, saying ticket checks would be stepped up and extra security measures would be put in place around the stadium. Ticket holders were warned on the Wembley website that “additional controls” would take place at the stadium “before the entrance”.
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Ed Sheeran, the unexpected guest of this concert
The pop star did not disappoint her fans at the end of this highly anticipated concert. She brought on stage the English artist Ed Sheeran with whom she performed several songs on which they collaborated.
London will conclude the European leg of the tour, which began in May in Paris. The global star will then travel to Canada from November for the final concerts of a resounding world series, marked by earthquakes sometimes recorded locally when tens of thousands of spectators jump and dance together, but also by its enormous economic impact.
Late last year, “Eras” became the first tour in history to sell more than $1 billion in tickets.
