US superstar Taylor Swift is back on stage after the terror-related concert cancellations in Vienna. The singer (34) returned with a performance in London and played in front of around 90,000 fans in the sold-out Wembley Stadium on Thursday evening. She brought musician Ed Sheeran (33) on stage as a surprise guest. Swift did not comment on the terror warning and the concert cancellations in Austria.
Three performances were cancelled there last week because Islamists were allegedly planning an attack. The 19-year-old main suspect has retracted his original confession, and two other men were arrested alongside him. In London, heightened security measures were in place.
Fan criticism of Taylor Swift’s silence
Some fans who were worried decided to go to the concert anyway. “You can’t miss Taylor. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said an 18-year-old Englishwoman. The fan community will stick together. But there was also criticism of Taylor Swift’s silence on the Vienna cancellations. Under the happy “Taylor is back” Instagram post from the official fan account Taylor Nation, questions about the US superstar’s reaction are increasing.
Eras tour visited London for the second time
Swift (“I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”, “Lavender Haze”) also played several concerts in Germany on her “Eras Tour”. She had already performed in London in June. One evening she surprised everyone by having her boyfriend, football superstar Travis Kelce, come on stage. Now Swift returned to London.
According to the BBC, Swift is said to have privately contacted families affected by the knife attack in the coastal town of Southport. At the end of July, three girls were stabbed and several people were injured in an attack on a Taylor Swift dance class in which the star singer herself was not involved. Swift expressed her horror on Instagram. Right-wing extremists later used the knife attack as a reason for riots.
At the concert in London, Swift did not go into detail about this – nor about the US election campaign, in which she is said to have a potentially significant influence on young voters. The singer is scheduled to play her last concert in Europe for the time being in London on Tuesday. Performances in the US and Canada are planned for the fall.
