Taylor Swift returns to Wembley this evening for her first live performance since shows in Austria were called off, after an alleged planned terrorist attack was foiled.
Swift has already played three dates at the England football stadium as part of her record-breaking Eras gigs, and is now back for five more – the last of which will mark the end of the tour’s European leg.
Her first London shows were among the most memorable of the tour, with the star bringing out her American football player boyfriend Travis Kelce for a surprise appearance on stage during one.
As always, there is huge excitement among Swifties lucky enough to get tickets this time round. Those fans in the standing area will be queuing up early to potentially secure a front-row spot and no doubt swapping friendship bracelets and bonding over their shared love of the star.
Pic: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
But it has been a difficult few weeks.
In July, three young girls died following a stabbing at a dance class inspired by her music in Southport, Merseyside.
Following the attack, Swift said in a post on Instagram that she was “completely in shock” and “at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families”.
Just days later, all three of Swift’s shows in Vienna, due to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday last week, were cancelled over a suspected terrorist plot.
Swifties support each other
Fans often swap friendship bracelets at shows. Pic: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
Fans of the superstar have been coming together to support those who had tickets for the sell-out shows in Austria – with many offering up their own.
Catherine Santamaria, 47, from Buckinghamshire, was due to attend a Vienna show with her 14-year-old daughter, Carla. After hearing about the cancellation, they decided to continue with their trip to the city to “make the best of it” and meet other fans.
“We were obviously quite sad when we arrived but we started looking online and saw Swifties were gathering in central Vienna,” Ms Santamaria said. “It was just the sweetest atmosphere, everybody was exchanging friendship bracelets, singing and doing their best to get over being heartbroken.”
The pair have since managed to secure tickets to Monday’s concert at Wembley thanks to a fellow Swiftie.
Ms Santamaria wrote about their situation on an online fan group, and received a message from a woman in America who was offering to sell her tickets.
“She sold them to me at face value, which is just unheard of,” she said. “What’s lovely about the Swiftie community is just how devoted they all are and they’re so generous. We wouldn’t be going it if wasn’t for this other Swiftie.”
Swift’s final Wembley shows mark the end of the European leg of her Eras tour. File pic: iStock
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Cristina Jones, creator of the viral Swifties for Southport JustGiving page, told the PA news agency how she has given her Wembley ticket away for free to a fan who had been set to see the star in Vienna.
Ms Jones, 29, said: “I thought it was just nice to give it away to someone who couldn’t go simply because Vienna was cancelled for the right reason,” she said. “It was nice to be able to see that someone who hasn’t been able to go to The Eras Tour is now able to go.”
She said she set up an online giveaway process to offer her ticket to one lucky fan.
“She was really excited, until I sent the ticket I don’t think she realised it was going to be real,” Ms Jones said.
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Security reassurances
Wembley officials have put out a reminder about security ahead of the gigs, but a spokesperson for the stadium told Sky News they are the same measures that were in place for the previous shows in June.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said there is “nothing to indicate that the matters being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have an impact on upcoming events here in London”.
After Swift’s last show at Wembley on Tuesday 20 August, the mammoth Eras tour then takes a break. The final shows take place in Canada, resuming in Toronto in November and finishing in Vancouver the following month.
The Eras Tour is the biggest-selling of all time, with more than $1bn (£780m) in ticket sales in 2023, according to Pollstar Boxoffice, which collects data on the live music industry. By the end of this year, that figure is expected to rise to more than $2bn.