Pop star Taylor Swift resumed her monumental “Eras” tour in London on Thursday night, eagerly awaited by her fans after the cancellation last week of her three concerts planned in Vienna, targeted by a suicide bombing plot.
• Also read: Taylor Swift Concerts Cancelled: A Shattered Dream for Quebec “Swifties” in Vienna
The American singer kicked off the first of five concerts scheduled at Wembley Stadium with her hit “22” wearing a T-shirt that read “a lot going on at the moment”, in an apparent reference to the tumultuous period she has recently been through.
In addition to the events in Vienna, the London concerts come two weeks after three girls were stabbed to death in the northwest of England while taking part in a dance class featuring the pop star’s music.
By early afternoon, hundreds of “Swifties” had gathered around Wembley Stadium, which is expected to host some 90,000 people each evening for the last European concerts of her tour launched nearly a year and a half ago in the United States.
AFP
“It’s crazy, it doesn’t seem real,” exclaims Brodie MacArthur, a 23-year-old student from London interviewed by AFP as she arrives at Wembley. She is wearing a long white dress inspired by the album “The Tortured Poets Department”.
Not far from her is Juan Ramirez, who came specially from California. “The wait for the concert was nerve-wracking. But here we are at last!” rejoices the 28-year-old ambulance driver. He was afraid that the star would cancel her concerts in the British capital.
Because a week ago, his three concerts planned in Vienna were cancelled at the last minute after the revelation of a jihadist suicide attack plan and the arrest of three suspects, which prevented a “bloodbath” according to the Austrian authorities.
“After what happened in Vienna, it’s reassuring to know that security has been stepped up,” says Brodie MacArthur. “There’s always a worry in the back of your mind, but there are people there to keep you safe.”
AFP
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.
On the Wembley website, ticket holders were warned that “additional checks” would take place at the stadium “prior to entry”.
Earthquakes
Lauren Thies, a 19-year-old student who came with her mother from New Jersey, near New York, is confident that Taylor Swift is “ready to come back and perform.” “She loves performing for her fans. (…) This is going to be a big deal for her,” she said.
Some fans arrived early in the morning for the event, even Wednesday morning for one of them, and exchanged pearl bracelets that have become fashionable again thanks to the song “You’re on your own, kid.”
AFP
Katie Moulson even offered some to security guards: “They seem to appreciate it,” jokes this 24-year-old speech therapist who came specially from the east of England, who says she is reassured by the security measures deployed and above all impatient: “I can’t believe it!”
After several sold-out concerts in London in June, Taylor Swift’s return to the UK capital also comes almost two weeks after the murder of three girls in a knife attack in Southport, in the northwest of England, which sparked a wave of xenophobic riots in the country.
AFP
The children, aged six, seven and nine, were attending a dance class themed to songs by Taylor Swift, who said she was “completely shocked” on social media.
The pop star, who maintains a close relationship with her fans, has not yet commented on the decision to cancel her concerts in the Austrian capital.
Some “Swifties”, who form a very close-knit and active community on social networks, have agreed to resell or even give their tickets for the London concerts to others who had lost their place in Vienna.
London will conclude the European leg of the tour, which began in May in Paris. The global star will then travel to Canada in November for the final concerts of a resounding world series, not only because of the seismic tremors sometimes measured locally during the performances, but also because of its enormous economic impact.
Late last year, “Eras” became the first tour in history to sell more than $1 billion in tickets.
