Taylor Swift received a hometown welcome while in London.
The singer took her “Eras Tour” to Wembley Stadium this weekend – the first three of eight shows there this summer – and the stars were happy about it. There were British royals and Hollywood royalty, and she made sure they put on a show, bringing out her boyfriend of almost a year, Travis Kelce, for an unforgettable cameo.
“The first round at Wembley Stadium was so surreal,” Swift wrote in a social media post on June 24. She acknowledged the engaged audience and shouted out her special guest artists, Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Gracie Abrams. Kelce made her second appearance in recent days – cementing the ‘hard launch’ of their relationship on social media – and she praised him for his “Eras Tour” debut, which she said still makes her “freak out/swoon.”
Swift added that she will “never forget these shows.”
The pop star – who famously sang: ‘Home is where the heart is, but god, I love the English’ – had the VIP tent at max, but there were stars all over the arena, which can accommodate up to 90,000 people. Most notable was Prince William, who celebrated his birthday, with his little Swifties, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. They enjoyed the three-hour concert from box seats on Friday – with William showing off his dance moves – and got up close and personal with Swift backstage.
The trio helped the power couple make their nearly year-old relationship Instagram official with what is a contender for the celebrity selfie of 2024.
While London was once the setting for Swift’s romance with ex-Joe Alwyn, which inspired many songs, this is a new chapter – and one in which the Kansas Chiefs football star played a prominent role. He was a big presence at all three sold out shows. He made it a family affair on June 21, hanging out in the VIP area with brother and sister-in-law Jason and Kylie Kelce. During the June 22 show, he clearly enjoyed his “Karma” shout-out, high-fiving fans as Swift sang.
Things escalated to a new level when Kelce took the stage on June 23, wearing a tuxedo and top hat, to help Swift during her “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” outfit change. He was well prepared for the skit, in which he carried her across the stage alongside her backup dancers, touched up her makeup and fabulously clicked his heels.
So the three-time Super Bowl champion of the Kansas City Chiefs has joined his superstar girlfriend on stage for Paul McCartney and 89k in London. A real sentence. Of all the timelines, this is the largest. Long live Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. pic.twitter.com/lmzWy47NPF
— Jared Koller (@JaredKCTV5) June 23, 2024
That evening, Kelce sat in the VIP section with Swift’s parents, Andrea and Scott, as they hopped. Also on hand were Swift Squad member Sophie Turner, music legend Paul McCartney, who accepted friendship bracelets from fans and joined in with ‘But Daddy I Love Him’, Jon Bon Jovi, Cate Blanchett and Flea bag co-stars Andrew Scott and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
On June 22, we saw Tom Cruise, Liam Hemsworth, Hugh Grant, Greta Gerwig, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher dancing to “Shake It Off.” This video is a social media masterpiece, showcasing all the different stars Swift it up.
This is so funny! Greta and Travis shaking, Ross encouraging Tom Cruise to jam with them, Jason and his long-lost Hemsworth brother shaking in the back, Ashton Kutcher looking at the Killa gang for matching their energy and doing the whole tent hype seem like it’s so good! 😂 pic.twitter.com/fqgkNjDgM9
— Franny (@reputaydaya) June 23, 2024
Of note: Even prickly Grant had a good time, thanking Swift for joining his family afterward — and shouting out her “excellent, but gigantic boyfriend.”
On June 21, Swift’s girlfriend Cara Delevingne was there, as was Salma Hayek, Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan and Strange eye star Jonathan Van Ness.
There were also musical surprises, including Abrams, who opened the tour last summer and came out to sing her newly released Swift collaboration “Us” on June 23.
On June 22, Swift brought out Paramore’s Williams to perform their song Speak now vault track ‘Castles Crumbling’. And it didn’t go unnoticed that Swift performed her apparent Kim Kardashian diss track, “thanK you aIMee,” from her latest album, The Department of Martyred Poets: The Anthology.
While it was a star-studded golden weekend for Swift, it wasn’t without some drama.
Fans are wondering what was up with Dave Grohl’s comments, made on stage in Manchester earlier this month, in which Swift was cited for not performing live when fans thought they had a cordial relationship. Charli XCX also had to tell her fans to stop singing “Taylor Swift is dead” during shows. The backstory there is that fans are speculating that Charli’s song “Sympathy is a Knife” is about Swift as she sings, “I don’t want to see her backstage at my friend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back / I hope they break up soon to go.’ Charli is engaged to drummer George Daniel from 1975, band member of Swift ex Matty Healy.
Swift is done with London – but only for now. Her tour continues this summer, but she returns to Wembley on August 15 for five more shows, ending on August 20. We’re sure her team has already received a long list of VIP requests for those dates as well.
