Excitement mounts as Swifties put together to see Taylor at Wembley
Excitement is in the air in London as droves of Swifties descend to see their pop princess in person, as she performs for a second night at Wembley.
Thousands of Taylor Swift travelled far and wide to watch the superstar in the capital as she preforms the finishes off the European leg of her record-breaking Era’s World Tour.
Last night, the Shake It Off songbird performed another action-packed show to 92,000 adoring, bringing out Ed Sheeran to the joy of her loyal fans.
Swift’s most recent performance in London was said to be ‘the hardest concert of her career’, being her first in the UK since the Southport stabbings – where three little girls were killed whilst at a Swift-themed dance class on the Merseyside.
While she did not mention the stabbing explicitly, the three innocent victims are said to have been in Swift’s thoughts.
And as the American crooner is getting ready to perform to another packed-out crowd, fans have taking to X (formerly Twitter) to express their palpable elation to see her live.
Swifties line up to pose in front of a mural outside Wembley, as they gather outside the Stadium for tonight’s gig
A long line of Swifties have already been spotted forming around the stadium for a night of singing and dancing
Swifties queue outside the stadium which has capacity for 90,000 as they prepare to see their pop princess
One eager Swiftie penned: ‘I counted days (402 days), I counted miles (5,416 miles) to see Taylor at Wembley Stadium!!!’
‘I saw Wembley from the plane – and in just a couple of hours I’ll be inside there seeing Taylor.’ a second gleeful fan wrote.
‘It’s Taylor Swift day, so excited ❤️ see you soon Wembley and let’s not forget Paramore who I absolutely love can’t wait. See you soon,’ a third said.
Another added: ‘I can’t actually believe I’m on my way to Wembley right now. I need pinching a lot. I feel like I’ve been waiting so long for this day.’
And the American artist is now preparing to do it all again tonight, as long lines of Swifties have already been spotted forming around the stadium for a night of singing and dancing.
Today thousands of fans patiently queued around the stadium for hours as they eagerly prepared for a night of singing and dancing with the international superstar.
However, fans who attended were brought to a standstill after watching Swift perform last night.
Jack Proverbs was in the crowd after an ‘incredible’ night watching the US pop superstar.
But the 23-year-old said he had a long wait ahead of him as the moment he stepped outside of Wembley Stadium, he joined crowds of thousands waiting for transport home.
It took around an hour and a half for him and his friends to get back to central London. Departing the stadium at around 10:15pm, they didn’t make it back to their Airbnb until midnight.
‘The worst part was getting from Wembley to the Tube stop. Once we were inside there it wasn’t too bad,’ Jack from Nottinghamshire, said.
‘We had to rush through the side of the queue and get over to the right. Luckily there was a traffic style system where guards held up ‘Go’ and ‘Stop’ signs.
‘For the people right at the back it likely would’ve taken them two if not three hours to go through to the front!’
Jack feels that it would be useful for more Tubes to run on nights where there are big events taking place in the city.
He said: ‘Having so many cramped on minimal Tubes is extremely unsafe, especially when it comes to disabled passengers of which must’ve found it extremely difficult to get through to the Tube station.’
Love Island stars Liberty pool and Lucinda are part of the hoards of fans waiting to see the mega-star
Swifties line up to pose in front of a mural outside Wembley, as they gather outside the Stadium in north west London ahead of her second night at Wembley
The pop superstar will perform another action-packed show to 92,000 adoring fans in the capital as part of the final European leg of her Era’s World Tour.
Fans started queuing this afternoon outside the stadium ahead of the much-anticipated Friday show
The London police force reassured the public that they are ‘well prepared’ for the gigs taking place over the next week, with additional ticket checks taking place
More Swifties waiting in the humid London heat as they prepare to catch a glimpse of their idol
Fans of US mega-star Taylor Swift pose for a selfie photograph next to a mural of the performer created by street artists today
Hayley Williams from the band Paramore opening ahead of Taylor’s performance tonight
Holly Humberstone also takes to the stage before Taylor kicks off her performs in front of thousands of adoring fans
A merchandise seller waits outside Wembley Stadium preparing for fans to descend
Despite the long journey back to his accommodation, Jack had the most incredible night.
He added: ‘I fully recommend anyone to go and see the Eras tour if possible as it’s a once in a lifetime experience.’
After performing at Wembley across three nights in June, Taylor Swift kicked off the second leg of her London shows last night.
She is set to perform again tonight (16 August) and on the 17 and 19 August, before her final night on 20 August.
Swift reportedly reached out to the families of the Southport stabbing before she took to the stage at Wembley Stadium tonight.
Bebe King, six, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died after the incident on July 29, while 10 others were also injured. Axel Rudakubana, 17, was charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
The three innocent victims are said to have been in Swift’s thoughts, who is said to have been ‘shaken to the core’ by the incident.
‘Taylor may not have spoken about Elsie Dot, Alice and Bebe on stage but she has reached out to their families,’ an insider said tonight. ‘It is something that has weighed heavily on her mind.’
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Swift said she was at ‘a complete loss’ over the devastating attack.
Taylor Swift reportedly reached out to the families of the Southport stabbing before she took to the stage at Wembley Stadium tonight
Alice da Silva Aguiar pictured on the day she died next to a cardboard cut out of Taylor Swift – she was eager and ready to get into the dance class
Elise Dot, seven, was one of the victims of the Southport stabbing that took place on July 29
Bebe King, six, was also killed while attending the Swift-themed dance class
Confetti flies through the air during Swift’s performance at Wembley Stadium on August 15
‘The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock,’ the 34-year-old singer said following the incident.
‘The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, the first response.
‘These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.’
Just days later, Swift was then forced to cancel three gigs in Vienna after police uncovered a foiled ISIS terror plot.
Recent events, however, did not put a dampener on Swifties’ sprits tonight, who were out in force, trading friendship bracelets, dousing themselves in glitter and dressing up in themed outfits.
Amongst the sea of Swifties were a number of famous faces, including Idris Elba and Amelia Dimoldenberg. When asked if he was excited to be there Elba said ‘Oh my god, yeah, can’t you tell?’ adding his favourite song was London Boy.
Elba, who stopped short of admitting he was a fully-fledged Swiftie, then traded bracelets with another fan Sienna Lorenz, 19, a student from Nottingham University.
‘I gave him a London Boy bracelet and it broke as soon as he touched it so I gave him the Style one and he said thank you,’ Ms Lorenz said.
Swift and Sheeran performed Everything has Changed, End Game and Thinking Out Loud
Taylor Swift made a dazzling return to Wembley’s stage tonight as she kicks off the last five shows of the European leg of her Era’s Tour
Swift appears overjoyed as she plays a set during the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium
Swift performs The Man in a silver blazer with knee-high silver boots
During her Red Era she wore a t-shirt that read ‘A lot going on at the moment’ – references are often picked up by fans
Swift performing her Folklore/Evermore set during the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium
Swift performs The Man during her Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium August 15
Swift performing The Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium on August 15
Swift opened the gig with Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince to screams and cheers from the crowd.
Breaking her silence in an emotional speech after Cruel Summer, the star said: ‘The way that you have chosen to welcome us. There are 92,000 of you, out here, with your hands in the air – screaming the words.
‘Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. We love you so much London,’ she added. ‘I know how much planning and energy and effort it took to come to these shows I really appreciate that.’
Later on in the show, Swift came out dressed for her Red Era wearing a t-shirt that said ‘a lot going on at the moment’. Her t-shirt references are often picked up by fans.
For hit song 22, Swift gave her black hat away to a young blonde girl wearing a light blue jumper who was singing along to the lyrics. The two embraced for a few seconds before Swift gave her the hat.
During her surprise song set, which Swift changes each gig, the singer-songwriters’ performed their song Everything has Changed from the 2012 album Red, followed by End Game from Reputation.
The duo then sang an emotional acoustic rendition of Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud while bright green lights shone out from the stadium.
Before he left the stage, Swift showered him with compliments and while hugging him described him as a ‘second brother’.
Swift performs on stage wearing a sequined, bejeweled bodysuit
During her hit song 22, Swift gave her black hat away to a young blonde girl wearing a light blue jumper who was singing along to the lyrics
Excited Taylor Swift fans pose for photos outside Wembley Stadium as the superstar returns to London
Fans show their Taylor Swift bracelets ahead of her concert, following the cancellation of three Taylor Swift Concerts in Vienna
Swift fans dressed up as construction workers with the lyrics to But Daddy I Love Him on the back
Other fans wore the shirt of Swift’s boyfriend and American football player Travis Kelce
Fans have been queuing for up to 30 hours ahead of Swift’s concert on Thursday
Following tonight Swift will play four more shows in London, which will wrap up the European leg of her Eras World tour.
Tonight a steel ring was formed around the stadium made up of hundreds of Metropolitan Police officers and security guards clad in yellow jackets.
The London force reassured the public that they are ‘well prepared’ for the five gigs taking place over the next week, with additional ticket checks taking place.
The force has also put a stop to fans congregating outside the stadium to hear her music – often referred to as ‘tay-gating’ – telling those who do not have a ticket will be turned away from the area.
Swifities arriving at the stadium earlier on in the day had insisted they felt safe and praised the efforts made by security.
Many Swifties said they felt safe because of the fan’s community which they say is filled with kind people.
One heartwarming moment caught on camera showed a police officer trading bracelets with a young Swiftie.
The little girl, wearing a pink princess dress was seen handing over a pink bracelet to the female officer, while the cop in return tied another bracelet onto the youngsters arm.
Trading friendship bracelets at Swift’s concerts has become a ritual with fans since the Eras Tour kicked off in Arizona last year, with Swifties spending hours making the beaded bands.
