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Fans flocked to London’s Wembley Stadium on Thursday, August 15, eagerly anticipating Taylor Swift’s return to the stage. This marked her first performance since the cancellation of her Vienna concerts, following a foiled suicide attack plot.
Fans gathered at London’s Wembley Stadium, eagerly anticipating Taylor Swift’s return to the stage. This marked her first performance since the cancellation of her Vienna concerts, following a foiled suicide attack plot. Thousands of ecstatic “Swifties” began streaming toward the stadium hours before the American mega-star was set to close the European leg of her Eras tour with the first of five sold-out shows.
“It doesn’t feel real that it’s actually happening!” exclaimed Katie Moulson, 24, a ticket-holder who arrived at Wembley mid-afternoon. The anticipation was palpable as around 90,000 fans were expected to pack the venue each night. Heightened security measures, including additional ticket checks, hundreds of security guards, and various restrictions, were implemented following the scare over the Austrian plot. London’s Metropolitan Police reassured the public, stating there was “nothing to indicate” any links between the events in Vienna and Taylor Swift’s gigs in the UK capital. However, they worked closely with venue security teams and other partners to ensure appropriate security and policing measures were in place. Despite the increased security, fans’ spirits remained high. Dressed in glittery skirts, tasseled jackets, cowboy hats, and adorned with stacks of friendship bracelets, a current “Swiftie” must-have, they filled northwest London with excitement. “After Vienna, it’s comforting to know that security has been increased,” said Brodie MacArthur, 23, a student wearing a long white dress inspired by Taylor Swift’s latest album The Tortured Poets Department. “In the back of your mind, there are always worries, but seeing the security presence helps,” she added.
Fans from around the world traveled to Wembley, where Taylor Swift is performing more Eras tour shows than anywhere else. “I was worried because this is the first concert after Vienna. I was afraid to check my phone, thinking there might be bad news,” said Denise, who flew in with her daughter Lauren from New Jersey.
Before the evening performance, fans sang Taylor Swift’s songs and exchanged bracelets, a cherished tradition among Swifties during the tour. Moulson, from Suffolk in eastern England, handed out some of her bracelets to the security guards stationed around the venue. “They quite enjoy receiving a bracelet,” Moulson said, dressed in DIY sparkly purple boots and a tinsel-lined jacket. Denise, who has crafted more than 400 bracelets for her daughter and their friends, shared that they have a bucket list of London spots mentioned in Taylor Swift’s songs to visit after the concert, including the Black Dog pub in Vauxhall, South London, namechecked in her latest album.
With AFP
