In London, the night began fast, with tens of thousands of swifties showing up early despite stern warnings from the Metropolitan Police to stay away unless they had tickets.
ADVERTISEMENTIn what was her first appearance since the knife attacks in Southport and an aborted terror plot that forced the cancellation of her shows in Vienna, Taylor Swift has made a stunning comeback to the Wembley stage.
The US superstar thrilled a boisterous crowd of 92,000 people at Wembley when she opened the first of her five shows in London from the Eras Tour.
In London, the night began fast on Thursday, with tens of thousands of swifties showing up early despite stern warnings from the Metropolitan Police to stay away unless they had tickets.
The Metropolitan Police had urged fans without tickets to avoid gathering outside. The warnings followed recent terror threats in Vienna, prompting strict security measures at the stadium.
The recent incidents did not deter the fans, who were ready for a memorable night with confidence in the security services.
"I think this will be the safest show, probably after what happened with Diana, so it should all be good," said Rebecca, an attendee, ahead of the show.
"When it first happened, you think oh my gosh, but one, it's going to be super safe, hopefully, and also, you can't let these things stop you from living your life. We've spent a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of effort, and if Taylor's going to be here, so are we," shared Rosie Wilden.
Many of the fans dressed in colourful costumes, representing different eras of Swift’s career, couldn't contain their excitement.
"We couldn't sleep. I'm so excited, and most importantly, this is bigger than our wedding day," said Anoushka and Jasmine Shah.
The American singer-songwriter showed up wearing a T-shirt that said, "A lot is going on at the moment."
Starting with the hit song '22', Swift went on to perform over 40 songs, covering her 18-year career, during the four-hour-long concert.
Fans lit up the stadium with LED wristbands while singing along to every song, including 'Karma', 'Shake It Off', and 'Anti-Hero'.
She was later joined by Ed Sheeran, who made an unexpected on-stage appearance at the concert.
Both stars sang two songs together, 'Everything Has Changed' and 'End Game', before concluding with a performance of Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud'.
Wembley's show highlights the complexity involved in staging huge events in a tense security context.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yair Darren, who runs an international security company says that, despite the the heightened threat, people should continue to live their lives without fear.
"Intelligence services nowadays are very, very tightly collaborating. And, certainly, in the broader world context, geopolitical context," says Darren. "Britain is among the safest of places. So, if you ask me personally, I would have sent my kids in a good direction to be very cautious and keep their eyes open."
Thursday's show was the first of Taylor Swift's five scheduled performances at Wembley Stadium.
The stop in London is the superstar's final in Europe before she returns to North America to conclude the Eras Tour in November.
ADVERTISEMENT
