Fans of singer Taylor Swift, called Swifties, arrive at Wembley Stadium in London, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 for the first of five concerts of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON (AP) – Taylor Swift’s history-making Eras Tour made a triumphant return, accompanied by Ed Sheeran, in London Thursday night.
He joined the headliner on stage at Wembley Stadium for the acoustic section, playing on two of their collaborations, “Everything Has Changed” and “Endgame,” before a burst of Sheeran’s hit “Thinking Out Loud.”
Swift teased the audience before his appearance, which lead to loud screaming from an audience that had already been energetically singing, dancing and doing heart hands throughout the show.
Sheeran’s appearance was one of the highlights of the finely-honed stage spectacular and musical celebration of Swift’s career to date.
It’s been tough few weeks for the singer and tour.
Heartbreak remains after the death of three young fans in Southport, northern England, who were killed by an attacker at their Swift themed dance class.
And fear followed the foiled plan to attack her concert venue in Austria, where police arrested three Islamic State-inspired extremists.
The August shows in Vienna were canceled, making Thursday’s Wembley concert the return of the Eras Tour to the stage. Neither were addressed on stage by Swift, who kicked things off with an “Oh hi London,” and admitted her “mind went blank” when she first greeted the crowd, which she likened to a “love system overload.”
She thanked the 92,000-strong audience for making the effort to attend, which had involved increased security measures.
Swift has four remaining dates at Wembley Stadium, which will make it a record breaking solo residency at the venue and round out the European leg of The Eras Tour.
It picks up again in Toronto in November.
The enthusiasm of Swift’s fans and a set list that includes more than 40 songs from all phases of her career have helped make the Eras Tour the biggest revenue earner of all time.
According to Pollstar, which collects data on the live music industry, it took more than $1 billion in ticket sales last year.
The tour is expected to push that record to more than $2 billion before it ends later this year in Indianapolis.
