Swifties arrive ahead of day two of Wembley August run
Thousands of Taylor Swift fans have begun queuing for the US singer-songwriter’s Wembley Stadium show as she takes to the stage for the second night of her August run in London.
Swift returned to the venue on Thursday as the European leg of her Eras Tour comes to an end in the capital.
Her comeback to the UK following a series of shows in June, which the Prince of Wales and his children attended, saw Swift bring on friend and collaborator Ed Sheeran for two of their songs – Everything Has Changed and End Game.
They blended the two tracks with Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud as part of her “surprise songs” section, which Swift changes each show.
Suffolk singer Sheeran posted photos after the show including him on an electric scooter bike, with Swift on stage, doing sit-ups and referencing his local football club Ipswich Town.
On Friday, Swifties lined up to pose in front of a mural of the US singer outside Wembley, and queued around the stadium in excitement at getting in to see her.
Officers also cycled around the arena, following the Metropolitan Police force saying it is “well prepared” for the shows after an alleged terror plot in Austria.
Ticketless fans are banned from congregating outside the stadium, thwarting an often common practice among the singer’s followers known as “tay-gating”.
At Thursday’s gig, Lotty Evans, 18, from Warwick, said the heightened security at the concert had not dampened her spirits, and was not surprised Swift did not mention the attacks in Southport during her set.
She said: “I think it’s really difficult to discuss events like that especially in the context of somewhere like Wembley.
“I can totally understand why she didn’t talk about that, having talked about it on social media, it must be a really difficult thing for her as well, that she’s associated with such a tragedy.”
Organisers at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna called off all three of Swift’s shows last week over alleged plans by suspected terrorists to attack fans outside the venue.
In July, the Grammy winner paid tribute to victims of the Southport attack in which three young girls were killed in a mass stabbing at a holiday club event themed on the singer.
Charlotte Jones, 52, described the security in the stadium as “top tier” and said she felt safe during the concert.
Swift’s billion-dollar Eras Tour finishes its Wembley dates on Tuesday before she returns to North America later this year.
Her tour restarts in Canada for performances at Rogers Centre in Toronto on November 14 and is set to end at BC Place in Vancouver on December 8.
