The Eras Tour
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At football games, Travis Kelce rules the field. But at Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour shows, he’s happy just be part of the sideline crew, according to Andy Reid.
In an interview with The Athletic‘s Scoop City podcast posted Tuesday (July 16), the Kansas City Chiefs coach opened up about his star player spending a good chunk of the offseason traveling the world with his superstar girlfriend. “I think there’s a great escape for him,” Reid told hosts Dianna Russini and Chase Daniel of the Eras shows Kelce has frequently attended this summer.
“I said that about Taylor, too,” he continued. “I mean, she comes to the game, she can kind of escape having to be the show. Travis can do that when he goes to her concerts — she’s the star, and he can be hanging out there and be the support or the waterboy.”
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Of the increase in public attention Kelce has faced since he started dating Swift last year, Reid said, “I think it’s great for him.”
“He can handle it,” the coach continued. “As a matter of fact, I think he probably loves it to a point … It depends on the people involved. She gets all that. He’s kind of grown into it.”
Reid has only had kind things to say about the “Anti-Hero” singer since her romance with the offensive lineman took over the NFL during the 2023-24 season, all the way up through the Super Bowl, which the Chiefs won with Swift cheering them on in a box suite at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. In January, he called the musician a “good girl” on Let’s Go With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray and added, “I’m happy for Trav.”
Kelce’s appearances at the Eras Tour — and hopes of another onstage cameo — may start to decrease as the Chiefs get ready to start training camp later this month. Kelce and teammate Patrick Mahomes recently spent one of their last free weekends at Swift’s concert in Amsterdam, after which the players had a double date with the 14-time Grammy winner and Brittany Mahomes, who is married to the quarterback.
Swift has since taken her Eras showcase to Zürich and, most recently, Milan. She’ll next set up shop in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, for three concerts at Veltins-Arena July 17-19.
“WOW. MILAN,” Swift wrote on Instagram following her tenure in Italy. “Those were truly 2 of my favorite crowds ever. The passion and generosity you showed us… it was a dream come true to perform for you … We’ll be back!! 🇮🇹 🫶”
Try and come for her job. In the midst of the European leg of her global Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has announced which song from The Tortured Poets Department will serve as the album’s next single: the deceptively cheerful “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.” The news arrives via a message on Taylor […]
The latest Eras Tour shows marked a new highlight for Taylor Swift. Following her two concerts in Milan, the 34-year-old pop star took to Instagram Monday (July 15) to gush about the crowds at San Siro Stadium — which she went as far as calling some of her career favorites. “WOW. MILAN,” Swift began her […]
Only one may have taken the stage, but three pop stars were present at Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour show in Sydney in February. And while appearing on the latest episode of The Tonight Show Tuesday (July 9), Rita Ora had nothing but kind things to say about the concert, which she watched from a VIP tent alongside Katy Perry.
“The pop girls have really come together on that one,” the “I Will Never Let You Down” singer told host Jimmy Fallon of the experience, calling Perry her “buddy.”
“We were in Australia and we were both doing separate jobs, and obviously everyone in the world has seen the Eras Tour,” continued Ora of the “Firework” singer. “So I went and I really wanted to just hang out. It was really cool because it was the first time I’ve seen her in ages and she’s putting out music, and you know, everyone’s just doing their thing.”
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After the show, the vocalist posted a backstage photo with the “Anti-Hero” singer, plus pictures of her cozying up to Perry at Accor Stadium. She also shared a snap with Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who flashed a big smile while posing with an arm around Ora’s shoulder.
“It’s fair to say Sydney 🇦🇺 always delivers – Or shall we say our TayTay @taylorswift always delivers!” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “thank you for having us! Seeing my KP @katyperry made my heart 🥹 to many queens to count!”
The Descendants: The Rise of Red star was also accompanied by husband Taika Waititi at the Eras show, and the director joined in on Ora’s photo with Swift. The couple tied the knot in August 2022, although they didn’t reveal their nuptials until their anniversary the next year.
On the Tonight Show, Ora shared that their intimate ceremony in Los Angeles was somewhat spontaneous. Even their Elvis impersonator was a total surprise, with the star saying she “didn’t ask” for him to be there.
“There was no plan,” she told Fallon. “I got married off the cuff and it was so fun … The first song [the impersonator] sang was, ‘I’m caught in a trap.’ I was like, ‘Is that how we want to start?’”
Watch Ora recount her Eras Tour experience above.
At every Eras Tour concert, thousands of Swifties cross their fingers that Taylor Swift will play one of their favorite songs during the acoustic section. But at the singer’s first night in Zürich Tuesday (July 9), she played some of her own top picks.
The extra special surprise song section came in honor of the global trek’s 113th show. As Swift’s lucky number is famously 13, the benchmark couldn’t go without being mentioned.
“This is actually our 113th show of the Eras Tour, and that’s my favorite number, which I never mention,” she quipped, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I just thought since it was my favorite number, I’d do some of my favorite songs for the acoustic section.”
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The 14-time Grammy winner went on to play a mashup of “All You Had to Do Was Stay” and “Right Where You Left Me” on guitar. “You were all I wanted, but not like this,” she sang from the 1989 track before seamlessly transitioning into the Evermore bonus song: “Did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen?/ Time went on for everybody else, she won’t know it.”
But Swift’s first show at Letzigrund Stadium marked more than one noteworthy occasion. July 9 is also a longtime Swiftie holiday, as it’s the date mentioned in her Speak Now ballad “Last Kiss” — so of course, the musician played that one next.
“You can plan for a change in the weather and time/ But I never planned on you changing your mind,” she crooned while playing piano, blending in lyrics from her Red lullaby “Sad Beautiful Tragic.” “‘Cause we had a beautiful magic love there/ What a sad beautiful tragic, beautiful tragic…”
The “Anti-Hero” singer will take the stage in Sweden once again Wednesday (July 10), after which she’ll move on to Milan for two nights at San Siro Stadium July 13-14. The Zürich shows follow three Eras performances in Amsterdam, where Swift seemingly celebrated the one-year anniversary of boyfriend Travis Kelce’s first time attending an Eras Tour show — aka the genesis of their love story — by performing a lovey-dovey mashup of “Mary’s Song,” “Everything Has Changed” and “So High School,” which fans believe the Kansas City Chiefs tight end inspired.
Watch Swift play her favorite songs in her discography below.
On July 8, 2023, Travis Kelce attended Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour show in Kansas City with a friendship bracelet and a dream. Exactly one year later, he’s not only dating the 34-year-old pop superstar, but has songs believed to be about him written into the exact show that started their love story — something that has fans celebrating as if it were their own anniversary on social media.
And in honor of the occasion, many Swifties are reminiscing on the fateful sequence of events that led to the couple’s union. First, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end attempted to shoot his shot by giving Swift a homemade bracelet with his phone number on it at her Eras performances in Arrowhead Stadium, but left disappointed when he discovered that she wasn’t meeting people after her show.
That moment — which turns 1 Monday (July 8) — ended up being the genesis of Kelce’s romance with the 14-time Grammy winner. Swift somehow took notice of him after he told the bracelet story on his New Heights podcast, and the pair started dating later that summer. By the fall, they were officially a couple, with the singer attending many of his games all the way up through the 2024 Super Bowl, which the Chiefs won.
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Also in that time, Swift wrote and released The Tortured Poets Department, featuring two mushy love songs — “The Alchemy” and “So High School” — fans are certain Kelce inspired. The latter track is now embedded into the musician’s three-hour-plus Eras showcase — which the athlete now regularly attends — and she seemingly personally celebrated the one-year anniversary of her beau’s first show by singing an acoustic mashup of the track with “Everything Has Changed” and “Mary’s Song” at her July 6 concert in Amsterdam with him in the audience.
In short, Swifties couldn’t be happier about how things have progressed since Kelce attended his future girlfriend’s concert a year ago. “one year ago, travis attended her show and left disappointed that couldn’t give her a bracelet with his number on it,” one person wrote on X. “today, she serenaded him with the cutest surprise song mashup to date.”
“The greatest love story of our time🥺” another fan tweeted on the anniversary date. “I can’t believe it was exactly one year ago that Travis tried to give Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it, how far we have come!”
A third person gushed: “You cannot convince me the invisible string theory doesn’t work because it’s been one year since travis went to eras with a friendship bracelet and a dream and now she’s f–king singing marys song which she wrote like 18 years ago with his football number in it,” referring to Swift’s lyric, “I’ll be 87, you’ll be 89, I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine in the sky.”
See more Swiftie tweets celebrating the one-year anniversary of the beginning of Tayvis below.
what do you mean marys song x so high school x everything has changed!!! on the one year anniversary eve of the eras tour in kansas the day she posted the “independent girlies” tweet!! the day travis went to her show with a bracelet and a dream!!pic.twitter.com/bSeZtPANF2— Taylor Throwbacks (@ThrowbackTaylor) July 6, 2024
Travis Kelce one year ago heard, “it’s time to sing last kiss and cry” and decided that’s the last time you write a sad song or cry. Happy 1 year anniversary of my first show. pic.twitter.com/eAzogtiKJE— Elam (@bigelam) July 8, 2024
one year ago, travis attended her show and left disappointed that couldn’t give her a bracelet with his number on it. today, she serenaded him with the cutest surprise song mashup to date. oh my my my. pic.twitter.com/MMmSHtm5wN— k💗 (@kiralovestaylor) July 6, 2024
you cannot convince me the invisible string theory doesn’t work because it’s been one year since travis went to eras with a friendship bracelet and a dream and now she’s fucking singing marys song which she wrote like 18 years ago with his football number in it— abby 🦋 (@fifteeenswift) July 6, 2024
The greatest love story of our time🥺 I can’t believe it was exactly one year ago that Travis tried to give Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it, how far we have come! pic.twitter.com/hJ6kY43UyO— marie (taylor’s version) (@harrypurplebow) July 8, 2024
Taylor Swift is having a blast watching Sabrina Carpenter shine. In honor of the younger singer’s speedy ascent to the top this summer, the 34-year-old pop superstar gushed in Instagram comments that she’s the first in line to congratulate her former Eras Tour opener’s recent successes — the whole of which Swift coined the “summer […]
One city in Germany is getting ready to say “Guten tag!” to Taylor Swift, with officials moving to temporarily rename Gelsenkirchen “Swiftkirchen” in honor of the pop star’s upcoming trio of Eras Tour shows in the locale.
According to an announcement on the city’s website Tuesday (July 2), Gelsenkirchen is already transforming a full two weeks ahead of Swift’s performances at Veltins-Arena July 17-19. The name change was first suggested by a young local fan named Aleshanee Westhoff — who started a petition and wrote directly to Mayor Karin Welge — so she got to do the honors of erecting the first “Swiftkirchen” sign on Ebertstraße, a street in town.
The city will continue installing similar signs in highly frequented parts of Gelsenkirchen. Plus, a so-called “Taylor Swift tram” is already up and running through the area, and the “Anti-Hero” singer will receive a colorful stone on Gelsenkirchen’s official Walk of Fame.
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“It’s a great idea to temporarily rename Gelsenkirchen to ‘Swiftkirchen,’ which is why I’m particularly pleased that you can experience the short-term ‘renaming’ of Gelsenkirchen live and up close in Gelsenkirchen today,” said Mayor Welge in a thank-you letter to Westhoff.
Swiftkirchen will also be complete with a series of “Taylor Town” festivities on the days of the pop star’s shows, featuring karaoke, a DJ set, a tattoo stand, marketplace and food and drink vendors. “As mayor, I am of course very happy that Taylor Swift, currently the most successful singer in the world, will be performing three times in Gelsenkirchen,” added Welge in a statement.
Gelsenkirchen isn’t the only city that’s gone all out for Swift’s Eras Tour visits in the past year-plus, nor is it the first to temporarily rename itself in her honor. Ahead of the 14-time Grammy winner’s kickoff performances in 2023, Glendale, Ariz., went by “Swift City,” while Minneapolis transformed into “Swiftie-apolis” and Santa Clara, Calif., was decreed “Swiftie Clara” that summer.
Swift still has a few more stops to make before she reaches Gelsenkirchen, starting with three nights in Amsterdam July 4-6. She’ll then perform two nights in Zürick followed by another duo of shows in Milan.
“I knew as soon as I saw the first Dublin crowd on Friday night that we were in for a wild weekend,” the superstar wrote on Instagram earlier this week following her most recent shows, which were in Ireland. “The spirit of those 3 glorious crowds embodied fun and joy and exuberance, and we just felt so lucky to be there. The Irish fans made us feel so at home, so welcome in every way. Still smiling thinking about it now.”
Turns out, Travis Kelce was the mastermind behind his hilarious Eras Tour cameo at Wembley Stadium in June. On the latest episode of New Heights uploaded Wednesday (July 3), the Kansas City Chiefs tight end finally opened up about how his onstage debut with Taylor Swift came to be, revealing that he was the one who first pitched it to his superstar girlfriend — although she may have made a few tweaks to his plan.
“I initially mentioned it to Tay,” Travis told his brother and co-host, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. “I was like, ‘How funny would it be if I just rolled out on one of the bikes during the 1989 era?’”
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“She started laughing,” the Ohio native continued. “She was like, ‘Would you seriously be up for doing something like that?’ I was just like, ‘I would love to do that, are you kidding me? I’ve seen the show enough — might as well put me to work here.’ And sure enough, she found the perfect part of the show for me to come in.”
Swift apparently vetoed his bike-riding bit, as the offensive lineman ended up appearing before “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” during the Tortured Poets Department set as one of her backup dancers, theatrically coaxing her to keep performing even though she feigns being totally drained after singing “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.” “There was no bike, in case I ran into somebody else or hit one of the dancers,” Travis explained, laughing. “It was the safest option.”
At one point during his cameo in London, Travis picked the 14-time Grammy winner up and carried her over to a couch waiting upstage. And though he’s had quite a bit of practice not fumbling footballs, this was an entirely different ball game.
“The one thing I told myself was, ‘Do not drop the baby,’” he recalled to Jason. “The golden rule was, ‘Do not drop Taylor. Get her to the couch safely’ … I didn’t disappoint Taylor, so that’s all that really matters.”
“Shout-out to Tay for letting me jump up on stage with her,” Travis added, before teasing that his onstage appearance may not have been a one-time-only occurrence. “Who knows? Might not be the last time. You guys will have to keep showing up to the Eras Tour to see if I pop out of the stage and whatnot.”
Travis was present throughout Swift’s three-night stay at Wembley, where he also met Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George as well as danced alongside Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Greta Gerwig and Hugh Grant in the VIP tent. “It was unbelievable,” the athlete simply gushed about the star-studded group.
Most recently, Travis caught Swift’s final show in Dublin at Aviva Stadium Sunday (June 30), where he hung out with Stevie Nicks and Julia Roberts in the crowd. When he first arrived, the “Anti-Hero” singer appeared to light up with a big smile the moment she saw him entering, as captured in several adorable fan videos.
Watch Travis talk about his Eras Tour debut on New Heights below.
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Taylor Swift is all smiles following her three-night Eras Tour stint in Dublin over the weekend, which the pop star recapped in a thank-you note to fans on Instagram Tuesday (July 2). Sharing a carousel of photos of her performing on stage at Aviva Stadium June 28-30, Swift wrote, “I knew as soon as I […]