Taylor Swift takes tour staff out before London concerts.
Taylor Swift is all set to kick off a five-night run at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium tonight, August 15, following the cancellation of her Eras Tour shows in Vienna last week due to a foiled terror threat. The singer, who has remained silent on the plot and refrained from making any public appearances since the alleged plan to harm fans at her Austrian shows came to light, recently celebrated the end of the European leg of her immensely successful global tour with her staff in London.
According to People magazine, Swift, 34, was spotted at the exclusive members-only club Annabel’s in London for the wrap party. She was elegantly dressed in what Glamour described as a “Cher Horowitz-esque plaid jacket and skirt set from the Vivienne Westwood fall/winter 2024 collection,” paired with a ruffled white shirt and chunky heels.
As of press time, a spokesperson for Swift could not be reached for comment regarding the reported staff outing.
This is not the first time that Swift has shown her appreciation for her Eras Tour staff. In August of last year, it was reported that the singer gifted $100,000 bonuses to each of the 50 truck drivers on her tour, totaling around $5 million. She also reportedly extended bonuses to her band members, dancers, lighting and sound technicians, caterers, and other staff members.
The Austrian promoter Barracuda Music announced on August 7 that they were forced to cancel the three scheduled shows at Ernst Happel Stadium from August 8-10 due to the threat of a terrorist attack. The suspects were allegedly planning to use explosives and knives to target Swift’s fans outside the venue in an attempt to cause a mass casualty event.
As of now, the main 19-year-old suspect, who was reportedly radicalized online and had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, has been apprehended along with a 17-year-old individual who was working for a company providing services to the stadium. Additionally, a 15-year-old boy who had knowledge of the plan but was not directly involved was also detained last week, and a third suspect believed to be connected to the main suspect was arrested on August 9. The lawyer for the main suspect stated this week that the case against his client is exaggerated and that he did not have the means or explosives to carry out the intended attack.
Wembley Stadium recently announced that Swift’s fans will be allowed entry a bit earlier than usual for the upcoming shows, and the set times have been adjusted for the sold-out gigs running from tonight through Tuesday, August 20. Additionally, in response to the large gatherings of unticketed fans outside stadiums during the European tour for pre-show “tay-gating” events, Wembley has emphasized that only ticketed fans will be permitted to stand outside the venue or in the surrounding area. The venue made it clear that non-ticket holders will be asked to leave.