Taylor Swift's highly anticipated inaugural concert in Sydney was delayed on Friday amid concerns over weather safety, but the singer was spared when she finally took the stage.
The “Anti-Hero” singer’s show at Accor Stadium was evacuated after a series of lightning strikes. Inclement weather, which repeatedly and once fatally dogged Swift's blockbuster months-long tour, forced concertgoers on the lower level of the open-air stadium to seek shelter during the storm, which brought heavy rain, winds and lightning to the region.
“The floor and bottom are currently being evacuated due to a lightning strike near the stadium at today's show of Taylor Swift's 'The Eras Tour' in Sydney, Australia. Please stay safe and seek shelter for now #SydneyTSTheErasTour,” he said. a tweet on the official Eras Tour X account, providing some images of the evacuation.
A new posted about 10 minutes later he announced that the concert would be delayed due to bad weather. He also urged fans to “remain undercover until further notice and follow venue screens and staff instructions.”
“Stay safe and remember to be kind to those around you,” the update said.
About an hour later, additional posts confirmed that stadium staff were reset the floor and prepare the seats for the show, eventually giving everything clear for fans to return to their seats. Fittingly, tour account Eras also posted a photo of a rainbow that appeared above the stadium. another advertisement saying that Sabrina Carpenter would no longer open the show “due to the weather delay,” then mocked Carpenter “surprise songs” during Swift's set. (They performed a medley of “White Horse” and “Coney Island” during the show.)
The winner of 14 Grammy Awards finally went on stage just before 8pm local time and acknowledged the poor weather as well as the resilience of their Sydney fans.
“You really make me feel like I could play a sold out show for 81,000 people in Sydney tonight!” she sayingaccording to the Eras Tour tweets, adding“We've got a bit of a weather situation, a bit of rain, but I've never known an Australian public to let anything get in their way!”
fast too he waved to the crowd when they inserted the “sydney song” in the “don't say I didn't warn you” Lyrics to “Espacio en blanco”.
The singer performed “How You Get the Girl” from “1989” as the first surprise song of the night and brought out Carpenter for the second. He also spoke live on Instagram during the show to reveal a bonus track from his upcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which will be released on April 19.
The delayed show was not without its celebrity attendees. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who joined his girlfriend Down Under earlier this week, was in the audience and was the recipient of another Swift. run-for-the-hug after she completed the show. fast again Changed the lyrics of “Karma” during the “Karma is the Chiefs guy” concert as a nod to the three-time Super Bowl winner.
Fellow pop star Katy Perry, Swift's former “direct enemy” who supposedly inspired “Bad Blood,” was also in the stands and shared her faux-surprised reaction while singing Swift's 2014 single.
“I got to see an old friend shine tonight,” Perry wrote on Instagram, sharing a carousel of photos and videos from the concert, including a selfie with Swift and a snap with Rita Ora.
“It's fair to say Sydney 🇦🇺 always delivers. Or should we say our TayTay @taylorswift always delivers!” Ora added in his own recap of the night. “thanks for having us! Seeing my KP @katyperry made my heart 🥹 with too many queens to count!
Ora and her husband, director Taika Waititi, were also in the stands. Blink-182 musician Mark Hoppus was too, sharing a backstage photo with Swift on her Instagram account.
“You need to calm down,” Hoppus wrote in his caption, also teasing Blink's concerts in Australia.
Swift will perform four consecutive performances of the Eras tour in Sydney before heading to Singapore for six concerts in early March. Afterwards, Eras travels to Paris on May 9 and tours Europe until August. The landmark billion-dollar tour then returns to the US in October before concluding with a three-night stay in Toronto in early December.
