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Wembley Fan Comments

Fans flocked to Wembley Stadium in London on Thursday ahead of Taylor Swift’s return to the stage, a week after her Vienna concerts were cancelled due to a foiled suicide bombing plot.

Hundreds of ecstatic Swifties flocked to the stadium hours before the American megastar ended the European leg of her Eras tour with the first of five sold-out shows.

“It doesn’t feel real, it’s not really happening!” Katie Moulson, 24, a ticket holder, told AFP as she arrived at Wembley in the mid-afternoon.

Around 90,000 fans will once again fill the venue each night, with additional ticket checks and restrictions in place following fears over the Austrian plot.

Revelations of an Islamic State-inspired plan to launch a stabbing and bombing attack led to the cancellation of his three concerts in the Austrian capital last week.

Three suspected Islamic State sympathizers were arrested on charges of planning the attack, which was foiled with the help of U.S. intelligence.

London’s Metropolitan Police said there was “no indication” of any connection with his upcoming concerts in the capital.

But she worked “closely with venue security teams and other partners to ensure appropriate security and policing plans were in place.”

Fans have been warned on the Wembley website to expect “additional ticket checks” around the stadium.

The extra security did not dampen the spirits of fans dressed in sparkly skirts, pom-pom jackets, cowboy hats and stacks of friendship bracelets – a current staple for Swifties – as they descended on north-west London.

“After Vienna, it’s good to hear that they’ve stepped up security,” Brodie MacArthur, a 23-year-old student, told AFP, arriving wearing a long white dress inspired by Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”

“In the back of your mind, there are still worries. But there are a lot of people here to ensure security,” she added.

Swift’s return to the British capital, after three sold-out concerts in June, comes two weeks after three girls were killed in a stabbing attack at a dance class themed to the pop star’s music in the northwest of England.

After the stabbing, the star said she was “completely shocked” and “completely unable to convey my condolences to these families”.

She has not yet commented on the decision to cancel the Vienna shows.

This time in London, fans without tickets will not be allowed to attend the event’s “Tay-gate,” a practice where Swift fans stand outside the venue during the concert to listen to the music.

The stadium’s website states that “no one is permitted to stand outside any entrance or… at the front of the stadium” and that “non-ticket holders will be removed.”

Although this practice was not allowed at his concerts in June, some fans still managed to gather outside Wembley.

After two performances in Madrid in late July, Swift noted that about 50,000 “people came to listen to the show” from a nearby hilltop on both nights, “participating in the spectacle from afar.”

His recent appearances in the British capital have been attended by major figures.

Among them were Keir Starmer, then a candidate for British prime minister, and Prince William, who was celebrating his birthday accompanied by his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The singer posted a photo posing with the royal family and her boyfriend, American football player Travis Kelce, with the caption: “Happy Birthday M8! London shows off to a great start.”

After wrapping up the European leg of her record-breaking tour – which kicked off in Paris in May and saw the star perform across the continent – ​​Swift will return to North America.

The final leg of the journey will begin on October 18 in Miami.