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Taylor Swift made fans go crazy as she hails crowd during first show of UK Eras Tour in Edinburgh
Taylor Swift kicked off the UK leg of her sellout Eras Tour in style in Edinburgh – stepping out onto the stage in a trademark blue and gold sequin bodysuit to tell screaming fans: ‘What a way to welcome a lass to Scotland.’
The 34-year-old singer drove fans wild as she emerged at Murrayfield Stadium following a riotous warm-up from American pop-punk band Paramore.
Excitement built up to fever pitch with a two-minute countdown on the big screen before Taylor finally emerged from a stage which rose dramatically into the air in the middle of the stadium – prompting screams of hysteria.
She started out with 2019 tune Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. And as she took in the adoration of thousands of fans she had in the palm of her hand, Taylor paused to tell them: ‘What a way to welcome a lass to Scotland… you’ve gone and made me feel so amazing.’
She then spun round and pointed to every part of the stadium drawing in huge screams and told the crowd: ‘That went straight to my head. That made me feel….really powerful.’
And as she rounded out the monster three-and-a-half-hour set with Karma, fireworks shot out from the top of the stage, lighting fixtures within the grounds and the roof of the stadium itself, prompting an avalanche of cheers from fans.
The sell-out show saw her run through a cavalcade of hits including Cruel Summer, Lover, You Belong With Me, Love Story and 22 – which saw her hand a fedora hat to a young fan in the audience, as is tradition at each show – within the first hour alone, before moving onto later ‘eras’ in her illustrious career.
And in a nod to her Scottish audience, she gave backing dancer Kameron Saunders the opportunity to say ‘Nae chance!’ as she performed We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
She later drove the Scottish fans wild after telling them lockdown-era album Folklore was inspired by their home country.
In remarks reported by BBC News, she said: ‘There was so much TV, so much white wine, covered in cat hair. That was my reality. So I thought, ‘I’m going to create an imaginary world and escape into it’.
That was Folklore, and it was probably based online of videos I’ve seen of Scotland.’
She also told the adoring crowd earlier in the show: ‘My biggest regret is that I should have played in Scotland more. I should have brought every tour to Scotland. I can’t stop looking at the crowd…it’s captivating.’
Someone took the show as an opportunity to write their own Love Story – proposing to their partner at the show, and even catching the singer’s eye. She told the crowd: ‘I’m pretty sure someone just got engaged right now. They did! That’s amazing. That’s huge!’