It was a rollercoaster of a night on Friday (February 23) for Taylor Swift as the singer kicked off her four-concert stand in Sydney at Australia's Accor Stadium in front of 81,000 soaked, determined Swifties. Before the show began, the stadium floor and lower bowl were evacuated due to thunderstorms — and lightning nearby — which meant Sabrina Carpenter's set was canceled in time for Swift to take the stage.
“Please note that due to weather, the start time of the show has been delayed. Stay hidden until further notice and follow venue displays and staff instructions. Stay safe and remember to be kind to those around you,” the venue announced at X, describing the delay.
But according to Sydney Herald, the show went on, with Swift hitting the stage just before 8 p.m., and yes, boyfriend Travis Kelce was in the house, accompanied by Swift's dad, Scott Swift. The Kansas City Chiefs are tight — wearing one electric blue, with wild designs matching shorts and T-shirt – took to his seats to the furious screams and shouts of Swifties on the stadium floor. Fans were also excited to see it Rita Ora and Katy Perry (as well as Rita's husband, director Taika Waititi and beloved Aussie filmmaker Baz Luhrmann) share a private box and exchange friendship bracelets with fans. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also at home.
Let's get to the show, though. According to Enunciate, Swift immediately nodded to her audience's resilience, telling them, “We've got a little bit of weather, a little bit of rain, but I've never met an Aussie crowd that let anything get in the way!” Later, in what has become a signature moment on the set, Swift chose a nine-year-old named Scarlett — who was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer in October — as the recipient of her black hat during “22.”
The show went on as usual after the storm delay and the first surprise song of the night was “How You Get the Girl” from the 2014 smash 1989 album. “I pick the song for each individual crowd and I hope I get it right,” Swift told the crowd of the song she first performed during the stripped-down portion of the night in Atlanta last April.
Swift then brought out Carpenter to help her mix Fearless“White horse” and Forever“Coney Island,” with Taylor telling the crowd that Carpenter “heroically sacrificed her show, which I think is a crime against Sydney.” The singer also took a moment during the surprise acoustic piano section to shout out her new favorite destination: the Sydney Zoo, which she visited the day before with Kelce. “We really love Sydney Zoo – we've spent 100% of our days here,” Swift said of her back-to-back visits. “I don't think you understand how cool kangaroos really are. They're so cool, so strong, so strong.”
Swift's Accor stand will continue with shows on Saturday (June 24), Sunday (June 25) and Monday (June 26) before moving to Singapore on March 2.
