Taylor Swift returned to London’s Wembley Stadium for the second leg of her Eras Tour, performing a series of five shows—and she brought along a special guest!
During the surprise songs segment of her Thursday, August 15, show, Swift introduced her longtime friend Ed Sheeran to the stage, describing him as “like a second brother.”
After joking that she had “just been trying to chill out the whole rest of the night,” the pop star and Sheeran delighted the crowd with a performance of their songs “Everything Has Changed” and “End Game,” as well as Sheeran’s hit “Thinking Out Loud.”
This acoustic set marked the first time in years that Sheeran and Swift shared the stage together, though their collaboration has never ceased.
Their most recent track together was released in February 2022, with Swift featured on a remix of Sheeran’s song, “The Joker and the Queen.” Sheeran also joined her on the 2021 re-recording of “Everything Has Changed” for *Red (Taylor’s Version)*.
Looking ahead, Sheeran is expected to appear on Swift’s upcoming reputation (Taylor’s Version), as they originally sang together on her song “End Game.”
However, as of August 2023, Sheeran revealed in a conversation with Andy Cohen on Sirius XM’s Deep & Shallow Podcast that they hadn’t yet re-recorded the song.
During that time, Swift was touring the U.S. with The Eras Tour, and Sheeran expressed his eagerness to see her show, although conflicting schedules had kept him from attending.
He mentioned that there might be an opportunity to catch her performance when she returned to the U.K. the following year.
Thursday’s show was Sheeran’s first time back on stage since canceling three shows in Vienna, Austria, after an alleged terror plot was uncovered at her planned performances in the country.
Earlier in the week, Swift was seen out in London with her tour crew. The canceled Austrian shows would have been her first performances in the country, as she skipped it during her previous five tours.
Swift’s return to London also marked her first performance in the city since a tragic stabbing at a dance event in Southport, England, on Monday, July 29, that was meant to celebrate her music. The incident claimed the lives of three young girls.
During her first run at Wembley in June, Swift created some of the most memorable moments of the Eras Tour so far.
Among these was a backstage visit from Prince William and his two eldest children, Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, 9. Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also made his Eras Tour debut on the Wembley stage.
The August 20 show in London will conclude the European leg of the Eras Tour. In October, Swift will resume the tour, playing five additional cities in North America, bringing to a close what is set to be the longest concert tour of her career.
