Our European Swifties were blessed with the surprise of the legend herself, Taylor Swift, making an appearance on The 1975’s At Their Very Best Tour at the O2 Arena in London on December 1st. It was clear that once the crowd recognized a tall blonde with red lips swinging through the door on the house-like stage set up, it was no longer “The 1975 with special guest Taylor Swift”, but “Taylor Swift featuring The 1975.”
Taylor gracefully walked on stage in a silver sequin mini dress with band members of The 1975 giving her a hand down the stairs, like the gentlemen they are, and blew one of them a kiss as she made her way to center stage. Taking her time, she wandered over to one of the retro TV props on stage and stopped to take a swig of whiskey out of a crystal glass, emulating frontman of The 1975, Matty Healy. As the whole arena desperately waits to hear what she has to say, she finally reaches the microphone and says, “Is it okay if I sing?” Duh.
After tempting the crowd for about a minute, she eventually sang the acoustic version of her hit single “Anti-Hero” from her latest album Midnights as well as a hidden gem from The 1975’s self-titled debut album “The City.” Personally, “The City” isn’t a favorite of mine, I would have much rather heard Taylor sing “Sex,” though Taylor excites the crowd regardless. Phoebe Bridgers, an indie-rock icon who is the opening act for Taylor’s The Eras Tour, also made an appearance at a prior The 1975 show. Bridgers was one of the first special guests The 1975 invited on tour, singing the acoustic version to one of my favorite songs by the band, “Milk.”
Even though many fans of The 1975, including the lead singer, Matty Healy, are fans of Taylor themselves, we’re still in complete shock that Matty managed to pull some strings to get Taylor on stage for a show as exciting as this one at the O2 in London. Round of applause, Matty, you’ve outdone yourself.
XO Catherine