Taylor Swift made a sensational return to the stage for the first time since the end of the Eras Tour at a concert hosted by Travis Kelce in Nashville on Tuesday night.
The singer sent the crowd wild with a rendition of Shake It Off as she joined Kane Brown at ‘Tight Ends and Friends’ – a show Kelce hosted as part of the NFL event he is running in Music City this week.
Kelce and Swift had earlier been pictured arriving at the Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, where it seemed like Swift was purely just supporting Kelce for a cause close to his heart.
Singers such as Sophia Scott, Graham Barham and Chase Rice were all listed to perform at the venue, where Swift was first spotted enjoying the night in the VIP section. Jordan Davis also played and welcomed country star Luke Combs onto the stage but Swift’s involvement had been kept a secret – if it was even scheduled at all.
Swift told the crowd ‘we planned that three minutes ago’ shortly before she left the stage to huge cheers. Just when it seemed like Brown was finishing his set, Swift ignited a frenzy when she walked out for one more song and played an acoustic guitar belonging to Rice. She dedicated it ‘to our favorite players’ before launching into a rendition of one of her biggest hits and sending the crowd wild.
Tickets had been on sale to the public and some devoted Swifties had made sure they were in the crowd for a possible sighting of the singer with Kelce. It was a gamble that seriously paid off.
Taylor Swift made a stunning return to the stage at the concert hosted by Travis Kelce
Swift dedicated her performance of ‘Shake It Off’ to ‘our faviorite players’ – a nod to Kelce
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift headed to the Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville on Tuesday night
One fan even livestreamed her view of Swift on X, showing the singer dancing to the music and sipping her drink with friends while the other artists performed. Moments later, they were broadcasting Swift’s dramatic return.
Swift was dressed all in black for her night out while Kelce wore a camouflaged shirt and pants. He was stood to the side of the stage when Swift walked out to the delight of the fans in attendance.
And it was an intimate venue for Swift to perform in after selling out the biggest stadiums around the globe on her historic Eras Tour.
Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl hosts up to 1,200 people while her biggest Eras show was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, where 96,000 people went to see her.
Earlier in the week, Swift stunned fans on Monday night as she doted on Kelce during the welcome night for the three-day NFL event that the Kansas City Chiefs star has hosted since 2021.
Kelce and San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle run the event alongside Greg Olsen, another former tight end who is now a distinguished NFL analyst.
As well as building a community among the players who play in the position that Kelce is famous for and sharing tips on performance, they also raise money for charity through the annual get-together.
Earlier in the day, Kelce had stunned NFL fans when video emerged of him being a coach for one of the football classes scheduled for the day.
Swift was seen hugging some friends after making her arrival alongside boyfriend Kelce
One devoted Swiftie livestreamed her view of Swift dancing away in the VIP section
Tuesday’s brief performance was Swift’s first since the end of her historic Eras Tour
The 35-year-old explained his running style during certain routes in passages of play and the clip caused a stir on social media from fans and analysts alike.
‘Us big guys, it’s so hard for us to throw one foot in the ground going at 75% speed in a route to get out there,’ the 6ft 5 Kelce was filmed explaining.
‘We want to use two steps, and sometimes it takes three on the 15, 20-yard routes if you are luck enough to run them. But for me, getting in and out of a break, you have to slow that momentum down and really gather that power before you can explode out.’
James Palmer, an NFL reporter for Bleacher Report, commented on the video on Instagram saying: This is so damn good. I’ve talked to a number of safeties over the years that have all said, Kelce is never moving that fast or even running 100% all that often.
‘He’ll never run by you, but staying with him is impossible because every step has a purpose and the change of pace with each step or break keeps you so off balance in coverage. This is a master class right here.’
Kelce, 35, nearly retired when his Chiefs team lost the Super Bowl in February but chose to play on because he didn’t want his career to end on such a low note.
He would almost certainly still be involved in this week’s event even if he had called it a day but now, Kelce is gearing up for the 2025 campaign.
The Chiefs begin the new season on September 5 in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers.
