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Taylor Swift to perform five concerts at London stadium
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Security tightened after event cancellation in Vienna
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Fans without tickets will not be allowed to leave the stadium
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Wembley deemed a particularly secure venue
By Paul Sandle and Millie McCaughan
LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift will take to the stage in London on Thursday, resuming the world’s biggest concert ever under tight security after she was forced to cancel a concert in Vienna last week because of a thwarted Islamic State-inspired attack.
British police have said there is nothing to suggest the events in Vienna will have any impact on the five performances at Wembley Stadium, where 90,000 “Swifties” are expected to cheer them on each evening. However, security has been tightened.
The practice of gathering without tickets outside Taylor Swift shows, aka ‘tie-gating’, as thousands did in Munich in the summer, will not be allowed, as authorities seek to minimise vulnerabilities outside venues that are difficult to control.
Fans at Wembley will pass through metal detectors and will only be allowed to bring one small bag in. Glass and metal containers, laptops and umbrellas are all banned.
“Anyone found wandering outside the stadium will be removed by security personnel,” Wembley said on its website.
Swift, 34, previously said her biggest fear was threats to her fans after two attacks at concerts in 2017 — the Las Vegas shooting and the suicide bombing at Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, England, which prompted British authorities to rethink the way they police major shows.
She said the attacks made her “terrified” of going on tour and had to take extra planning and security measures.
“We have to live bravely to feel truly alive, and that means not being controlled by our greatest fears,” he said in 2019.
The “Cruel Summer” singer will return with the positivity, heartfelt lyrics, friendship bracelets and sparkly outfits that have made her a global megastar.
In June she performed in Britain, to a packed crowd that included heir to the throne Prince William and his two children, as well as Keir Starmer, now prime minister-elect. London even published a special Taylor Swift Tube map of her song titles.
His ‘Eras’ tour is expected to gross over $1 billion, the first to do so from 149 shows in two years. The final performance will be in Canada in December.
Return to Britain
Swift’s return to the UK could be an emotional one following recent events.
Three young children were killed at a Taylor Swift-inspired dance class in Southport, northern England, on July 29. Swift told her 284 million Instagram followers she was “in total shock” by the “loss of life and innocence.”
He has not said anything about cancellation of the event in Vienna.
Security experts said British authorities had learned lessons from the Manchester attack, which killed 22 people including young children, and that police, venue security and organisers were working together to secure the venue.
Chris Phillips, the former head of Britain’s National Counter Terrorism Security Office and now a security consultant for major events, said Wembley had benefited from being a permanent venue.
“They employ a lot of security teams,” he told Reuters. “Wembley is as secure as you can imagine.”
Experts said they expected staff would be re-screened after a suspect in Vienna was found to be providing services at a stadium.
Noah Price, international academy director at security group G4S, said there would be “heightened security levels at the venue” and staffing patterns would be closely monitored.
“The insider threat is actually the most prevalent because its access is unfettered,” he said.
“You have to pay attention to unusual behavior,” he said. “People come in early or leave late. Look at the access control logs.”
Tim Gallagher, chief security officer at global investigations firm Nardello & Co, agreed it was “extremely troubling” that a suspect from Vienna had been employed by a company that worked at the scene, and said staff at Wembley would be re-examined.
Don Erickson, chief executive of the Security Industry Association, said technology such as intelligence and video surveillance will be adopted along with visual measures such as scanners.
“It’s about finding a balance between safety and security versus the fan experience,” he said. “But they’re not mutually exclusive, you can have it all.”
Wembley explained his point to Swifties in language they can understand: “Read all the information provided and pay attention to what you can and cannot do. Don’t dismiss it as unimportant.”
This article is generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
