Additional Coverage:
- Taylor Swift performs ‘The Black Dog’ live for first time during Wembley Stadium show (newsbreak.com)
Taylor Swift made the live debut of “The Black Dog” during the opening night of her Eras Tour at London’s Wembley Stadium on Friday, June 21. Dressed in a vibrant orange dress, the 34-year-old pop icon delivered the song towards the concert’s end in her “surprise songs” segment, where she treats fans to acoustic renditions of select tracks.
The song “Black Dog,” thought to be inspired by The 1975’s lead singer Matty Healy, with whom Swift once had a brief encounter, features on her recent album “The Tortured Poets Department.” The track nods to a South London pub and includes allusions to the pop-punk band The Starting Line, known to be covered by The 1975 during their performances.
Swift, in videos shared on the social platform X, told the audience it was her first time performing the song live. Despite speculation, Swift chose not to perform “London Boy” or “So Long, London,” songs rumored to be about her relationship with Joe Alwyn, which has lasted six years.
However, she did surprise her audience with performances of “Hits Different” from her 2022 “Midnights” album, “Death By A Thousand Cuts” from her 2019 “Lover” album, and a blend of “Maroon” and “Come Back… Be Here” from “Midnights” and her 2012 “Red” album, respectively.
Swift is set for two more performances at Wembley before heading to Dublin. Her London show drew in various celebrities and notable figures, including her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, “Bridgerton” actress Nicola Coughlan, model Cara Delevingne, “Queer Eye’s” Jonathan Van Ness, and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, along with the Prince of Wales and the royal children.
A tweet from Variety highlighted Swift’s performance of “The Black Dog” live for the first time at her Wembley show. Moreover, in a show of anticipation for Swift’s concert, Buckingham Palace’s military band played a rendition of her popular hit “Shake It Off” during the changing of the guard.
The Eras Tour’s Twitter account shared a clip of Swift performing “The Black Dog,” noting it was a special surprise during the London concert of The Eras Tour. Additionally, singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams posted an Instagram video showing Swift extinguishing a fire in her New York City apartment, recounting the fun they had writing a song together from 2 am to 6 am and learning to use a fire extinguisher.
On the same day, the duo released their collaboration “us” on Abrams’ new album “The Secret of Us.” The Independent has published a five-star review of Swift’s landmark UK performance for those seeking more details.