SHE’S the most powerful woman in pop, raking in £10million a night on her Eras world tour – and Taylor Swift’s motorcade reflects her status.
I can reveal she’s been driven around in a purpose-built bulletproof Mercedes Benz, similar to the US President’s car The Beast, worth around £1million.
Security for the Karma hitmaker are ex-secret service agents who operate her movements backstage with military precision.
An insider tells me: “Taylor’s car is made for world leaders. It can withstand being shot at and explosives.
“It has its own air supply, tyres that can’t be punctured and separate compartments for the driver.
“There is a fleet of Mercedes at her beck and call, ensuring she can travel in convoy. She has close protection bodyguards who ensure she is safe, and her comings and goings backstage are kept secret. Several times on the tour she has had a police escort.”
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Security staff have been grading each arena’s safety and hold a list of banned stalkers.
Crew do regular spot checks and cases are searched for dangerous items.
Taylor even carries military-grade bandages in case she is wounded.
She said: “After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep three million fans safe over seven months.
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“There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense and effort put into keeping fans safe.
“My fear of violence has continued into my personal life. I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds.”
Taylor previously revealed she had “fought the idea of security”, but admitted it’s now a relief, adding: “The sheer number of men we have in a file who have showed up at my house, my mom’s house and threatened to kill me, kidnap me or marry me. This is the strange and sad part of my life that I try not to think about. I don’t want to be walking down the street scared. And when I have security, I don’t have to.”
Elsewhere, Taylor has been treating her crew to luxury catering with high-end lasagne, salads and sweet treats.
One backstage mole said: “This is the best we’ve ever been treated.”
The star’s dressing room is pretty low-key and focused on maintaining her voice for her three-hour show.
White fabric drapes cover the walls, while bucket-sized Jo Malone candles create a relaxing atmosphere.
She chews Wrigley’s Extra gum for her voice, but incense sticks are banned as they can irritate the throat.
Plus, she needs to add the Greggs order we revealed yesterday to her tour rider, too . . .
CAUGHT LIVE: Taylor Swift at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
★★★★★
Tay’s Scots homage
AHEAD of singing Betty from Folklore, Taylor paid homage to Scotland for being the inspiration for the 2020 album.
She told fans: “Whenever I see the beautiful videos of Scotland and all the castles and the moss and the woods and all the green, I always think about Folklore.
“I started writing it two days into the pandemic. I just created an imaginary world that I lived in instead of just my reality, which was just so much TV, so much white wine covered in cat hair. That was my actual reality.”
She said the whimsical nature of the Highlands helped her create the framework for the best-selling album.
Taylor added: “So I was like, ‘I’m going to create a fake imaginary land where I live, and I’m going to call it Folklore, and I’m going to escape into it.”
Souvenirs make Tay merch richer
THE Eras tour has already broken the record for the highest gross earnings of any tour in history, knocking Elton John’s five-year Farewell Yellow Brick Road off the top spot.
After the first year of the tour, Taylor has reached billionaire status, having netted one billion dollars (about £800million) shortly after finishing the United States leg in November.
But I can reveal that the shrewd singer makes a whopping £1million a night just from the merchandise flogged at the venues.
The quality gear has fast become cult collectors’ items for fans with hoodies costing £70, T-shirts costing £40, a bracelet at £30 and a water bottle fetching £15.
One worker told me: “The queues are miles long every night and sometimes we have been forced to close the stands due to safety and crowd control.
“So many people want to buy the merch our systems have crashed a few times.
“I know on average the merch is making £1million a night. The Eras tour has become such an event, people want something to remember it by.”
Swift’s surpise set
TAYLOR delighted fans with two surprise songs in the set.
As well as her acoustic guitar mash-up of Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve and I Know Places, she played the piano for a second medley, ’Tis The Damn Season and Daylight.
Strum thing is wrong
PERFORMING her first UK concert in six years, Taylor could barely contain her excitement.
But she had to momentarily stop the show after getting cramp.
During her intimate secret song section, where she mashed up an acoustic version of Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve and I Know Places, Taylor was forced to stop strumming her guitar when her hands froze up.
Addressing her crowd she said: “My hand is frozen. This has never happened on this tour.
“I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what my hand has decided to do – it’s forming a claw.”
Giving it a quick massage, while the crowd cheered encouragement and support, she was able to get back in action.
But she also stopped singing when a young person in the audience fainted due to the heat in the standing area and asked the crowd to check that they were OK before she continued.
A long-time Swiftie, who has been to 15 concerts, told me: “Taylor is aware that lots of her fans are very young and get very excited.
“She has an eagle-eye view from her stage vantage point so she always tries to alert the stewards if she sees anyone looking unwell.
“It’s really sweet and shows how much she cares about them.”
Magical moments
THERE was a magical moment when a couple got engaged during the song Cardigan.
And Taylor said: “I love performing this entire show in the sunlight, because I’m pretty sure I just saw somebody getting engaged over here.”
Touch of the Taylor
TAYLOR embraced one lucky fan who was at the front of the stage.
She bent down and wrapped her arms around the girl whose arms were covered in friendship bracelets.
It seems that Taylor really does have the best fans in the world.
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One teenager started queuing 48 hours before the singer arrived in Edinburgh to kick off the UK leg of her Eras world tour.
Now that is dedication.
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Hannah Hope
