London Boy or So Long, London? Taylor Swift plays her first Wembley show of her Eras Tour

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Swiftmania has officially arrived in London and Taylor Swift is preparing for the first of eight sold-out shows at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium.

The pop titan will bring her record-breaking Eras Tour to the capital tonight (Friday 21 June), before two more shows on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June.

Later in August, she will return to Wembley for five more performances and then travel to Canada to perform in Toronto and Vancouver.

Swifties will be excited to see if the American singer will sing one of her London-inspired hits.

One, “London Boy,” from their 2019 album Lover, It is widely believed that the inspiration for the series was her then-boyfriend, British actor Joe Alwyn, from whom she separated in 2023 after a six-year relationship.

The song features cameo appearances from actors Idris Elba and James Corden before Swift sings about how her partner showed her her favorite spots in the city, from Camden Market to the West End, Brixton and Shoreditch.

However, given the theme of the song, fans shouldn’t have too high hopes.

More likely would be “The Black Dog” or “So Long, London,” both of which appear on Swift’s latest album. The department for tortured poets.

Swift has played several songs from the record, which is still at the top of the British and American charts, in her set since its release in April this year.

Rumor has it that “The Black Dog” is about her brief affair with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, with whom she dated for about two weeks (or “two weeks”) after her split from Alwyn.

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The song appears to refer to a pub in Vauxhall, south London, as well as the pop-punk band The Starting Line, whose music was covered by The 1975 during live performances.

“So Long, London,” meanwhile, is a sad farewell to one of Swift’s favorite cities, apparently written in the wake of her separation from Alwyn.

The lyrics include the lines: “I left everything I knew behind, you left me in the house on the heath/ I stopped the resuscitation, there’s no point after all/ The spirits of life were gone, we would never come back to ourselves/ And I’m mad that you made me give you all my youth for nothing.”

On Thursday, fans began queuing outside Wembley Stadium in the hope of securing one of the best spots in the standing areas near the stage.

Across London, guides are offering walking, bus and taxi tours that follow in her footsteps, including a visit to a kebab shop whose owner claims his establishment will be supplying the singer and her crew with sandwiches on Friday.

Before the end of August, Swifties can attend numerous Swift-themed brunches and dance parties or ride the London Eye while a string instrument plays their music.

Souvenir stalls in Camden Market, one of the locations mentioned in “London Boy,” stocked up on Swift-specific caps, T-shirts, bags and stickers in preparation.

Sadiq Khan, who recently spoke in an interview with The Independent,She also released a “Taylor version” of the London Underground map, with stops renamed after many of her biggest hits.

“As a proud Swiftie, I am delighted that the phenomenal Taylor Swift is coming to London next month and will be giving her a warm welcome from her fantastic fanbase here in the capital and beyond,” he said last month.

“Taylor’s decision to play more nights of her record-breaking Eras tour in our capital than anywhere else is further proof that the London music scene never goes out of style,” he added, referring to the lyrics of the pop singer’s 2014 hit single “Style.”

Swift is scheduled to take the stage shortly before 6 p.m. Her show lasts an average of about three hours and 15 minutes.

You can read The Five-star review of Swift’s first UK performance here.