Taylor Swift is to close out the European leg of her Eras Tour with five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium.
It comes after the US pop star, 34, paid tribute to victims of the Southport attack last month, which saw three young girls die after a mass stabbing at a holiday club themed on the singer.
Swift had been touring to packed stadiums across the continent this spring and summer until earlier in the month when her three shows at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium were called off as a result of a suspected plot.
Earlier in the month, London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News the UK’s capital will “carry on” with hosting Swift’s concerts.
“We have a huge amount of experience in policing these events, we’re never complacent, many lessons were learned after the awful Manchester Arena attack”, he said.
The stadium has put a guide online for fans attending the dates which says there should be no chains, chain wallets, studded jewellery or spurs, no noise-making devices such as air horns, bells, bullhorns, thunder sticks and no aerosol containers – including sunscreen, pepper spray, bug spray, or spray paint.
Additionally, ticketless supporters will be unable to congregate outside the arena on show day, thwarting a usually common practice among fans known as “tay-gating”.
In a statement posted to her Instagram story, she added: “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I’m just completely in shock.
“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.
“These were just little kids at a dance class.”
Fans of the singer told the PA news agency they hope she will dedicate one of her songs during her London gigs to the victims of the attack – Bebe King, six, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
The Anti-Hero singer has said that her August set of shows will be supported by Brit Award winner Raye, Daisy Jones & the Six star Suki Waterhouse and rising stars, Maisie Peters, Holly Humberstone and Sofia Isella.
Swift’s billion-dollar Eras Tour takes fans through her back catalogue, including hits from albums 1989, Red and Midnights.
To mark her previous arrival in the capital, murals, a special Tube map, a Taylor trail and a series of events were created.
This time, a giant mural of the megastar has appeared on steps next to the venue.
Ahead of her shows, a merchandise site opened in Green Car Park, near the stadium, on Wednesday.
