At last nights performance of the Eras tour, Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore and close friend of Taylor Swift, joined Swift for a performance of their song ‘Castles Crumbling’. This is the first time the song has ever been played live by both singers, despite Paramore supporting the European leg of the Eras tour.
The collaborative performance came during Swift’s highly anticipated and adored surprise song section of the show, and followed a mashup of ‘thanK you aIMee’ and ‘Mean’, which Swift prefaced by saying, “Every time someone talks sh*t, it makes me work even harder”. You can watch the mashup below.
Williams and Swift met in 2009 at an afterparty after the Grammy’s, and have been life long friends ever since. This guest appearance is not the first time Williams and Swift have performed together, as Williams joined the stage in 2011 at Taylor Swift’s Speak Now tour in London. Thirteen years later, in the same location, they performed together again, and the performance saw Williams wearing a purple, Speak Now inspired dress, alongside lyric writing on her arm, mirroring their past performance and the album. You can watch the performance below.
The collaboration was emotional for both parties, as Swift paused mid song to embrace the moment, and saying “I love you so much” to Williams, and that “I can’t believe she’s ever talked to me once”, with Williams replying, “You’re my longest music friend. Thank you. I love you.”, making this performance a memorable moment of friendship for not only the fans but for Williams and Swift themselves too.
Paramore have been opening for Swift since the beginning of the European leg of the Eras tour, that began in Paris on May 9th, and does not finish until the 20th August. They play a nine song set, that includes some of their greatest hits such as ‘Still Into You’, ‘The Only Exception’ and ‘This Is Why’, however they also include their own surprise songs, and recently performed a cover of ‘Burning Down The House’ by Talking Heads. Before the tour began, NME spoke to Williams who said she was “so ready to be tour-mates” again, and expressed her respect for how “specific and colourful Taylor’s words get without ever losing the universal thread.”.
So far, the two of the three nights Swift is spending at Wembley this month have shaped up to be exciting and star-studded, with her performance on Saturday 22nd being attended by celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Greta Gerwig, Hugh Grant, and her partner Travis Kelce. The night before was equally as exciting, with none other than the Royal Family being in attendance, alongside the feature of what Prince Williams has described as his best “dad dancing”.
Following Swift’s performance on Sunday 23rd June, she moves on to Dublin, and does not return to London until the 15th August, when she will perform for five nights, marking the end of the European Eras tour.
