Taylor Swift sends fans wild as she opens Cardiff gig speaking Welsh

Reem Ahmed

18 June 2024 at 5:21 pm·2-min read

The highly-anticipated moment has finally arrived: Taylor Swift is performing in Cardiff's Principality Stadium - and she opened her show speaking Welsh. The US megastar is in the Welsh capital for one night only - Tuesday, June 18 - as part of the UK leg of her Eras Tour.

After a performance from support act Paramore starting at around 6pm, fans weren't sure exactly when Swift herself were take to the stage. But they weren't left waiting too long, with the You Belong With Me singer starting her bumper set at around 7pm.

And what an opening it was. Swift kicked off the show with her hit Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince, followed by Cruel Summer, donning a dazzlingly sparkly outfit.

Taylor's looking powerful on stage at the Principality Stadium -Credit:WalesOnline

But, to the delight of her Welsh fans, she also treated the audience to a few surprise Welsh twists. She opened the show with a 'Hiya' in a Welsh accent, and after Cruel Summer she shouted "Shwmae!" ("Hello!") at the crowd with a wave.

Then, impressively, she delivered a full Welsh sentence: "Croeso i'r daith Eras!" ("Welcome to the Eras Tour!") she told a sea of screaming Swifties. Meanwhile, one of her back-up dancers, Kameron Saunders, also joined in on the fun later on in the show, shouting out "ych a fi! ('gross!') during her performance of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. He also counted to four in Welsh during I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.

Then just before the end of her show, Swift ended with a sweet "Diolch o galon", meaning "thank you very much". It's not the first time Swift and her crew have made a nod to the location of their show. At her shows in Edinburgh earlier this month, there were reportedly references to Scottish culture and slang intertwined throughout the performances.

More than 70,000 fans descended on Cardiff to see the superstar, with nearly 100 lucky ticket-holders queuing before 5.30am outside the landmark Cardiff stadium to be first in the queue. If the other shows are anything to go by she will be singing more than 45 songs from her back catalogue for more than three hours. Follow our live updates on the concert here.