Swift opens Sydney stint after delay

Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated opening concert in Sydney was delayed Friday amid weather safety concerns, but the singer shook it off when she ultimately took the stage.

The “Anti-hero” singer’s show at Accor Stadium was evacuated following a series of lightning strikes. Inclement weather — which has repeatedly and once fatally dogged Swift’s monthslong, blockbuster tour — forced concertgoers on the lower level of the open-air stadium to seek shelter during the storm, which brought heavy rain, wind and lightning to the region.

“The floor and lower bowl are currently being evacuated due to lightning strikes nearby the stadium at today’s show of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ in Sydney, Australia. Please stay safe and seek shelter for now #Sydneytstheerastour,” said a tweet on the official Eras Tour X account, providing some footage of the evacuation.

A notice posted about 10 minutes later announced that the concert would be delayed due to bad weather. It also urged fans to “stay undercover until further notice and follow venue screens and staff instructions.”

“Stay safe and remember to be kind to those around you,” the update said.

About an hour later, additional posts confirmed that stadium staff were resetting the floor and preparing seats for the show, eventually giving the allclear for fans to return to their seats. Fittingly, the Eras Tour account also posted a photo of a rainbow that appeared above the stadium. Another announcement said that Sabrina Carpenter would no longer be opening the show “due to the weather delay,” then teased Carpenter’s “surprise songs” during Swift’s set. (They performed a medley of “White Horse” and “Coney Island” during the show.)