UK fans wonder if Taylor Swift will say ‘So long, London’ after Eras Tour
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Yueke
Tue, Jun 25, 2024
PHOTO: Yueke
**UK Fans Wonder if Taylor Swift Will Say ‘So Long, London’ After Eras Tour**
LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift fans are known for dissecting her lyrics for clues about her romantic life and mental state. However, her U.K. fans didn't need to scrutinize her latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," to sense that Swift might be growing disenchanted with London. The record’s fifth track, titled "So Long, London," seems to hint at a shift in her relationship with the city she once considered a second home.
As Swift brings her Eras Tour to London’s Wembley Stadium, some fans are speculating whether they are witnessing the start of a prolonged farewell. She is set to perform three nights starting Friday and will return for six more nights in August to conclude the tour. London is the only city on the tour where Swift is making two stops, leading some to worry that this might be a swan song, while others believe it signifies a new chapter in her connection with the city. Whether "So Long, London" marks a final goodbye or a new beginning, the Eras Tour is undeniably an emotional milestone.
“Her relationship now kind of assumes London won’t be somewhere she will be. It’s not like there is an American football player living here,” said Maggie Fekete, 22, a Canadian graduate student who found comfort in the London references in Swift’s music when she moved to the city three years ago. “I think there will be a lot less London in her music, which is sad.”
For those not keeping track, Swift has had a series of high-profile romances with British celebrities, starting with Harry Styles in 2012 and ending last year when she began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The speculation around "So Long, London" and its somber companion track, "The Black Dog," stems from her 2023 breakup with English actor Joe Alwyn, with whom she was in a relationship for over six years.
Alwyn is believed to have inspired "London Boy," a track from her 2019 album "Lover." A special-edition "Lover" CD included what appeared to be a January 2017 diary entry where Swift mentioned being “essentially based in London” but trying to stay under the radar. British tabloids later reported that Swift spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic with Alwyn in north London.
In December, The Sun reported that the multiple Grammy-winner had purchased a large property in the area and was renovating it to serve as her European base. However, after the release of "The Tortured Poets Department" last month, a writer for the British edition of ELLE magazine noted that Londoners might now have an opening “for an all-American A-lister who can slot into her place in our collective consciousness.” Naomi May playfully suggested that Zendaya, often seen with her British boyfriend Tom Holland, might be filling that void.
Regardless, London is rolling out the red carpet to ensure Swift and her fans feel appreciated. Guides are offering walking, bus, and taxi tours retracing her steps, including a kebab shop whose owner claims to be providing sandwiches for Swift and her crew. Before the end of August, fans can enjoy Swift-themed brunches, dance parties, and even a ride on the London Eye Ferris wheel accompanied by a string quartet playing her music. Souvenir stalls in Camden Market, a location mentioned in "London Boy," are stocked with Swift-specific caps, T-shirts, bags, and stickers.
“We’re very proud that London is hosting more shows than any other city on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, a real testament to her love for London,” said Laura Citron, CEO of tourism agency London & Partners.
LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift fans are known for dissecting her lyrics for clues about her romantic life and mental state. However, her U.K. fans didn't need to scrutinize her latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," to sense that Swift might be growing disenchanted with London. The record’s fifth track, titled "So Long, London," seems to hint at a shift in her relationship with the city she once considered a second home.
As Swift brings her Eras Tour to London’s Wembley Stadium, some fans are speculating whether they are witnessing the start of a prolonged farewell. She is set to perform three nights starting Friday and will return for six more nights in August to conclude the tour. London is the only city on the tour where Swift is making two stops, leading some to worry that this might be a swan song, while others believe it signifies a new chapter in her connection with the city. Whether "So Long, London" marks a final goodbye or a new beginning, the Eras Tour is undeniably an emotional milestone.
“Her relationship now kind of assumes London won’t be somewhere she will be. It’s not like there is an American football player living here,” said Maggie Fekete, 22, a Canadian graduate student who found comfort in the London references in Swift’s music when she moved to the city three years ago. “I think there will be a lot less London in her music, which is sad.”
For those not keeping track, Swift has had a series of high-profile romances with British celebrities, starting with Harry Styles in 2012 and ending last year when she began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The speculation around "So Long, London" and its somber companion track, "The Black Dog," stems from her 2023 breakup with English actor Joe Alwyn, with whom she was in a relationship for over six years.
Alwyn is believed to have inspired "London Boy," a track from her 2019 album "Lover." A special-edition "Lover" CD included what appeared to be a January 2017 diary entry where Swift mentioned being “essentially based in London” but trying to stay under the radar. British tabloids later reported that Swift spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic with Alwyn in north London.
In December, The Sun reported that the multiple Grammy-winner had purchased a large property in the area and was renovating it to serve as her European base. However, after the release of "The Tortured Poets Department" last month, a writer for the British edition of ELLE magazine noted that Londoners might now have an opening “for an all-American A-lister who can slot into her place in our collective consciousness.” Naomi May playfully suggested that Zendaya, often seen with her British boyfriend Tom Holland, might be filling that void.
Regardless, London is rolling out the red carpet to ensure Swift and her fans feel appreciated. Guides are offering walking, bus, and taxi tours retracing her steps, including a kebab shop whose owner claims to be providing sandwiches for Swift and her crew. Before the end of August, fans can enjoy Swift-themed brunches, dance parties, and even a ride on the London Eye Ferris wheel accompanied by a string quartet playing her music. Souvenir stalls in Camden Market, a location mentioned in "London Boy," are stocked with Swift-specific caps, T-shirts, bags, and stickers.
“We’re very proud that London is hosting more shows than any other city on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, a real testament to her love for London,” said Laura Citron, CEO of tourism agency London & Partners.
Kyrie Irving Sounds Ready to Keep Chasing Titles in Dallas After NBA Finals Loss to Boston
DALLAS (AP) — Kyrie Irving is a year away from having the option to leave the Dallas Mavericks, and at that point, he would be closing in on his longest stint anywhere since asking out of Cleveland, where he was drafted, in 2017.
Yet the mercurial guard sounded as if Dallas could be his basketball home well beyond 2025 after losing in five games to the Boston Celtics in his first full season with the Mavericks.
“I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us, and we’re competing for championships,” Irving said after Dallas’ defeat.
Irving jilted Boston in free agency in 2019 and has been steadfastly booed by Celtics fans since then. His 3 1/2 seasons in Brooklyn were filled with mostly self-inflicted drama, to the point that he finally asked for a trade after doing the same to break away from LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
When he was traded to Dallas at the deadline last year, Irving’s reputation around the league was in tatters. Things have changed in 16 months.
“From a spiritual standpoint, I think I enjoyed this journey more than any other season, just because of the redemption arc and being able to learn as much as I did about myself and my teammates and the organization and the people that I’m around,” Irving said. “It’s a lot of good people here, so it makes coming to work a lot of fun.”
Doncic’s player option is a year after Irving’s, following the 2025-26 season. And every other rotation player in the playoffs except for guard Derrick Jones Jr. is under contract next season.
The Mavericks don’t have much room to maneuver under the salary cap, but they will have the nagging question of whether a more dangerous third scoring option is the missing piece.
The 25-year-old Doncic is entering his prime in a difficult Western Conference, with two trips at least to the West finals in the past three seasons.
But Dallas was a surprise team both times and couldn’t stick around past five games. The next level would be getting this far without being a surprise, perhaps as the favorite to win the title.
Such progress might be required to keep Irving and Doncic together beyond 2025-26, or to keep Doncic in Dallas as long as retired star Dirk Nowitzki stayed — a record 21 seasons with the same franchise.
“When you have one of the best players in the world,” coach Jason Kidd said, “you should be always fighting for a championship.”
While Irving and Doncic had a full season, the Mavs like to talk about having just five months together. That’s when trade-deadline additions Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington arrived and helped give Dallas a defensive mindset that became crucial to the deep playoff run.
Last fall, the talk was the full reset for Doncic and Irving. In 3 1/2 months, the talk will be of Gafford, Washington, and budding 7-foot-1 star Dereck Lively II, Dallas’ rookie first-round pick, having their first training camp together.
“We did some great moves,” said Doncic, who won his first scoring title. “I would say we’ve been together for five months. We didn’t win the finals, but we did have a hell of a season.”
If the Mavs don’t add a starter in the offseason, the 32-year-old Irving figures to be the only player older than 26 in the lineup. Lively won’t be 21 until February.
Maxi Kleber, a 32-year-old with seven seasons of NBA experience, is the other 30-something who might be in the rotation. Tim Hardaway Jr. is the same age, but he fell out of the rotation late in the season, leaving his role in doubt with one year remaining on his contract.
“We’re a young team, and so this isn’t a team when you look at do we have to replace some of the older players,” Kidd said. “We have a core, a young core at that, and so this is an exciting time to be a Mavs fan and to also be a coach for the Mavs.”
The “old guy” — Irving — sounds as if he doesn’t want to be replaced in Dallas anytime soon.
“When you really love something, you really want to win and it doesn’t happen, how do you respond from that?” Irving asked. “I think I could tell you I’m pretty confident that we’ll be back in the gym pretty soon and getting ready for next year.”
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