Hayley Williams joined Taylor Swift on stage at London’s Wembley Stadium last night (June 22) for a version of ‘Castles Crumbling’ – watch the footage below.
At the second of three straight nights at the venue on the ‘Eras’ tour, Swift welcomed the Paramore frontwoman to the piano for a duet of the rarely-performed song.
Williams appeared on the studio version of the track too, which was first released on ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ in 2023. It is their first time performing the song together live on stage. Watch the performance below.
Full video of Taylor and Hayley Williams performing “Castles Crumbling” tonight #LondonTSTheErastour pic.twitter.com/G7Erd6yXcZ
— swifferpics♡ (@swifferpics) June 22, 2024
🚨| Taylor Swift expressing gratitude and admiration for Hayley Williams while performing "Castles Crumbling" at today's show! #LondonTSTheErasTour
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) June 22, 2024
During the song, Swift declares her admiration for her friend. “I love you so much. You’re so good, it’s crazy,” she said. “I cannot believe that I get to be on a tour with Hayley. I can’t believe she’s ever talked to me once.”
“You’re my longest music friend,” Williams replied. “Thank you. I love you.”
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Others spotted at the Wembley show last night, which also featured the live debut of ‘Thank You Aimee’, included Tom Cruise, Hugh Grant and Barbie director Greta Gerwig, as well as Swift’s partner Travis Kelce. That follows on from the previous night, when she was seen alongside Prince William and his kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Swift will perform at Wembley Stadium tonight (June 23) before returning to the venue for five more dates in August.
Every time I watch this video I see someone new. Greta Gerwig?? TOM CRUISE??! pic.twitter.com/duyAUcrnVF
— Michael Wachowiak (@mikewachowiak) June 23, 2024
Williams’ Paramore have been opening for Swift at all of her UK shows on this leg of the ‘Eras’ tour. The opening night, in Edinburgh on June 7, saw them playing a tight nine-song set taking in their greatest hits as well as their recent cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Burning Down The House’.
Williams recently posted that she was “so ready” to tour with Swift upon praising the popstar’s latest release, ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’.
Writing under the cover artwork for the extended ‘Anthology’ edition of the record, she said: “Had me from the storytelling alone, my friend.”
She continued: “Every one of us knows this kind of grief! It’s so impressive to me how specific and colourful Taylor’s words get without ever losing the universal thread.” The singer concluded by saying she was “so ready to be tour-mates” with Swift once again.
Paramore also discussed their long friendship with the popstar last year: “I mean, we know how rare it is to last this long in the music industry. It’s amazing what she’s traversed through and not only managed to last, but continue to get better as an artist, get bigger in her appeal.”
“We’ve been in this for as long and we’ve really survived a lot, whether that is self-inflicted shit or just the industry at large and the world at large.”
NME reviewed Swift’s first UK show in Edinburgh, awarding the show a full five stars: “Despite being an arena show, in a huge, cavernous venue, Swift and her fans have managed to cultivate a community. Strangers swap friendship bracelets, laugh and cry together, and embrace the tour’s in-jokes and lore (for example shouting “one, two, three, let’s go bitch” during ‘Delicate’).
“It’s the power of Swift, an artist who’s inspired not only the renaming of a Scottish Loch, but also countless fans to come out and embrace being a part of the Eras family. With The Eras Tour, then, Swift’s managed to craft a marvel of a show that comes with a beating heart.”