Watch: When Taylor Swift entered the stage in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday night, the largest crowd she’s fronted on her record-breaking tour left her dumbfounded…

 

Almost 100,000 fans were in the crowd at the city’s famous cricket ground (the MCG) for her biggest concert so far – and they did not go unnoticed by Swift.

 

She told them: “If I seem a little bit like I’m losing my mind over the fact that there are 96,000 people here tonight … it’s because it’s true. This is the biggest show that we’ve ever done. I’m fully starstruck by the fact so many people wanted to hang out with us on a Friday night in Melbourne!”

One concert-goer described being at the event to Deadline:

“Electric crowd. Taylor can barely be heard over the sequined, tilled, friendship bracelet swapping crowd screaming out the lyrics from every era.

“96,000 here, and every single person among them is behaving as if it’s the best night of their lives.

“No one north of Tasmania is likely to be able to get to sleep until stumps at 11pm, 3.5 hours after kick off. Fairly certain this could be heard in Darwin.”

Swift took the occasion to announce a brand new song, The Bolter, from her forthcoming album The Tortured Poets Society, due for release on April 19.

She told the crowd: “I’m very excited for April 19. I can’t wait for you to hear all the songs. Tortured Poets is an album I think, more than any album I’ve made, is one I needed. It was a lifeline for me. It reminded me why songwriting is something that gets me through life.”

Swift and her support act Sabrina Carpenter are playing three shows over three nights at the MCG, before travelling to Sydney to perform next weekend.

Even by Swift’s record-breaking standards, it has been quite the fortnight. She took home a Grammy Award for Best Album of the Year – her fourth such gong – and last weekend saw her pitchside for her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s victory in the Superbowl with his team the Kansas City Chiefs.