Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift serenade thousands at 'Eras Tour' London stop

"We dodged like a massacre situation," Taylor Swift says in a quiet tone from a couch in London during the first episode of her six-part Eras Tour docuseries on Disney+.

The words hang in the air, heavy with implication.

"And so I've just been kind of all over the place," she continues, "like there was this horrible attack in Liverpool at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party. And it was little kids that …" Swift trails off, choking up. "I have a hard time explaining it."

The moment arrives as the superstar prepares to return to the stage at Wembley Stadium in August 2024, following a string of violent and frightening events tied to her tour. Weeks earlier, three young girls were fatally stabbed at a Taylor Swift–themed dance class in Southport, England.

Days after that, authorities uncovered a terrorist plot to target concertgoers outside Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, prompting the cancellation of three Eras Tour shows, the first non-rescheduled cancellations of the historic two-year run.

"It's just kind of a weird feeling going into these last five shows in Europe because it sort of feels like we've done like 128 shows so far," Swift says from London. "But this is the first one where I feel like, I don't know, like I'm skating on thin ice or something."

The docuseries gives an unfiltered look at what it means to carry that fear while leading a production built on joy, escape and emotional release. Before each of the five concerts at Wembley, Swift meets privately with survivors and families of the Southport victims. In one scene after meeting the families, she crumbles onto a couch sobbing. Her mother, Andrea Swift, comforts her. Swift wears her spangly tangerine bodysuit. She has to compartmentalize her emotions and perform in a few moments to a screaming crowd of 90,000 fans.

"I'm gonna, like meet some of these families tonight, put on a pop concert, you know," she admits in episode one, wiping away tears. "I'm going be fine, because when I meet them, I'm not going to do this, I swear to God. I'm not gonna do this. I'm going to be smiling."

Swift understands she has to absorb the grief before stepping onstage, because any sign of uncertainty risks breaking the illusion the show is built on. Part of that plan involves creating a moment of light inside the weight of the day. Swift decides to bring out Ed Sheeran for a surprise appearance during the acoustic section of the Aug. 15 show.

As soon as her longtime friend appears, her voice and body language change. She smiles.

The two rehearse backstage, trading verses and strumming their guitars. He helps her navigate the final guitar chords.

"Bringing out special guests is something that I really enjoy," Swift narrates. "I think it's just gonna really delight people. And I think in a moment when a lot of fans need a pick-me-up, because I know I do."

After the concert including the performance with Sheeran, she is ecstatic underneath the stage jumping and yelling, "We're back. We're back."

Moments later, the relief floods in and she calls her boyfriend at the time, Travis Kelce, from the car.

"It went so great. I'm so happy," she says.

"Oh, I can hear it," he replies.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Taylor Swift confronts grief after Southport stabbings in docuseries

Reporting by Bryan West, USA TODAY NETWORK / Nashville Tennessean

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