Taylor Swift Performs ‘The Black Dog’ Live for First Time at London Show

Charisma Madarang
·2 min read
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Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium on June 21, 2024 in London, England. - Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium on June 21, 2024 in London, England. - Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Taylor Swift kicked off the first show of three nights at London’s Wembley Stadium on Friday. The singer delivered a live debut of “The Black Dog” from her double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.

“I’ve never played this one live before,” Swift said to the crowd in videos shared to X, before diving into the surprise section of her set. After performing the TTPD track, Swift played a mash up of “Maroon” and “Come Back… Be Here” from 2022’s Midnights and her 2012 album Red, respectively.

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Given Swift’s ties to the U.K. capital — the star dated actor Joe Alwyn for six and half years before their split over a year ago — many fans speculated if she would perform “London Boy” or “So Long, London,” which some believe are about Alwyn. Many have mused that “The Black Dog” is about The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, given its reference to pop-punk band The Starting Line, which his band has covered during shows.

Alwyn recently opened up about the breakup with the Eras Tour star. When speaking to the Hollywood Reporter while promoting Kinds of Kindness, the actor, who features in the film, said, “I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years.” He continued, “That is a hard thing to navigate. What is unusual and abnormal in this situation is that, one week later, it’s suddenly in the public domain and the outside world is able to weigh in.”

Swift’s surprise acoustic sets have been one of the most anticipated parts of her global tour. Earlier this month, she first premiered “Carolina” live as part of a mashup with Evermore’s “No Body, No Crime” on her third and final Eras Tour show at Liverpool, England’s Anfield stadium.

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