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Taylor Swift was booed during a surprise appearance in Nashville.
Taylor Swift made a surprise virtual appearance during Alan Jackson’s Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale Concert over the weekend. She was mercilessly booed by fans in Nashville.
The response came days before her July 3rd wedding, which is set to take place in Madison Square Garden. Criticism has surrounded that decision, though it’s unclear whether Saturday’s crowd reaction was related.
Regardless of the reasoning, Swift’s welcome was far from warm as she paid respects to a country music legend.
Taylor Swift booed in Nashville
Jackson performed one last time at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. A video of Swift flashed across the videoboard during the show.
That pre-recorded clip shared a message of gratitude for Jackson, who is stepping back from the music spotlight to focus on his battle with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a collection of diseases causing nerve damage.
The final performance was headlined by a star-studded list of guests, including George Strait, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Lee Ann Womack, and more.
It represented Jackson’s official retirement from touring.
Taylor Swift was not on hand, but she did make a virtual appearance. It was not received well by those in attendance.
@mackenziercraft not the reaction they were expecting I’m assuming #alanjackson #lastcall #taylorswift #lastcallwithalan
Why the response?
There are a variety of reasons which could be attributed to the boos. One is the negative perception surrounding her upcoming wedding with Travis Kelce, tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs.
First and foremost, Titans fans probably aren’t fond of Kelce. While the Chiefs are just 1-5 against Tennessee across his career, he’s still a rival player starring for an organization in a border state.
Swift’s career trajectory might’ve also played a role. After getting her start in country music, she buoyed success to become the biggest pop star on the planet. Depending on who you talk to, the word “sellout” might get brought up.
Country music fans are a loyal bunch. Swift left Nashville for a bigger paycheck. Right or wrong, feelings of betrayal aren’t surprising.
Those in Tennessee clearly aren’t fond of the pairing.
The couple is set to be married on 4th of July weekend in New York. There’s been some pushback on the logistics of that event.
A permit has rented MSG for a three-day span at an estimated cost of $1 million per night. There are also reports of a permit being filed to block the streets around Madison Square Garden for the holiday.
“With all that money, they could’ve easily gone to a private island, or anywhere nice,” wrote one social media user. “But no, let’s go ahead and inconvenience everyday working-class people for three days and get married in NYC…”
“Billionaires shouldn’t get to inconvenience normal people going on with their normal lives just for their wedding,” said another.
The optics aren’t great, at least to some. Swift and Kelce have been relatively quiet on the wedding details. I wouldn’t expect many of these concert-goers to be eagerly awaiting updates on the I do’s.