What a way to kick off a series of shows! Taylor Swift received a big surprise on Friday, Aug. 21, when she played the first of five concerts of her 1989 World Tour at L.A.’s Staples Center.
While Swift, 25, was singing the tune “Style” from 1989, her fifth studio album, Lakers star Kobe Bryant hopped on stage to give her with a rather remarkable gift — a banner that states, “Taylor Swift Most Sold Out Performances.”
That’s because by the time the “Shake It Off” songstress completes the fifth sold-out show on Wednesday, Aug. 26, she’ll have played a total of 16 full-capacity performances at the venue, which is more than any other performer has done in the history of Staples Center.
The Grammy-winning pop star proudly shared the honor on Instagram with a photo of the sign, which, according to the Los Angeles Daily News, will remain on display in the stadium next to the Lakers’ championship banners.
“The banners up at Staples Center right now because WHAT IS LIFE EVEN,” she captioned the image. She also retweeted the venue’s Instagram photo, telling her more than 62 million Twitter followers, “You did that. Love you.”
She was equally excited to share the stage with the 36-year-old NBA star. “The screams you hear from an LA crowd when Kobe walks out onstage are so deafening you think you may have permanent hearing loss,” she alongside an Instagram photo of the two onstage. “But it was SO WORTH IT.”
Though the celebration and Bryant’s appearance were an unexpected surprise for fans at the show, what they probably expected and did get was yet another celebrity performance. OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder joined her during her show to perform his band’s hit “Counting Stars.”
Other famous faces who have graced her stage so far on the 1989 tour include Kendall Jenner, Serena Williams, Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, Cara Delvingne, Little Mix, Fetty Wap, Russell Wilson, Ciara, and many others.
Swift’s 1989 World Tour is currently scheduled through Dec. 12.
