It would hardly be a Taylor Swift affair without a little music.
On Friday afternoon, a man in a black uniform and wristband near Madison Square Garden who appeared to be working the event was overheard remarking that Swift had already entered the venue for the evening’s festivities and that she would perform with two music legends on Friday: Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney.
A second person with knowledge of the event who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly also said Swift and Nicks had participated in a sound check inside the Garden earlier on Friday.
Swift and Nicks have a history, including performing together at the 2010 Grammy Awards where they sang Swift’s “You Belong With Me” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon.”
The “Love Story” singer was also recently seen wearing a punny “Stevie Knicks” T-shirt in blue and orange while seated courtside at a Knicks game.
Tammy Bogard, who lives in Dallas, was roaming the streets around the Garden on Friday wearing a similar “Stevie Knicks” shirt. She said she purchased it after seeing Swift’s outfit at that game.
“Taylor typically finds a way to take the spotlight and put it on another performer often — a female performer, someone that she admires,” said Bogard, who is 54 and works in sales. She added that she had purchased 15 more of the same shirt for other Swifties in her life.
Bogard said she and her husband were visiting from Dallas for the Fourth of July weekend, and she planned to spend much of Friday around the arena hoping to catch a glimpse of anything wedding related
McCartney and Swift also have collaborated over the years. They shared the cover of Rolling Stone for the magazine’s “musicians on musicians” issue in 2020.
When asked whether the couple would choose a D.J. or a live band for their wedding, Travis Kelce, Swift’s fiancé, said, “We’re live music kind of people,” during a conversation with Jimmy Fallon on a September episode of the football star’s podcast, “New Heights.”
On the streets around the garden, plenty of police and what appeared to be event crew members were seen sweating in the high heat, including a group of workers wearing T-shirts from 508 Operations, an event production company.
When reached by phone and asked if the company was working on the Swift-Kelce event, an employee at 508 Operations, who declined to give their name, said: “I can tell you, I signed an N.D.A. — but if you see photos of our guys working, I wouldn’t deny it.”
Melina Delkic contributed reporting.
The post Stevie Nicks Is Expected to Perform With Taylor Swift appeared first on New York Times.
