For anyone worried that Taylor Swift might not make it home from her overseas tour in time to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce in the Super Bowl, the Japanese Embassy has a comforting message: “Be fearless.”
The diplomatic mission in Washington put out a statement Friday apparently to ease the concerns of fans fearing their idol could miss next week’s big game due to the tight timeframe.
Swift is scheduled to play the Tokyo Dome in the Japanese capital from February 7 to 10, leaving her little time – given the long-haul flight and large time difference – to get back for the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11.
Making it even more of a stretch, Swift’s final show is expected to begin at 6 p.m. and seems likely to run for about three hours, in line with her other Eras Tour dates.
And that’s not to mention all the traffic she’s likely to encounter around the stadium.
But if all that has you feeling worried, then just maybe you need to calm down.
“Despite the 12-hour flight and 17-hour time difference, the Embassy can confidently Speak Now to say that if she departs Tokyo in the evening after her concert, she should comfortably arrive in Las Vagas before the Super Bowl begins,” the Japanese mission said in an apparent reference to the singer’s third studio album.
Continuing with a reference to Swift’s second studio album, it added: “We know that many people in Japan are excited to experience Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, so we wanted to confirm that anyone concerned can be Fearless in knowing that this talented performer can wow Japanese audiences and still make it to Las Vegas to support the Chiefs.”
This year, the Kansas City Chiefs, with Kelce at tight end, will go head-to-head with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL championship game.
But some viewers are likely to be as interested in the action off the pitch as that on it.
Swift has been a regular at Kansas City Chiefs games since she turned up at Kelce’s family suite in September last year to watch them against the Chicago Bears, sparking speculation that the two were dating.
The pair later confirmed in separate interviews that they had already been seeing each other prior to that game.
Since then, the amount of attention broadcasters have been paying the pop star in the crowd has sparked controversy among some football fans – even though it has been credited with finding a whole new audience for the game.
Still, as the Japanese Embassy’s statement shows, Taylor-mania is hardly confined to the NFL or even America. In Asia, the singer sparked a ticketing frenzy after announcing that she would be playing six shows in Singapore and four in Tokyo.
Tickets for the Singapore dates sold out within hours, leaving legions of “Swifties,” as her fans are known, disappointed and empty-handed.
So fierce has the competition been that fans have taken to calling it the “Great War” for tickets.
After her Tokyo shows – and hopefully for fans, an appearance in Vegas – Swift is expected to return overseas for seven shows in Australia.