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Taylor Swift responds to viral video of Cincinnati stage malfunction

Video showed the singer had to sprint backstage after a platform failed to lower her under the stage.
Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour."
Posted at 2:31 PM, Jul 03, 2023

Taylor Swift had to sprint off stage during her first of two sold-out shows in Cincinnati due to an apparent stage malfunction.

It happened during the "Reputation" era of her set. Each of Swift's performances on her "Eras" tour is divided into a number of "eras" based on her albums and stages of her career.

In the video, Swift is lowered from a platform and then walks to a certain spot on the stage during a transition between songs. She is over another platform that is supposed to lower her under the stage but nothing happens. She waits for a few moments and even stomps to either trigger the platform or to get the attention of the crew so that they can troubleshoot the issue.

When Swift realizes the platform isn't going to work, she runs past her dancers and into the backstage area.

One of her backup dancers stops, likely surprised to see her boss running past her.

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Fans in Paycor Stadium probably didn't notice the technical difficulty but the internet was quick to pick up on it. Someone posted the video on a TikTok Taylor Swift fan account where it quickly went viral.

It appears that Taylor Swift even saw the video. She commented "still swift af boi." Many fans called her a "track star" and an "athlete" after she flawlessly sprinted up the stage in heels.

It's unclear why the malfunction happened. However, with such a massive production that's constantly set up and broken down and transported across the nation for months on end, minor technical issues are not shocking.

In other videos of the incident, you can see the platform lowerseconds after Swift decides to run to her dancers.

After the shows, Swift thanked her Cincinnati fans on Instagram, saying, "I couldn't love you more. Had the best two nights with you."

Swift brought more than 100,000 fans to Paycor Stadium for her sold out shows on June 30 and July 1. Tens of thousands of Swifties without tickets stood outside the stadium to try and catch a glimpse of the star.

For two whole days, downtown Cincinnati was transformed into "Swiftinnati" as fans celebrated the superstar's enormous career. Both nights Swift played for around three hours. Her set featured songs from her albums "Lover," "Fearless," "Evermore," "Reputation," "Speak Now," "Red," "Folklore," "1989" and of course, "Midnights."

This story was originally published by Christian LeDuc for Scripps News Cincinnati.