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TOKYO (AP) — Will he make it?
Taylor Swift’s latest song will continue to ring in the ears of thousands of fans at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night, when the singer is expected to rush to a private jet at Haneda airport that will take her on a journey that will span time zones to watch Her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, plays in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
The prospect of this race against time, which will cross nine time zones and the international date line, has ignited imagination and speculation for weeks.
At Saturday night’s concert, there was plenty of evidence of the unique cultural phenomenon that is the Swift-Kelce relationship, a nexus between professional football and Swift’s enormous star power. In addition to the sequin dresses celebrating Swift in the packed Tokyo Dome, there were Travis Kelce t-shirts, hats and other merchandise celebrating his team, the Kansas City Chiefs. Some in Tokyo spent thousands of dollars to attend the pop superstar’s concerts this week.
To call the global scrutiny of Swift’s travels intense is an understatement.
Fans have followed his jet. The warming of the planet carbon emissions of his travels around the world have been criticized. Officials have evaluated his ability to park his plane at Las Vegas airports.
Even Japanese diplomats have gotten into action. The Japanese embassy in Washington posted on social media that it could make it to the Super Bowl on time, including in its statement three Swift song titles: “Speak Now,” “Fearless” and “Red.”
“If you leave Tokyo the night after your concert, you should comfortably arrive in Las Vegas before the Super Bowl begins,” it said.
Office worker Hitomi Takahashi, 29, bought matching Taylor Swift sweatshirts with her friend and was taking photos outside the dome on Saturday. “I hope she can return in time. It’s very romantic,” she said.
She is aware of the criticism Swift faces over her private jets, but said the singer was being unfairly singled out.
“A lot of other people travel for business and she is here for her job. She faces attacks because she is famous and stands out,” Takahashi said.
Swift has already been touring the world this week.
Before coming to Asia, he attended the Grammys in Los Angeles, where he won his 14th Grammy and a record-breaking fourth Album of the Year award for “Midnights.” The program was watched by almost 17 million people. She also made a surprise announcement that her the next album is ready will fall in April.
Then the four concerts in Tokyo, and now apparently a rushed trip to try to get to Las Vegas to see Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, play in the Super Bowl. She has followed Kelce. for much of the Chiefs’ season.
If all goes to plan, he is expected to fly to Australia later this week to continue his tour.
“This week is truly the best kind of chaos,” Swift published on wednesday On Instagram.
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Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.