Celeb feuds! They can be iconic, they can be profitable, they can be worked out in the remix. Dave Grohl seemingly tried to start a new feud ex nihilo with Taylor Swift, but she isn’t afraid of a little bad blood. Here’s how Swift reminded Grohl that she also has a band that plays live.
Fighting Words
June 22, 2024: Both Swift and Grohl were playing London Sunday — Swift’s Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium (capacity 90,000) and Grohl with the Foo Fighters at London Stadium (capacity 80,000). Onstage, Grohl said, “I tell you, man, you don’t want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift.†In service of not suffering her wrath, Grohl then said the Foo Fighters call this current tour the Errors Tour. “We’ve had more than a few eras, and more than a few fucking errors as well. Just a couple,†he said. “That’s because we actually play live. What? Just saying. You guys like raw, live rock ’n’ roll music, right? You came to the right fucking place.†So just to recap: The Foo Fighters don’t want Swift’s wrath, but they do want to imply that she’s not performing live. Great, good. A well-argued, structurally sound piece of rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Charli XCX is calling off her fans’ chants of “Taylor is dead!†at her shows. “Can the people who do this please stop. online or at my shows,†she wrote on IG Stories. “It is the opposite of what i want and it disturbs me that anyone would think there is room for this in the community. i will not tolerate it.†Someone really smart and wise said, “It’s just self-defense until you’re building a weapon,†and someone else really smart and wise internalized that lesson!
Protecting her Rep
June 23, 2024: Just like clockwork, Taylor Swift gives a shout-out to her band and dancers during every show, but on Sunday she made sure to add some emphasis. During the Folkmore (Folklore, Evermore, you get it) section, Swift gave a pointed shout-out to the accusations made by Grohl: “Every one of my band members, every single one of our crew, my band who’s gonna be playing live for you for 3.5 hours tonight, they deserve this so much. And so does every one of my fellow performers. And you just gave that to us so generously, we will never forget it.†Is this the perfect set-up for a Reputation re-release?