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26 September 2023
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KSNT) – Rumors that Taylor Swift was in Lawrence Monday inspired a crowd of Taylor Swift fans, ‘Swifties,’ to flood Massachusetts Street in hopes of seeing the 12-time Grammy award winner.
Management at Free State Brewing Company, where Swift was thought to be, said she was never there. But even though the rumor wasn’t true, it brought together dozens of people who share a common love for the pop star.
The rumors flooded social media just one day after Swift was spotted visiting Kansas City to watch the Chiefs game in Travis Kelce’s box with his mother, Donna Kelce. Her appearance came amid talk she and the two-time Super Bowl champ are dating.
While the rumors of Swift at Free State ultimately ended up being false, that didn’t stop fans from crowding outside the brewery in hopes of seeing their idol.
“It’s crazy to me because I’ve been a Swiftie my whole life. She’s my first ever concert,” Sadi Petrovski said. “So it’s just, like, cool to see that there’s, like, this big of a group of people who have, like, grown up watching her, and even not, she’s, like, made such an impact on this many people’s lives. Even if she’s not here, people are waiting for her to come out somewhere where she might not even be.”
Even though they didn’t get to see Swift, one Swiftie told KSNT News being able to experience a common interest with so many others was moving.
“I just think it’s so cool and, like, almost inspirational,” Paige Devena said. “She’s just the biggest inspiration for a lot of girls, and I think it’s just so cool that we can all come together to kind of experience this together.”
And it’s not just her music that brought them together.
“I think it’s really great,” Blake Bailey said. “I just think it shows you know what Taylor Swift does to her community of fans and supporters. You know she brings them together, not only with her music but who she is as a person and what she stands for, so it’s exciting.”
“I think it’s just very cool, and it’s all different races out here, and so I think that’s a big thing,” Mercedes Dunn said. “That shows a lot about her, like, she doesn’t have one demographic as a fan.”
For those who waited in hopes of catching a glimpse of Swift, Free State played her music over outdoor speakers. Free State reported on “X” that they had nothing to do with starting the rumor.