Radio 1 presenter Sam MacGregor told BBC: “There has been a history of people who, when they have done a UK tour or European tour, have missed off Wales. But it’s exciting to see artists are starting to change that perception. And if people like Taylor Swift, the biggest artist in the world right now, can come to Cardiff, they why can’t some of the smaller or medium scale artists come?”

Fans had been eagerly awaiting information regarding Swift’s upcoming tour, and when the 34-year-old announced what cities she, along with support from American rock band Paramore, would be visiting, many were ecstatic to discover the singer would be hitting Cardiff this summer. The “Anti-Hero” singer will be playing Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on June 18, her only Welsh date for the entire tour.

Really can’t contain my excitement because… we’re adding 14 new shows to The Eras Tour. And I get to travel the world doing shows with @paramore!! Hayley and I have been friends since we were teens in Nashville and now we get to frolic around the UK/Europe next summer??? I’m… pic.twitter.com/kl1aijxR2o

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 5, 2023

Taylor Swift isn’t the only superstar to be performing in Cardiff this summer, as the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Billy Joel, and Pink will be performing at the Principality Stadium, giving Wales an unforgettable summer of live music.

Emily Cotterill from FOR Cardiff, a group representing businesses in the city centre, believes each event is a big opportunity. She said: “We want people who have maybe come to Cardiff once for a gig to think ‘we want to go back and spend a weekend’. Lots of the time, especially with these big names, they are a reason to come here for the first time and then it’s up to us to help those people come back for a second, third or fourth time.”

For more information on Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour, click here.

Tour dates:

07/06/2024 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
08/06 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
09/06 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
13/06 – Anfield Stadium – Liverpool
14/06 – Anfield Stadium – Liverpool
15/06 – Anfield Stadium – Liverpool
18/06 – Principality Stadium – Cardiff
21/06 – Wembley Stadium – London
22/06 – Wembley Stadium – London
23/06 – Wembley Stadium – London
28/06 – Aviva Stadium – Dublin
29/06 – Aviva Stadium – Dublin
30/06 – Aviva Stadium – Dublin
15/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
16/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
17/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
19/08 – Wembley Stadium – London
20/08 – Wembley Stadium – London

Great Western Railway posted a picture of Grohl and a member of the train operator’s service development team, with guitarist Pat Smear and bass player Nate Mendel in the background. In a tweet, GWR wrote: “Even rock royalty knows that there is no better way to travel to Glastonbury than by train! You never know who is going to churn up on board our trains!” The tweet was posted on social media after the band’s surprise set was performed.

Even rock royalty knows that there is no better way to travel to Glastonbury than by train!

You never know who is going to churn up on board our trains!#FooFighters #Glastonbury23 #TheChurnups pic.twitter.com/z6uJxESRFT

— GWR (@GWRHelp) June 23, 2023

The American rock band surprised fans at Glastonbury Festival on Friday, June 23. Prior to the big reveal, an unknown act named The Churnups were scheduled to perform on the Pyramid Stage at 6:15pm BST. On their Instagram, Foo Fighters posted a clip from their Friday performance. They wrote, “Thank you glastofest!!!”

See the video on the Foo Fighters’ Instagram below:

The last time the band performed at Glastonbury Festival was in 2017. Onstage, Grohl asked the crowed, “Last time we played here was 2017 I don’t know how many of y’all were there that time?” They then performed their set including a touching song “Show Me How” dedicated to Grohl’s late mother.

As of now, Dave Grohl has performed at this year’s Glastonbury Festival three times. The first time he performed at the festival was when Foo Fighters revealed they were the mysterious act The Churnups. During this set, they dedicated their final song “Everlong” to Taylor Hawkins, their late drummer who passed away at the age of 50 last March. On Saturday, Grohl and Johnny Marr joined The Pretenders onstage, and the Foo Fighters’ frontman joined Guns N’ Roses for the song “Paradise City”. Guns N’ Roses were the headlining act for Saturday’s festival.

Foo Fighters’ appearance at Glastonbury Festival is the band’s first full gig in the UK since the death of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins. However, they did hold a tribute concert to Taylor in London last year. Recently, the band confirmed that they will be going on tour next summer and be returning to the UK. They wrote on Instagram, “Stay tuned…” along with a video.

See the video on Foo Fighters’ Instagram below:

The hundreds of guitarist, drummers and singers came together back in July under the name Rockin’1000, as an open love letter to Foo Fighters, with the hopes of luring the band into playing their hometown. The video has since racked up over 26 million views on Youtube, but more importantly gained the attention of Dave Grohl, who after seeing the video promised to play a show at Cesena. This Tuesday (3rd November) Foo Fighters fulfilled that promise and played at the Italian City. You can see his thank you speech to the crowd below:

“I fuckin’ cried because it was great,” Grohl stated during the show. “To see you people, singing our song for the whole fucking world, to me, it’s the greatest moment of my life. You should do the same thing, do it for U2, do it for Pearl Jam, do it for Soundgarden, do it for Rage Against the Machine.”

Later, the man behind the Rockin’1000, Fabio Zaffagnini, was invited on stage by Dave Grohl, along with ‘Mohawk guy’ – literally the guy sporting the giant Mohawk during the Rockin’1000 video – where they performed a rendition of Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’. You can check that out below:

And just because the Rockin’1000’s cover of ‘Learn to Fly’ was so cool, here’s it for your viewing pleasure again: