Taylor Swift honored pride month with a special performance.
Swift, 29, made a surprise appearance on Friday night at AEG and Stonewall Inn’s pride celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, taking the stage at the legendary gay bar to perform one of her biggest hits — “Shake it Off.”
Swift was introduced by the event’s headliner Jesse Tyler Ferguson after the Modern Family star teased her appearance with a plethora of Swift references.
Just moments before Swift came out, Ferguson asked himself, “What would 2019 Jessie say to 1989 Jessie?” — a clear reference to her album 1989.
He then launched into a brief karaoke version of “Shake It Off” before coming to an abrupt stop.
“I feel like this was a bad idea,” he joked. “There’s probably six drag queens in this building who could sing this better than me — or a really fantastic Taylor Swift impersonator, or even Taylor Swift. She’s not here don’t worry why would she be here — because she’s amazing!”
That’s when Swift emerged and the crowd went wild.
“So I heard that you wanted somebody to accompany you on guitar,” Swift said before going into the song.
The invitation-only event was co-hosted by Diva Jackie Dupree, and also featured performances by Sara Bareilles, Gavin Creel, Lea DeLaria and more.
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“As an owner and operator of venues, festivals, clubs and theaters around the world, AEG is committed to providing welcoming and safe spaces for all of our fans,” Dan Beckerman, President and CEO of AEG said in a statement. “We intend to continue using our voice and resources to support equity for all.”
Less than 24 hours earlier, Swift released the second single from her upcoming album Lover, which takes shots at anti-Pride protestors, calling anti-LGTBQ groups stuck in the “dark ages.”
“You are somebody that we don’t know / But you’re coming at my friends like a missile / Why are you mad? / When you could be GLAAD?” Swift sings on the track, referencing the LGBTQ media organization.
![Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Taylor Swift](https://people.com/thmb/buXZT7l43bPqbzj3xkOMN9NTYps=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)/gettyimages-1155989190-1-2000-ac6f580840ab4f9d9c4816acd346db71.jpg)
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Without giving too much away about her upcoming album, in a recent interview with German outlet DPA, Swift also shared that her new music will feature a political message.
“I definitely think there are political undertones in the new music I made,” Swift said, according to translations as reported by multiple outlets. “I’m not planning to stop encouraging young people to vote and to try to get them to talk about what’s going on in our country. I think that’s one of the most important things I could do.”
![Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Taylor Swift](https://people.com/thmb/yY6AV_cy_L-vfD-e3F7V7EZ49ew=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)/gettyimages-1155989718-1-2000-b972ff02c6e14bff92dcddfed36c0011.jpg)
In October 2018, Swift publicly endorsed two Democratic candidates running in the Tennessee midterm elections.
More recently, Swift used her voice to take a stand for LGBTQ rights by sharing a copy of a letter she had written to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, urging him to support the Equality Act, which would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally,” Swift told fans, encouraging them to contact their own state senators.