Kelsea Ballerini took on being a Taylor Swift superfan to a whole new level on March 17. The country singer paused his own concert to ask attendees if they were “stalking the Eras tour” for updates, as he had big question about the setlist. “Is ‘Cruel Summer’ on the setlist?” he asked inwardly a TikTok shared by a fan.
Fortunately, Ballerini’s fans are multitaskers. “Can I just level you for a moment?” the “Blindsided” singer asked the crowd that saw him in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “Has anyone stalked The Eras Tour? Has it started yet?”
The crowd’s roar served as a resounding yes, leading Ballerini to get straight to the point. “I’m gonna stalk it after this, but I have one question. Is ‘Cruel Summer’ on the setlist?” After her fans confirmed that Swift did indeed perform the beloved song from “Lover” in 2019, she was ready to continue her own concert. “Wow, that’s my Super Bowl, I gotta be honest,” he said before turning his attention back to his show.
Ballerini’s love for Swift is well-documented, but when she was seen stopping by her show to ask about the kickoff of his friend’s tour was a sweet moment. In 2022, the country star revealed that Swift was instrumental in helping her launch her own career, and for that reason, she will always be grateful for the Grammy-winner.
During an episode of “Podcrushed” hosted by Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, and Sophie Ansari, she shared how Swift’s tweet about her song, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” in 2015, helped her standout in a crowded field of performers. “I’m like a new female artist on an independent label. Like, every odd was just not in my favor, you know?” he says.
Ballerini continued, “He really put the eyeballs on me and the ears on the song. And it changed everything! And he kind of took me under his wing for a few years, in a way off camera as well. I think there’s a big difference, like people who parade people around and they’re like ‘look at me, I’m doing something good!’ and then people who are like, ‘Come on, I’m going to make dinner, open a bottle of wine and ask me a question.’ And she did it in that kind of way and I’m really grateful for that.”
These days, the two women are friends, but Ballerini’s concert stop moment proves that she is still the “Cruel Summer” singer’s first and foremost fan.