Why was Matt LeBlanc on stage at a Taylor Swift concert?
It’s a lot to process, so here’s a complete guide to the guests on Swift’s tour — and why these stars were the chosen ones.
Song: “Tenerife Sea”
Why was Sheeran there? Swift and Sheeran go way back, from that time they wrote her single “Everything Has Changed” on a trampoline. Plus, he was an opener on her “Red” tour.
Song: “Radioactive”
Why was Reynolds there? Imagine Dragons is one of her favorite bands, as she told the crowd.
Why were Hadid and Hunt there? Both model squad members and co-stars in the “Bad Blood” video, and Hadid used to date Swift’s ex-boyfriend, Joe Jonas.
Song: “Pontoon”
Why was Little Big Town there? Swift is still a Nashville gal at heart.
Song: “Cool Kids”
Why was Echosmith there? Swift and lead vocalist Sydney Sierota became pals at the 2014 VMAs.
Why were Delevigne and Hargitay there? Delevingne is a longtime member of the #squad; Swift is a huge “Law & Order: SVU” fan, and one of her cats is named after Hargitay’s character, Olivia Benson.
Song: “Fight Song”
Why was Platten there? Swift bonded with Platten backstage a few nights earlier in Pittsburgh singing this inspirational tune.
Why was Hargitay there? See above.
Song: “Can’t Feel My Face”
Why was The Weeknd there? Well, they do share a producer in Max Martin.
Why were all those other people there? It’s a good number of “Bad Blood” video stars and friends (Dunham and Steinfeld), and Klum, who likely felt right at home among fellow supermodels Aldridge and Hadid. Plus, the women’s soccer team had just won the World Cup.
Song: “Jealous”
Why was Jonas there? Swift and the JoBros have known each other for years; he also dated her BFF Selena Gomez.
Why was everyone else there? Some repeats from the night before, with the addition of some more supermodel friends and Uzo Aduba from “Orange is the New Black.” (Maybe Swift is a Netflix binge-watcher?)
Song: “Royals”
Why was Lorde there? Lorde & Taylor: A well-documented Insta-friendship.
Song: “Want to Want Me”
Why was Derulo there? Swift told the crowd it’s one of her favorite summer songs.
Song: “Honey, I’m Good”
Why was Grammer there? This is his second appearance on a Swift tour — he showed up a couple years ago to play “Keep Your Head Up,” Swift’s favorite song when she’s having a bad day.
Why was Serayah there? A fairly new edition to the squad, the 20-year-old “Empire” star helped Swift out on vocals during “Style.”
Song: “Take Your Time”
Why was Hunt there? Swift likes to keep tabs on the Nashville scene. Before their flirty duet, she called him “the coolest new thing that country music has going on.”
Why were Donaldson and Pejic there? Because Swift really, really likes having supermodel friends?
Song: “Shut Up and Dance”
Why was Walk the Moon there? Released last year, it’s still a contender for song of the summer.
Song: “Classic”
Why was MKTO there? Because it’s the catchiest song ever and earworm expert Taylor Swift knows it.
Song: “Am I Wrong”
Why were Nico & Vinz there? Swift is OBSESSED with them.
Song: “Trap Queen”
Why was Fetty Wap there? Another song of the summer contender.
Why were Wilson and Ciara there? Swift likes to bring out hometown stars (Wilson is a favorite of the Seahawks) and he and Ciara are one of this year’s most-talked about couples.
Song: “Worth It”
Why was Fifth Harmony there? Swift has been good friends with group member Camila Cabello for awhile, which she proved by borrowing one of Fifth Harmony’s outfits for the performance.
Good night. pic.twitter.com/dJsefuumrv
— Alex Goldschmidt (@alexandergold) August 15, 2015
Song: “Black Magic”
Why was Little Mix there? They were already nearby for the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles. And group member Perrie Edwards used to be engaged to Zayn Malik, the ex-One Direction star, and Swift also used to date Harry Styles.
Why were Roberts and Baez there? Your guess is as good as ours — though Swift did call the women two of her heroes.
Song: “Counting Stars”
Why was Tedder there? He co-wrote two tracks on “1989” (“Welcome to New York” and “I Know Places”) so it was only fair.
Why was Bryant there? In a twist, the Lakers star was there to surprise Swift: He presented a new Staples Center banner that congratulated her on being the artist with the most sold-out concerts ever at the venue.
Blige’s songs: “Doubt,” “Family Affair”
Why was she there? Swift says she was very inspired when she heard Blige sing “Doubt” at a pre-Grammy party last year, and also wants no more drama in her life.
Aduba’s song: “White Horse”
Why was she there? Aduba (a guest earlier in the summer in East Rutherford) told Vulture she got a message from Swift inviting her to sing on stage. Who would turn that down?
Why were LeBlanc, O’Pry and Rock there? Swift is a big fan of “Friends.” We know Rock is a big fan of Swift. And Sean O’Pry was the star of Swift’s “Blank Space” video.
Maines’s song: “Goodbye Earl”
Why was she there? Swift used to perform Dixie Chicks songs at all her school talent shows, so may as well bring it to a bigger stage.
Morissette’s song: “You Oughta Know”
Why was she there? It’s one of the most famous songs about an ex-boyfriend, a theme Swift knows very well.
Why was DeGeneres there? The two have been buddies for years, with Swift a frequent guest on her talk show — even though Ellen often tries to freak her out.
Beck’s song: “Dreams,” with St. Vincent on guitar
Why were they there? St. Vincent is dating Swift’s squad member Cara Delevigne; Beck has a new single.
Legend’s song: “All of Me”
Why was he there? According to Swift, she heard Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, were on their way to the show, so she called and asked about an impromptu performance.
Timberlake’s song: “Mirrors”
Why was he there? The former ‘N Sync frontman was one of Swift’s first celebrity crushes before she became a superstar. Now he joins her on stage and shows up at her 25th birthday party.
Gomez’s song: “Good For You”
Why was she there? The two have been best friends for a long time, even though Swift is rightly repulsed by Gomez’s on-again off-again romance with Justin Bieber.
Why was Kudrow there? To sing “Smelly Cat” from “Friends.” That’s right, Swift’s powerful enough to get an Emmy-nominated actress to reprise a decades-old sitcom role.
OMI’s Song: “Cheerleader”
Why was he there? It’s another song of the summer contender.
Lavigne’s song: “Complicated”
Why was she there? To quell the notion that the two are in a feud. People tried to stoke the fire when Swift “liked” a Tumblr post that implied Lavigne wasn’t friendly to her fans. But Swift is way too savvy for that story to blow up.
Khalifa’s song: “See You Again”
Why was he there? The tearjerker song from the “Furious 7” soundtrack is one of the biggest hits of the year. Judging by their long embrace at the end of the performance, Swift got a little emotional as well.
https://instagram.com/p/7cGHtejvK4
The Band Perry’s song: “If I Die Young”
Why were they there? A throwback to Swift’s country roots. They also share a record label with Swift’s Nashville-based Big Machine.
Sierota’s song: “Cool Kids”
Why was she there? The first repeat performer! The lead vocalist of Echosmith stopped by again because the two are good pals.
Bentley’s song: “Every Mile a Memory”
Why was he there? Another Nashville star; Swift says she’s always wanted to sing with him.
Ballerini’s song: “Love Me Like You Mean It”
Why was she there? Swift has taken the up-and-coming country singer under her wing in the last year, tweeting about how much she loves her music and calling her “little sis.”
Tyler’s song: “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
Why was he there? Besides the fact that he also shares a record label with Swift, she is on record in 2012 as saying, “I feel like I’d be more understood if people knew ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ by Aerosmith is how most of my emotions sound in my head.”
Krauss’s song: “When You Say Nothing At All”
Why was she there? Um, to bring everyone in the arena to tears?
Jagger’s song: “Satisfaction”
Why was he there? Because he’s Mick Jagger. Oh, and Swift once joined the Rolling Stones on stage at a concert.
Lewis’s song: “Bleeding Love”
Why was she there? Swift is a huge fan of her voice, to put it mildly.
Nelly’s song: “Hot in Herre”
Why was he there? Nelly is basically king of St. Louis, and Swift and Haim needed to join forces on stage for an epic dance party.
BUSTING LOOSE bc Tay, Nelly & HAIM threw it back 2night w/ 'Hot in Herre' #1989TourStLouis pic.twitter.com/LJiJvaNegm
— Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) September 30, 2015
Urban’s song: “John Couger, John Deere, John 3:16”
Why was he there: Swift once opened for him on tour when she was a new country singer.
Charli XCX’s song: “Boom Clap”
Why was she there? She did do that punk cover of “Shake It Off.”
Goulding’s song: “Love Me Like You Do”
Why was she there? She’s been a squad member for a long time, and obviously appeared in the “Bad Blood” video; Swift has long been a fan.
Lambert’s song: “Little Red Wagon”
Why was she there? If you’re in the south, you might as well invite one of the top country singers around.
Pitbull’s song: “Give Me Everything”
Why was he there? Please, Pitbull is basically mayor of Miami. It would have been insulting if he wasn’t invited.
Martin’s song: “Livin’ La Vida Loca”
Why was he there? Another famous South Beach resident, who wouldn’t want to have a dance party to his 1999 hit?
Why was Wade there? If the Lakers gave Swift a banner, the least the Heat could do is give Swift a jersey.
Cara’s song: “Here”
Why was she there? She’s one of Swift’s top new singers to watch.
Mendel’s song: “Let It Go”
Why was she there? It’s one of the biggest songs in the world from one of the biggest movies in the world (“Frozen”)…so, fitting that’s the way that Swift ended the North American leg of her tour.